Police abuse

Ferguson Action Calls For #BlackLivesMatter To #ReclaimMLK

January 9, 2015 Staff, www.FergusonAction.com Resist! MLK, Police abuse, Racism

Martin Luther King Jr’s life’s work was the elevation, honoring, and defense of Black Lives. His tools included non-violent civil disobedience and direct action. Dr. King was part of a larger movement of women, and men, queer, and straight, young and old. This movement was built on a bold vision. This vision was radical, principled, and uncompromising. The freedom fighters attached to this vision did not bow to political expediency or the calls for gradualism heard in their day. They were called impractical, rash, not strategic, irrational, and naive. Their tactics were controversial. Some elders distanced themselves from what was then a new movement for change. Some of the older generation joined in. The present day Movement for Black Lives draws a direct line from the legacy of Dr. King and the current day struggle we face today. Unfortunately, Dr. King’s legacy has been clouded by efforts to soften, sanitize, and commercialize it.

#CarryTheNames 24 Hour Vigil In Grand Central Station

January 7, 2015 Staff, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! #BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter (BLM), killed by police, New York City (NYC), Police abuse, police brutality, Racism, Vigil

Participants called it a "beautiful action" -- a 24 hour vigil in Grand Central Station in New York City where people carried the names of those who have been killed in police violence. "We #CarryTheNames--reading the names and stories of some of the many killed over the years because of racism. Vinie Burrows came and read a Langston Hughes poem. Dragonfly sat in the middle of the signs with all the names and sang. We marched around the information booth singing 'I can hear my brother crying, 'I can't breathe.'" The Village Voice reports on Rev. Billy Talen being arrested after 18 hours of the protest: According to a police spokeswoman, Talen was told to remove signs placed on the floor that could be a hazard to commuters walking by. After an officer tried to take one of the signs, police said, Talen pushed the officer. He was arrested with charges of obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct shortly after 12:30 p.m. Talen was the only person at the protest who was arrested. . . The vigil had gone on peacefully for eighteen hours before the arrest, and Savitri said she's glad the arrest didn't stop the protest, which continued until 5 p.m. "This is a First Amendment violation," she says. "And it's terrible, because it keeps us from talking about the lives being taken by police." Talen is expected to spend the night in "The Tombs."

Brown Case: Judge Asked To Appoint Prosecutor, New Grand Jury

January 6, 2015 Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Organize! Criminal Justice and Prisons, Darren Wilson, Grand Jury, Michael Brown, Police abuse

Under Missouri law, MO Rev Stat § 56.110, the presiding judge of the Circuit Court is empowered to “appoint some other attorney to prosecute” if the prosecuting attorney ‘be interested,’ (i.e. has a conflict of interest). The knowing false testimony of witnesses by itself should result in a special prosecutor and a new grand jury, but that was one of many abuses of the grand jury investigating the death of Michael Brown. Sherrilyn Ifill and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund has written to Judge McShane raising issues that undermine the credibility of this grand jury. In her letter (below) she urges the judge to convene a new grand jury and appoint a special prosecutor. In the 9 page letter she describes a series of abuses by McCulloch and the assistant prosecutors that “call into question both the integrity of the process and the lawfulness of the prosecutors’ conduct.” All of this, Isil concludes, demonstrates a failed grand jury and raises ethical questions about the behaviors of the prosecutors. She reminds Judge McShane that she has the authority to appoint a special prosecutor and convene a new grand jury. She asks the court to take action to “vindicate the public’s faith in the criminal justice system.”

21 Utah Tar Sands Blockaders Face Charges, Including Felonies

January 6, 2015 Resist! Blockades, Criminal Justice and Prisons, Energy, Environment, Police abuse, Tar Sands, Utah

Uintah County prosecutors have filed felony and misdemeanor charges against 21 people from 10 states who were arrested during a summer protest at the site of a controversial tar sands mine. he charges stem from a July 21 protest at the U.S. Oil Sands mine site, which sits on land leased to the Canadian energy firm by the state School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration. During the protest, 12 environmental activists climbed an 8-foot-tall, chain-link fence topped with barbed wire and entered the mine site, according to court records. Five of the activists chained themselves to heavy equipment inside the fenced area, deputies said. About 30 protesters outside the fenced area were told to leave the mine site or face arrest, according to court records. Only one of the 30 failed to follow that order and was arrested. In July, Utah Tar Sands Resistance spokeswoman Jessica Lee said deputies treated the protesters so roughly during the arrests that it amounted to police brutality. "This is a clear example of the Uintah County sheriff escalating things," Lee said at the time, noting that protesters were "grabbed in an aggressive manner" and some were "thrown to the ground."

Union Criticizes Police Chief For Opposing Racism

January 4, 2015 Staff, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! Police abuse, police brutality, Racism

We noted the photograph of Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay taken on New Year's Eve calling for an end to white silence and pledging to challenge racism at work. We thought it was a sensible statement and that Chief McLay deserved credit for taking a stand against racism. We were pleased to read that Mayor Bill Peduto was also supportive. Unfortunately, there were some critics. The president of the Fraternal Order of Howard McQuillan said the photo amounted to the chief labeling the police force as racist. The mayor has stood by Chief McLay and the police chief has sent an email to his officers. In it he highlights the relationship between police and communities of color: “the reality of U.S. policing is that our enforcement efforts have a disparate impact on communities of color. This is a statistical fact. You know, as well as I, the social factors driving this reality. The gross disparity in wealth and opportunity is evident in our city. Frustration and disorder are certain to follow."

2015 Pledge Year Of Resistance, Take Back MLK

January 4, 2015 Staff, www.PopularResistance.org Organize! MLK, Police abuse, police brutality, Racism

Ferguson Action is urging people to sign to pledge to make 2015 a Year of Resistance. They are also calling for the weekend leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday on January 19th for protests to take back MLK. #TakeBackMLK and #MLKD. The movie, Selma, opens on Thursday, January 8. This is a great opportunity to mobilize people by protesting from Friday through Sunday when the movies are letting out. This is a great opportunity to reach people because the movie will inspire them, remind them of the people power of the civil rights movement and move people to take action. #WeekendOfAwarness #BlackLivesMatter would be great hashtags for this. When you protest, sign people up, tell them how to get involved. PLEDGE: I pledge to make 2015 my year of resistance to state violence against Black lives. I challenge myself and those in my community to take risks as we confront the many ways that Black lives are diminished and taken from us. This pledge is in defense of ALL black lives. We stand with Black men and women. . . .

Time To Stand Up To The NYPD

January 4, 2015 Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Educate! #BlackLivesMatter, Bill De Blasio, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Bratton, NYC, NYPD, Police abuse, police brutality, Racism

What kind of relationship do communities and individuals want to have with the police? Do police want the respect of the communities and people they serve? How does a city create a vision for the type of policing it wants to see and then achieve it? Unfortunately, the NYPD union leadership seems committed to making things worse. Patrick Lynch has threatened “When these funerals are over, those responsible will be called on the carpet and held accountable.” What does that mean? Is he threatening a police coup of city government? Leaked emails and comments in chat rooms show that the NYPD is working with GOP politicians to continue to escalate protests in order to remove de Blasio from office. De Blasio should not back down. The public is with the mayor because they know there are serious problems within the NYPD. He should escalate his efforts for positive police reforms. It is time to talk about an era of community control of policing where structures are put in place that give the community power in their relationship with police.

Newsletter: 2015, The Year We Build Power Together

January 2, 2015 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.PopularResistance.org Newsletter #BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Climate Change, Extreme Energy, Inequality, Living Wage, Police abuse, police brutality, Racism, TPP, Worker Rights and Jobs

“2015 The Year We Build Power Together” is the major task we see for the movement this year. In 2014 we saw tremendous growth of the movement across numerous fronts of struggle – worker rights and the wages, racism and policing, climate, the environment and extreme energy extraction, building a new economy and so much more. We also saw how uniting and working in solidarity is a foundational requirement for success. “Building power together” means building on the 2014 successes of creating a larger and bolder movement that is beginning to work together as a movement of movements and recognizes that we are building our unified power because all of our issues are connected. If the people defeat transnational corporate power in the first big confrontation of 2015, we will be on our way to making 2015 the year we built our power together. We will be freed to create the world in which we want to live and one that increases the chances of a livable future.

Protest For Akai Gurley Held In Brooklyn

December 28, 2014 M.L. Nestel, www.thedailybeast.com Resist! killed by police, Police abuse, police brutality, Racism

The protesters were remembering Michael Brown, Eric Garner and, this time, Akai Gurley: all unarmed black men killed by white police officers who have so far faced no punishment. The police departments say procedures were followed, and grand juries have listened. No indictments have been handed down against the police officers in question. But members of the black community say the cops are, at best, enjoying a culture of impunity and, at worst, getting away with murder. Today, however, standing three stories on a rooftop with the Stars and Stripes waving behind him at half-mast, one cop grinned and others puffed stogies as the protesters filed past. The whir of the circling NYPD helicopter muffled their chants calling for unity and calling out police brutality. They seemed to sense that the mood of the city, which once had sympathized with the protesters and Mayor Bill De Blasio, had shifted to support the police after the murders of Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu on Dec. 20 by a deranged Ismaaiyl Brinsley. Protesters waved at the smiling officers standing on the roof of the 75th Precinct and then responded by belting: “They think it’s a game. They think it’s a joke.” Gurley's widow, Kimberly Ballinger, was at first speechless when asked about the 75 Precinct reception. She took a beat. Then sighed, “It’s disrespectful,” she told The Daily Beast

Day Of Officer’s Funeral, Calls For Justice

December 28, 2014 Deirdre Fulton, www.commondreams.org Resist! killed by police, Police abuse, police brutality, Racism

On the same day as tens of thousands of police officers from across the country joined the New York Police Department in honoring Officer Rafael Ramos, who was killed on December 20 along with his partner, Officer Wenjian Liu, demonstrations took place in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles protesting police violence and racial injustice. According to the Times, "on the streets around the church, scores of New York City police officers used the occasion to once again make a statement about what they feel is a lack of support from City Hall—turning their backs when Mayor Bill de Blasio delivered his remarks." Hours later, protesters employed similar symbolism when they turned their backs on the 75th Precinct in Brooklyn, NY, near the Pink Houses complex where Akai Gurley was shot and killed by an NYPD officer in November. One demonstrator held a sign that read: "When a cop dies a nation cries. When Black youth die, the Black community cries alone." In Chicago, relatives and other supporters of Dontre Hamilton, who was shot and killed by a police officer in Milwaukee in April, gathered for a rally at the headquarters of Jesse Jackson. Last week, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced his decision not to file charges against Christopher Manney, saying the officer acted in self-defense. The #MillionsMarchLA event, organized by a collective of college students, local residents, and community leaders, began with community discussions and a rally at noon, followed by a march scheduled to begin at 2 pm PST.

Reaction To Police Deaths Reveals Challenge To Raise Consciousness

December 27, 2014 Ta-Nehisi Coates, www.theatlantic.com Strategize! Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Police abuse, police brutality

For activists and protesters radicalized by the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, this weekend's killing may seem to pose a great obstacle. In fact, it merely points to the monumental task in front of them. The response to Garner's death, particularly, seemed to offer some hope. But the very fact that this opening originated in the most extreme case—the on-camera choking of a man for a minor offense—points to the shaky ground on which such hope took root. It was only a matter of time before some criminal shot a police officer in New York. If that's all it takes to turn Americans away from police reform, the efforts were likely doomed from the start. The idea of "police reform" obscures the task. Whatever one thinks of the past half-century of criminal-justice policy, it was not imposed on Americans by a repressive minority. The abuses that have followed from these policies—the sprawling carceral state, the random detention of black people, the torture of suspects—are, at the very least, byproducts of democratic will. To challenge the police is to challenge the American people, and the problem with the police is not that they are fascist pigs but that we are majoritarian pigs. When the police are brutalized by people, we are outraged because we are brutalized. By the same turn, when the police brutalize people, we are forgiving because ultimately we are really just forgiving ourselves.

What Happened When #BlackLivesMatter Met Obama

December 26, 2014 Phillip Agnew, www.theguardian.com Organize! Police abuse, Racism

We all knew that the White House stood to benefit more from this meeting than we did. We knew that our movement families would fear the almighty co-opt and a political press photo-op. We have been underestimated at every juncture, sometimes from all sides. But this was an invitation that you accept – period. The invitation was extended with a clear goal: the president wanted to hear about what was going on around the country. We answered that call with clarity and brutal honesty. We told President Obama that we were not the “People’s Spokespeople”. We told him that we had neither the power, positions, nor desires to stop the eruptions in the streets and that they would continue until a radical change happened in this country. We told him that we had no faith in anything, church or state. We told him that the country was on the brink and that nothing short of major capitulations at all levels of the government to the demands of the people could prevent it. He counseled us that the wheels of progress turn sluggishly and reminded us of the progress that got us to this point: a room full of black folk in the Oval Office. He asked for our help, harkening back to his organizing days when, in the streets of Chicago, the cries of the people shifted the landscape. We debated on the power of the vote and the lack of faith in the Democratic party. If we don’t get what we came for, we will shut it down. President Obama knows that and we know it. No meeting can stop that.

Protests Break Out For Dontre Hamilton In Milwaukee

December 23, 2014 Staff, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! Grand Jury, killed by police, Police abuse, police brutality, Racism

Filled with frustration and resolve, a coalition of religious and civil rights leaders joined the family of Dontre Hamilton on Monday in demanding that a federal investigation into his fatal shooting move forward, along with a broader review of Milwaukee Police Department cases involving excessive force. U.S. Attorney James Santelle issued a statement saying the U.S. Department of Justice would review the Hamilton case individually to determine whether federal civil rights laws were violated. Santelle did not address the issue of a larger "pattern-and-practice" investigation that would examine the entire department. In 2011, federal officials began a preliminary review of whether the U.S. Department of Justice should sue the Milwaukee Police Department for a series of possible civil rights violations. Racial profiling, searches and seizures without probable cause, the targeting of minority populations for harassment, a poor citizen complaint process, excessive use of force, or excessive use of weapons or Tasers, all could warrant federal intervention.

Garner Protesters Hold Candlelight Vigil For Slain Officers

December 23, 2014 Carly Schwartz, Alana Horowitz and Sebastian Murdock, www.huffingtonpost.com Organize! Eric Garner, Ferguson, killed by police, Police abuse, police brutality, Racism

At a candlelit gathering in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, a half-mile from where officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot to death execution-style by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, on Saturday, several dozen people held makeshift lanterns made of Dixie cups as they marched from Herbert Von King Park to St. Philips Church in silence. The attendees, including many who have spent the past month protesting the police killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, said they came to honor the officers who were killed and those who have been killed by officers. "Tonight is an opportunity to come together for a moment of reflection," Michael Premo, 32, a freelance journalist and Bedford-Stuyvesant resident who helped organize the vigil, told The Huffington Post. "There's a lot of confusion, a lot of pain. ... The loss of these officers is absolutely tragic. Any loss of life is tragic." At the Bedford-Stuyvesant vigil, 25-year-old Darius Gordon dismissed recent remarks by NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton that linked recent protests against police brutality in New York City to the murders of Liu and Ramos. "It's not comparable," Gordon said. Brinsley "shot his girlfriend before coming here from Baltimore. It's not related at all.

Garner’s Daughter Visits Memorial For Slain Police

December 22, 2014 Staff, www.PopularResistance.org Educate! killed by police, Police abuse, police brutality, Racism

Emerald Snipes-Garner, the 22 year old daughter of Eric Garner visited the memorial for the two police officers killed over the weekend. She is the youngest daughter of Eric Garner Snipes said she was moved by the comments of 13-year-old Jaden Ramos, the son of Officer Rafael Ramos, who said, ‘Today I had to say bye to my dad.’ She said of his comment “It hit my heart because I know what it feels like, with this upcoming season and you don’t have your father around, I know firsthand what you’re feeling.” She told the NY Post that she had earlier visited the family of one of the slain cops, Officer Rafael Ramos. Snipes laid flowers and placed a candle at the memorial site. She said her father would not have wanted violence: "And I just want everyone to know that we have to pray for the mental health of the activists and people. … And you know, I want to let everyone know that we have to be peaceful. My father wasn’t a violent man. He was very peaceful. There are ways that you can do things without letting tragedies happen."

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