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Fury Of Ferguson Descends On St. Louis County

September 17, 2014 Steve Giegerich and Tim O’Neil, www.stltoday.com , , , , ,
The fury of Ferguson descended on the seat of St. Louis County with a vengeance Tuesday night with demonstrators unleashing a torrent of chants, invective and threats at a County Council that listened for two hours in stunned silence. Protesters demanded the arrest of Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot 18-year-old Michael Brown to death on a Ferguson street five weeks ago, the removal of County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch from the Brown case, the resignations of County Police Chief Jon Belmar and Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson and accountability from the elected county legislative arm. But the bulk of the ire was directed at Steve Stenger, the 6th District Democratic councilman facing Republican state Rep. Rick Stream in the November general election in the race for county executive. Several speakers demanded that Stenger call on his “BFF (Best Friend Forever)” St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch to resign by noon today. McCulloch was the councilman’s chief political ally in Stenger’s primary defeat of incumbent County Executive Charlie Dooley four days before Brown was shot to death.

Victory! ‘Urban Shield’ Finished In Oakland

September 7, 2014 Anna Lekas Miller, www.wagingnonviolence.org , ,
On Friday, around 300 protesters blocked Broadway between 9th and 11th streets in downtown Oakland, protesting the second day of the eighth annual Urban Shield convention. The event could not have occurred at a more timely moment. Only a few weeks after images of SWAT teams in riot gear pointing military-grade assault rifles towards peaceful protesters and arresting dozens in the streets brought the hyper-militarization of the police to national attention, the Urban Shield convention is taking place in downtown Oakland, bringing together law enforcement forces from around the world for a two-day trade show followed by a series of trainings taking place throughout the Bay Area. Late Friday, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan announced in a press conference that the convention will not be returning to Oakland next year. Despite the victory, many activists recognize that resisting events like Urban Shield, and other manners of police militarization will be a long battle.

Washington, DC: Another March For Mike Brown On Saturday

September 5, 2014 Staff, www.PopularResistance.org , , ,
There have been a series of protests in Washington, DC since the killing of Michael Brown by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. These marches have brought hundreds, sometimes more than a thousand people, into the streets of Washington, DC to call for the arrest of Officer Wilson and an end to racism, militarized police. March to U Street For Mike Brown Rally Begins at 7 PM at The African American Civil War Memorial and Museum 1925 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20001 Sponsored by American Muslim Alliance The Answer Coalition National Black United Front Part for Socialism and Liberation We Act Radio

Civil Rights Leaders Declare State Of Emergency In Black Communities

September 4, 2014 Staff, www.ibw21.org , , ,
Dr. Ron Daniels, President of IBW, framed the discussion by reiterating that there is a “State of Emergency” in Black America, particularly in marginalized inner-city communities which he called “America’s “dark ghettos.” Dr. Daniels emphasized that the killing of Michael Brown and scores of other young Black men must be seen within the context of massive disinvestment in urban neighborhoods and unconscionable levels of joblessness and economic underdevelopment. He suggested that in the minds of political leaders and much of the White public, Black people live in “dangerous communities with dangerous Black men” who must be heavily policed and incarcerated in order to have peace, safety and stability. These fears and machinations were the genesis of the War on Drugs and other racially biased criminal justice policies and practices targeting the Black community.

Ezell Ford Mourners Say Farewell, Call For Justice

August 31, 2014 Gale Holland, www.latimes.com , ,
Mourners come by the hundreds to lay Ezell Ford to rest and to protest his fatal shooting by police 'This is the breaking point,' Maurice Bull, one of Ezell Ford's cousins, said outside the funeral service On a breezy Saturday morning in southwest Los Angeles, they came by the hundreds to lay Ezell Ford to rest and to protest the fatal shooting by police of an unarmed black man struggling with mental illness. "This is the breaking point," Maurice Bull, 46, one of Ford's cousins, said outside the funeral service at First African Methodist Episcopal Church, the city's oldest black pulpit. "It's got to stop." Conflicting accounts have emerged about the Aug. 11 killing of Ford, 25, who family said had been diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia. The funeral program described Ford as the life of the party in his younger years, who after the onset of mental illness became a "drifter" who walked the neighborhood "endlessly," asking for cigarettes.

Preserve The Evidence: Activists Guide To Video Archiving

August 31, 2014 Staff, www.http://archiveguide.witness.org/ , ,
As we have seen recently with the police abuse cases across the country and as we saw during the occupy encampments, citizens video is critical not just to creating our own media but for documenting what occurs. Repeatedly citizens video has the made the difference between whether people are aware an injustice occurred and has been critical evidence in achieving justice. This guide describes how video should be archived. Who is this Guide for? You are a human rights activist, a small or grassroots human rights organization, or media collective; You are creating or collecting digital video to document human rights abuses or issues, and; You want to make sure that the video documentation you have created or collected can be used for advocacy, as evidence, for education or historical memory - not just now but into the future.... But you are not sure where to begin, or you are stuck on a particular problem. If this is you, then this Guide is for you.

Over 1,000 Protest In Ferguson, Call For Highway Shutdown

August 31, 2014 Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org , , , ,
More than 1,000 people protested in Ferguson today. There was a call to action at the event. Organizers at the rally called on demonstrators to drive on Interstate 70 and other area highways at 4:30 p.m. Monday, turn their hazard lights on and stop their vehicles for four and a half minutes to symbolize the four and a half hours that Mr. Brown’s body lay in the street. “We’re going to tie it down, lock it down,” Anthony Shahid, one of the lead organizers of the rally, told supporters from the stage at a park. The following week, if the coalition’s demands were not met, including that Officer Wilson be fired and arrested on charges of murder, another four-minute traffic shutdown would occur on two days instead of just one, he said.

Ferguson: ‘Pilot Program’ For Community Response

August 31, 2014 Kevin Gosztola, www.dissenter.firedoglake.com , , ,
The National Lawyers Guild had legal observers on the ground in Ferguson to monitor protests against the killing of unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, by a Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. They were also present to help with jail support for community residents. But, while working, four of the NLG’s observers fell victim to the police occupation they were trying to help Ferguson fight and were arrested. As Dennis Black, one of the legal observers arrested, commented, “Ferguson is a pilot program of what’s to come when communities respond to police brutality.” He and others had traveled from Detroit to see a preview of what police might do to squelch uprisings there. Black and two other volunteers were arrested on August 21 about 10:30 pm.

Breaking: Vine Videos Show Massive Protest In Ferguson

August 30, 2014 Staff, www.PopularResistance.org , , ,
On Saturday August 30th a large protest was held in Ferguson in response to the police killing of Michael Brown, Jr. The crowd was made up of a combination of local residents and people from around the country who are opposed to police brutality and want to see justice in the case of Michael Brown. Black Lives Matter brought 500 people to the event. The protest, which included Michael Brown's family in the lead (as the video below shows) included more than 1,000 people. Despite heavy rain at one point, the protesters marched through the streets of Ferguson to the police department headquarters. Below are a series of videos from Vine that give you a good sense of the protest.

Advocates Demand New Police Standards At U.S. Department of Justice

August 29, 2014 John Zangas, www.dcmediagroup.us , , , ,
Dozens of groups rallied outside the U.S. Department of Justice Wednesday afternoon to deliver a list of demands to Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General. They cited specific changes needed to change police departments which they claim are targeting and profiling minorities. Their demands come in the wake of the Ferguson, Missouri police shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed youth. They asked for an appointment of a special prosecutor, an immediate civil rights investigation, and prosecution of Darren Wilson, the police officer responsible for the shooting. Organizers are mobilizing on the heels of a building crescendo of national interest in changing police force posture. They sense a climax in consciousness towards achieving justice and equal rights applied by police forces in communities across the country. They want to seize the opportunity to implement their ideas while the enthusiasm is there to do it.

DC: March And Rally to Demand “Justice For Michael Brown”

August 29, 2014 Black United Front, www.PopularResistance.org , , , ,
Saturday's march and rally are specifically demanding the arrest of Officer Darren Wilson, the demilitarization of the police, and the institutionalization of civilian review boards of the police with the right to hire and fire. The Call to Action for Saturday explain: "Residents of the District of Columbia, just like millions around the country recognize that at the root of Ferguson are the social, racial and economic injustices that exist nationwide. They know that Ferguson could really be anywhere and Michael Brown could be any young Black male. According to a report by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, every 28 hours a Black person is killed by a police officer, security, or vigilante in the United States.

Ferguson Saturday: National March For Michael Brown

August 29, 2014 Staff, www.answercoalition.org , , , ,
The following call to action was issued by the Justice for Michael Brown Leadership Council, made up of community leaders on the ground in Ferguson. Protest against police killings, brutality, profiling and legal coverups "This will be a national massive march on Ferguson. People of conscience, from all walks of life, and all over the United States, will come together in Ferguson in the largest single mass demonstration to demand justice for Michael Brown," said Akbar Muhammad of the Justice for Michael Brown Leadership Council. The march demands . . .

UPDATED: Racism In St. Paul: Man Tased And Arrested

August 28, 2014 Kristoffer Tigue, www.tcdailyplanet.net ,
A video showing the arrest of a black St. Paul man for allegedly sitting in a public space and refusing to give up his name surfaced yesterday, Aug. 26 — only weeks after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Missouri re-sparked the national debate on race and police profiling. The video, shot by the man’s cellphone, shows his interaction with officers as he attempts to pick up his children from New Horizon Academy in downtown St. Paul. As the officers force the man to put his hands behind his back, he drops his phone and the video goes black, but the audio continues and we hear the man crying for help and proclaiming that his kids are watching. Both officers in the video are white. “Why do I have to let you know who I am?” the man tells the first female officer at the beginning of the video. “I don’t have to let you know who I am if I haven’t broken any laws.”

Michael Brown, Jr. Mourned

August 25, 2014 Elisa Crouch, www.stltoday.com , , ,
Hundreds of mourners gathered at a St. Louis church this morning for the funeral of 18-year-old Michael Brown, whose shooting death Aug. 9 by a police officer began nearly two weeks of unrest in Ferguson. The service began a bit after 10:30 a.m. at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church, 5515 Martin Luther King Drive. The church can seat about 2,500 people. Those in the crowd included babies and the elderly, and the attire ranged from ladies in elegant hats to young men wearing t-shirts, shorts and ballcaps. Parked nearby were at least a dozen news satellite trucks. The Rev. Charles Ewing delivered the eulogy for his nephew. He said his message is to heal the hurt, not just in Ferguson but the whole nation. He asked for justice not only for Brown, but for Trayvon Martin, for victims of black-on-black crime, for the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Brown’s Father Asks People Not To Protest On Monday

August 24, 2014 Joel Anderson and Alison Vingiano, www.buzzfeed.com , , , ,
The father of Mike Brown has asked that people call off all protests Monday, the day of his son’s funeral. “I would like for no protesting going on,” Michael Brown Sr. said during an interview on Hot 104.1 FM, a hip-hop radio station in St. Louis. “We just want a moment of silence that whole day. Just out of respect for our son.” Brown went on air this morning with the Demetrious Johnson Show, which runs from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Michael Brown’s funeral is set for 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 25, in a church in St. Louis that can accommodate up to 4,500 people. Three White House officials, Rev. Al Sharpton, and thousands of community members are expected to attend.
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