🔻
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
ACTIONS MUSLIMS SHOULD TAKE IN RESPONSE TO POLICE BRUTALITY
Toolkit on policing and police brutality calling for American Muslims leaders to join MuslimARC in taking a stand, becoming more visible, and playing a more active part in addressing structural racism, and, in particular, police brutality.
TEAM
Author:
Margari Hill
Programming Director, Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative
Editors:
Namira Islam
Executive Director, Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative
Sajdah Nubee
Chief Editor, Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative
Contributors:
MuslimARC Programming Volunteers
www.muslimarc.org/blacklivesmatter
Last updated Sunday 8/21/16 9:45pm PST
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TIPS FOR ORGANIZING A DIALOGUE ON BLACKLIVESMATTER IN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY
List of Deaths Protested by Black Lives Matter
Movement for Black Lives Platform
Actions, Convenings, and Marches
Guides, Factsheets, and Toolkits
“Ferguson is everywhere."
Racial Prejudice + Institutional Power = Racism
State sanctioned violence against Black bodies, over-policing, and over-incarceration of Black Americans are emblematic of the institutional racism that is embedded in legal codes and structures in our society. The clear racial disparities and devastating effects of the prison-industrial complex on Black/African American Muslim communities demand a response from our leaders and organizers. Systemic racism not only deprives individuals of opportunities, but undermines our dignity as a people. The Black American Muslim community is not immune, as some youth are lost to the street or all but abandon their faith.
Understanding the context of the Black Lives Matter is important. In response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman of the murder of Trayvon Martin in July 2013, queer Black women activists Patrisse Fullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza created the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter as a call to action. When Darren Wilson killed Michael Brown (#HandsUpDontShoot) in the summer of 2014, the hashtag went viral. The movement expanded exponentially when Daniel Pantaleo was not indicted for killing Eric Garner (#ICantBreath) with a choke hold (See a visualization here). Law enforcement killing of Black continues to draw national attention and the list continues.
Our goal is to draw upon our Islamic traditions and historical legacy of Black upliftment and empowerment. We intend to not only raise consciousness, but to affect change in our communities. At the turn of the 21st century, we must think about the legacy we are leaving for our youth, as well as the opportunities that we need to create in order to demonstrate that Islam is relevant in their spiritual, social, and emotional lives.
Below are a list of suggested actions that individuals, organizations, and communities can take to address racism in the justice system. The hyperlinks provide examples or serve as references. We encourage you to read them to expand your knowledge and help open more possibilities. We welcome feedback and invite you to submit more suggestions and models for anti-racism actions by emailing info@muslimarc.org.
What You Can Do As An Individual
Pray. | Either deepen your prayer for the situation, or get started now. Pray for an end to racism, police brutality, and racial injustice. If you are an imam, be sure to include communities affected by police brutality and structural racism in your du’a in the Jumu’ah prayer. Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, even if he is an unbeliever, for there is no screen between it and Allah” (Musnad Ahmad 12140). |
Learn. | Identify anti-racism classes and workshops. Set aside time to read about institutional, interpersonal, and internalized racism to become well informed about structural racism, police misconduct, police surveillance, the school-to-prison pipeline, prison-industrial complex, and Communications Management Units. |
Study. | Read books, watch documentaries, or take classes on Black history, the history of Black American Muslims, Black/African American culture, and/or contemporary issues. |
Listen. | There are people who are feeling emotional pain and trauma from the recent events. “Racism is a Chronic and/or an Acute Stressor that Causes Trauma” (Carter, 2007). Thus, listen and ask questions in order to empathize with another's pain and trauma. Do not control the conversation or ask folks to be "less emotional" and "more logical or objective" because this can be hurtful,offensive, and dismissive (Grollman, N.D.). |
Engage. | You can make environments less toxic, educate the uninformed, support a victim of racism, and help win broader support by engaging with the issues. Engagement can consist of calling out racist discussions or correcting misconceptions in discussions with friends, family, and associates. Bystander anti-racism, a largely untapped policy resource, occurs when regular people address interpersonal or systemic racism (Grollman, N.D.) |
Amplify. | Help amplify marginalized individuals. Provide meaningful opportunities for Black, Latino, and Native American brothers and sisters to share their experiences in how institutional racism has affected their lives. Help ensure that they a platform to tell their story. Learn to use whatever privileges you may have, whether it is educational, gender, race, or class privilege, and work to be a good ally (Hill, 2014). |
Avoid. | Avoid actions that discourage forward movement on this cause. This includes appropriating a high profile cause simply for the appearance of giving da’awah or increasing your public profile. Check your nafs and focus on sustained action and change. Do not make the issue about your personal cause or attempt false comparisons between groups (Khan, 2014). Avoid derailing conversations about race and racial injustice, i.e. “What about Black-on-Black crime?”(Walton, 2014 ). These conversations are not relevant and undermine our efforts to tackle racism in the justice system. |
Act. | There are many things you can do to make your voice heard, become more visible, and manifest your will. This includes non-violent protest, supporting protesters, marching, endorsing organizations, etc. Three major categories are as follows: nonviolent protest and persuasion, noncooperation (social, economic, and political), and non violent intervention (198 methods of Nonviolent Action). |
Organize Events to Address Police Brutality and Systemic Racism
Watch. | Organize a film screening of a film or documentary that sheds light on the prison industrial complex and police brutality. Some examples include Prison Blues by Mustafa Davis; Fruitvale Station; selections from Do the Right Thing (1989); selections from Malcolm X (1992). Have a panel and Q&A session to discuss the issues raised in the film (Alvis, 2014). |
Discuss. | Organize forums, discussion groups, Peace Making Circles, or safe spaces to meet and start conversations about racism. Gather resources needed to support honest engagement about police brutality with a goal of unmasking, dismantling and eradicating racism through anti-racism development. |
Speak. | Encourage your leaders to teach, preach, and speak out against racism, now and on a regular basis. Organize policy-level conversations that can impact institutions and laws that affect the daily lives and opportunities of the most marginalized groups (Race Forward). |
What Your Organization Can Do
Prepare. | Develop an anti-bias organizational assessment to analyze the policies and practices of your organization (ChangeWork). |
Establish. | Ensure that your organization or community creates an environment of intolerance for racist conduct. Develop a clear policy statement about your organization’s zero-tolerance stance on racism. Develop clear policies and disciplinary actions towards racist speech and actions. (Dewey, 2013) |
Develop. | Develop a vision and system of accountability for anti-bias policies and practices to ensure that you are achieving your goals. Create and utilize a system to back up your community’s policies towards racism. The system should allow for reporting and documenting instances of racism and provide clear details regarding the corrective action system (Chuasiriporn, N.D.) |
Form. | Form partnerships with anti-racism organizations, as well as community members, families, leaders, and grassroots organizations that tackle structural racism and empower marginalized communities (NPARC). |
What You Can Do For Sustained Action
Link. | Join efforts with organizations that have track records in anti-racism work, civil rights, or empowering urban communities. Connect with the National Urban League, NAACP, and/or the ACLU, as well as grassroots, smaller, advocacy and community organizing agencies found throughout urban America (Khalifah). |
Organize. | Become civically engaged to address police brutality, gun violence, education, health care, and employment access; join an organization working to end inequity in the U.S. Meet with organizations and groups or join an association that is committed to addressing inequity (Rabinowitz). |
Address. | Address these issues on a city, state, and federal level. |
Develop. | Develop a sustained civil rights agenda that confronts the most salient forms of oppression against Blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans, including the over-incarceration of Blacks and Latinos in the prison-industrial complex, economic exploitation of Blacks and Latinos, and policies that further disparities in education, health, and housing (Khalifa). |
This is not an exhaustive list, but we hope they prepare us for meaningful action. We urge all Muslims to engage in today’s civil rights movement, and be on the right side of history.
If you have questions, comments, ideas or suggestions, please contact one of us. As part of our commitment to fighting racism within the Muslim community and standing for justice, we must take action. Please join us by raising your voice and standing up to say “this ends today.” [1]
Muslim Engagement in #BlackLivesMatter
To: Muslim Communities and Leaders
Our Noble Prophet ﷺ said,
”Help the oppressed and guide those who have lost their way.”
(Book 41, Number 4799: Sunan Abu-Dawud)
A verified study reports that in 2012, a Black American was shot or killed by law enforcement, vigilantes, or security guards on average every 28 hours. This statistic includes women and children. It includes the killings of Black American Muslim men Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah and Amadou Diallo. Today, this reign of terror against Blacks continues, only to be met with unjust and defective response by our judicial systems. As a result, the tumultuous times we live in invoke strong emotions. As Muslims, we know that the Qur’an is clear in respect to the sanctity of life: "Whoever kills a soul except for a soul or grave corruption in the earth, it is just as him killing all of humankind" ( 5:32). This sanctity applies to every life and every people. Islamic adab (etiquette) is rooted in empathy, and as Blacks continue to be targeted unjustly, our responses should be empathetic. Muslim leadership should be visible in guiding our communities, and our youth in particular, in standing up for justice.
We call on Muslim community leaders to unite and take a stand for police accountability and racial justice. This is an important juncture in our history for freedom struggles. Protests are rippling across the country in response to the failure of grand juries to indict Darren Wilson in Ferguson for killing Michael Brown, Daniel Pantaleo in New York for killing Eric Garner, or Sean Williams in Ohio for killing John Crawford III. These extrajudicial killings are not isolated events. They reflect a systemic racism in which social, economic, educational, and political forces and policies foster discriminatory outcomes against Black people. Given that race is inextricably tied in with these events, we must unequivocally affirm the egalitarian nature of Islam in which the Qur'an and Sunnah clearly condemn racism not just in the form of individual actions, but as a structure that marginalizes people.
As Muslims, we should draw upon our strong tradition of standing for a just society as Allah instructs us to in the Qur’an:
“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted“ (4:135)
Standing for justice in this country entails confronting the embedded racial inequalities of our society. As American Muslims, we must not fall into apathy, but instead put our faith into action and take a stand against oppression, whether by seeking to remove it with our hands, speaking against it, or hating it in our hearts.
As part of our work in calling upon our Islamic traditions to foster thriving communities, we ask that American Muslim leaders and organizations be part of the solution. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is introduced in the Qur’an with, “And We have not sent you forth but as a mercy to mankind” (21:107). As a community, we must help create the conditions to restore the dignity and human potential to our people.
Allah tells us in the Qur’an, “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves” (13:11). This includes commitments for moral reform and social change. Given this moral imperative, American Muslims must take the lead in addressing the broader forces in society that disempower Black communities in general, and our communities in particular. We are calling on our brothers and sisters to stand, speak, and act.
You can endorse the #CallforJustice Letter to show your support for #BlackLivesMatter. A list of suggested actions, as well as infographics, statistics, and lists of resources, for individuals, organizations, and communities to utilize in their work to address racial injustices is located at www.muslimarc.org/blacklivesmatter in the MuslimARC Toolkit.
The Undersigned:
Margari HIll, Programming Director, MuslimARC
Namira Islam, Executive Director, MuslimARC
Su’ad Abdul Khabeer
This guide aims to provide some general tips for organizing a dialogue/discussion group on Black Lives Matter in Muslim communities. Why a dialogue? At MuslimARC, we believe in the power of storytelling and dialogue in learning. J.K. Vella (1997) writes, “The simplest definition for the word “dialogue” is a two-way communicative process, a conversation or social discourse between two or more individuals. The basic assumption is that learning occurs when two people exchange thoughts, ideas, and words through dialogue (p.3). By sharing stories, experiences, and viewpoints, participants can engage with the issues and each other in a meaningful way. Our hope is that participants utilize the knowledge they gain through dialogue to work towards bringing about racial equity in Muslim communities and our society.
We encourage Muslims to organize dialogues on college campuses, mosques, community centers, third spaces, and/or in homes. We also hope that these conversations continue over coffee, meals, and in our personal exchanges. While there are many secular and faith based organizations who have organized forums around Black Lives Matter, there is little documentation of community forums aimed at equipping Muslim community members with the tools to effectively engage with the issues of police brutality, the over policing of black communities, and the militarization of American policing. Our joint “Call for Justice letter with Muslims 4 Ferguson indicate increased support within our communities for #BlackLivesMatter. Now, is the time to turn that support into sustained action and organizing to support justice and racial equity. Please let us know if you have planned or plan to organize an event. We would love to amplify your efforts and share your event as a model for others. We welcome educators, community leaders, and general community members to share their lesson plans and discussion questions with us at info@muslimARC org.
SOME TALKING POINTS:
Standing Up for Justice in Law Enforcement
|
|
|
Addressing Systemic Racism
|
|
|
Commonalities and Shared Futures
|
|
|
Today’s Issues Have Continuity With Civil Rights Struggle
|
|
TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL DIALOGUE
|
|
|
|
|
|
SAMPLE OBJECTIVES
|
|
|
SAMPLE GROUND RULES
|
|
|
|
|
|
SAMPLE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
|
|
|
|
|
SOURCES
Community Dialogue Guide http://www.justice.gov/archive/crs/pubs/dialogueguide.pdf
J.K. Vella Learning to list, learning to teach: The power of dialogue in educating adults. San Francisco: Jossey-bass, 1997, p.3).
“A Bureau of Justice Statistics report in 2008 found that black people were almost three times more likely than white people to be subjected to force or threatened with it by police.” (Marc Robinson, 2014)
“The 1,217 deadly police shootings from 2010 to 2012 captured in the federal data show that blacks, age 15 to 19, were killed at a rate of 31.17 per million, while just 1.47 per million white males in that age” (Gabrielson, Jones, Sagara, 2014)
“...Young black men are 21 times as likely as their white peers to be killed by police…” (Gabrielson, Jones, Sagara, 2014)
“Prison sentences of black men were nearly 20% longer than those of white men for similar crimes in recent years, an analysis by the U.S. Sentencing Commission found”(JOE PALAZZOLO, 2013).
“For Black males in their thirties, 1 in every 10 is in prison or jail on any given day” (Sentencing Project, N.D.).
“Although there are no reliable statistics, estimates suggest that 35,000-40,000 inmates convert to Islam each year, and nationwide, it is estimated that 15 percent of the U.S. prison population is Muslim, or as much as 350,000 current Muslim inmates” (SpearIt, 2013).
“The national rate of unemployment for whites is 4.7% percent, for blacks it is 10.1%” (Bill Quigly, 2015).
According to some estimates Muslims make 9% of the US state and federal prisons, while they make about 1% of US population (this is also due to high conversion to Islam in prisons).
(In Chronological Order)
August 1, 2016
Korryn Gaines
A standoff resulted in the Baltimore County Police shooting Gaines and wounding her five year old son. Portions were filmed, however Facebook deactivated Gaine’ss Facebook and Instagram accounts.
July 25, 2016
Abdirahman Abdi (37)
Ottawa, Canada
Abdi was taken to The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus by paramedics and placed on life support resulting from injuries he sustained in the confrontation with Ottawa police. Abdi died the next day.
July 9, 2016
Alva Burnett Braziel (38)
Houston, Texas
Armed with a gun, was shot by police on a street in Houston. Houston police were patrolling a neighborhood when they encountered Braziel in the street waving a gun. Police said he didn't respond to officers' commands to drop the gun.
July 6, 2016
Philando Castile (32)
Falcon Heights, Minnesota
Shot by a St. Anthony police officer after a traffic stop. Castile told the officer he had a weapon in the car. A woman in the car said he was reaching for his wallet when the officer shot him.
July 5, 2016
Alton Sterling (37)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Shocked with a stun gun and shot in a parking lot. Baton Rouge police officers were responding to reports of an armed man at a convenience store. Video recorded by a bystander shows that Sterling was on the ground when he was shot. Witnesses gave conflicting accounts about whether he was holding a gun.
Officers involved: Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake from the Baton Rouge Police Department.
June 13, 2016
Michael Moore (18)
Mobile, Alabama
Man armed with a gun was shot in a vehicle. Mobile police officer stopped the car that Moore was driving. Police said that Moore got out of his vehicle and the officer believed he saw a gun in his waistband.
April 7, 2016
Luis Gongora (45)
San Francisco, California
Latino man armed with a knife was shot. San Francisco police said that Gongora, a homeless man, moved toward officers with a knife.
Officers involved: Nathaniel Steger and Michael Mellone from the San Francisco Police Department.
February 29, 2016
Akiel Denkins (24)
Raleigh, North Carolina
A Raleigh police officer chased Denkins on foot because he was sought on drug charges. Denkins struggled with the officer for his gun. Police said they recovered another gun nearby.
Officers involved: D.C. Twiddy from the Raleigh Police Department.
February 27, 2016
Abdullahi Mohamed (17)
Salt Lake City, Utah
Police say Mohamed and a second person were beating a man with metal sticks when officers intervened. The officers fired after Mohamed moved toward the beaten man instead of immediately obeying a command to drop the stick.
February 25, 2016
Greg Gunn (56)
Montgomery, Alabama
Man armed with a pole was shot in a yard. A Montgomery police officer was on patrol when he encountered Gunn, who was holding a pole or stick. When the officer attempted to speak with Gunn, a struggle ensued.
Officers involved: AC Smith from the Montgomery Police Department.
February 21, 2016
Che Taylor (46)
Washington, Seattle
Man armed with a gun was shot on a street in Seattle. Seattle police were investigating a suspicious vehicle when they encountered an armed man nearby. Taylor refused to drop his gun.
February 21, 2016
India Cummings (27)
Buffalo, New York
Cummings died two and a half weeks after she was taken to the Erie County holding center. She was legally dead when she was finally taken to the hospital. She was severely dehydrated, had broken ribs, irreparable brain damage.
February 17, 2016
Paul Gaston (37)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Man with a toy weapon was shot on a street in Cincinnati. Gaston's girlfriend called Cincinnati police because he was in the street waving a gun. When officers found Gaston, he reached for a weapon that police later determined was a pellet gun.
Officers involved: Scott McManis, Zachary Sterbling and Eric Kohler from the Cincinnati Police Department.
February 8, 2016
Eric Harris (22)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Man driving a vehicle was shot by Jefferson Parish deputies who answered a call about a man pointing a gun at people in a shopping mall. Harris fled and led deputies on a car chase. He crashed and then reversed the vehicle toward deputies.
Officers involved: Henry Dejean and Kenneth Bonura from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.
February 8, 2016
David Joseph (17)
Austin, Texas
An unarmed male was shot when Austin police were responding to reports of an erratic, aggressive person. Joseph, who was naked, rushed toward the officer.
December 26, 2015
Quintonio LeGrier (19)
Chicago, Illinois
A man armed with a baseball bat was shot in an apartment building. Chicago police officers were responding to a report of a domestic disturbance. LeGrier's family told police that he had been struggling with mental health issues.
December 23, 2015
Kevin Matthews (35)
Dearborn, Michigan
An unarmed man was shot. Matthews was sought for arrest on a probation violation, struggled with a Dearborn police officer. His family said he was on medication for schizophrenia.
Dec 2, 2015
Mario Woods (26)
San Francisco, California
A man armed with a knife was shot. Woods allegedly brandished a knife at San Francisco police officers. The shooting was captured on video by a bystander.
Nov. 15, 2015,
Jamar Clark (24)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
An unarmed man was shot on a street by Minneapolis police who were responding to a report of an assault, resulting in a physical altercation with Clark. However, multiple witnesses said he wasn't resisting arrest and was in handcuffs when police shot him. Minneapolis's mayor requested a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting.
September, 23, 2015
Jeremy McDole, 28
Wilmington, Delaware
Mcdole was a 28 year old paraplegic who was shot and killed by police officers. Local bystanders have insisted that he was unarmed, and the NAACP has called for an more an investigation into the shooting.
August 19, 2015
Mansur Ball-Bey (19)
St. Louis, Missouri
Mansur Ball-Bey was shot and killed while fleeing officers who were executing a warrant.
July 19, 2015
Samuel DuBose (43)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Shot by University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing during a traffic stop when DuBose failed to step out of his vehicle and may have attempted to drive off.Tensing has been charged with murder.
July 13, 2015
Sandra Bland (28)
Waller County, Texas
Pulled over by police, arrested, and found dead in her jail cell. Her death was ruled a suicide by the county medical examiner, with no evidence of foul play.
June 17, 2015
Emanuel Nine (multiple)
Charleston, South Carolina
A mass shooting, allegedly by Dylann Roof, at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church resulted in nine dead and one injured.
April 12, 2015
Freddie Gray (25)
Baltimore, Maryland
Fell into a coma while being transported by police after they arrested him. Gray died a week later of injuries to his spinal cord. Charges have been filed against six policemen after a medical examiner's report that ruled Gray's death a homicide.
Resulted in the 2015 Baltimore protests.
March 28, 2015
Meagan Hockaday (26)
Oxnard, California
Shot by policeman Roger Garcia after Hockaday ran at Garcia and his partner with a knife while they were responding to a domestic dispute report. Garcia has been placed on administrative leave and the case is currently being investigated.
March 6, 2015
Tony Robinson (19)
Madison, Wisconsin
Shot by policeman Matt Kenny during an altercation as Kenny was responding to reports of a man jumping in front of cars and attempting to strangle someone. The Wisconsin Department of Justice will investigate the Robinson shooting.
December 23, 2014
Antonio Martin (18)
Berkeley, Missouri
Shot by an unidentified white police officer after Martin pulled a gun on him while the officer was responding to a shoplifting report at a convenience store.
December 15, 2014
Philadelphia, PA
Two officers stopped Brandon Tate-Brown for driving without headlights. Officers claim they saw a gun in the car’s middle console. A struggle ensued where Tate-Brown was shot in the head. Police originally said that Tate-Brown was reaching into the car for the loaded weapon then conceded, with video evidence to support that he was running around the back of the car when the officer fired.
December 23, 2014
Antonio Martin (18)
Berkeley, Missouri
Shot by an unidentified white police officer after Martin pulled a gun on him while the officer was responding to a shoplifting report at a convenience store.
December 15, 2014
Philadelphia, PA
Two officers stopped Brandon Tate-Brown for driving without headlights. Officers claim they saw a gun in the car’s middle console. A struggle ensued where Tate-Brown was shot in the head. Police originally said that Tate-Brown was reaching into the car for the loaded weapon then conceded, with video evidence to support that he was running around the back of the car when the officer fired.
November 22, 2014
Tamir Rice (12)
Cleveland, Ohio
Shot in a city park by policeman Timothy Loehmann. Rice had been allegedly pointing his air-soft pellet gun replica at passersby prior to getting shot. A grand jury will decide whether either Loehmann or his partner Garmback will be indicted.
November 20, 2014
Akai Gurley (28)
Brooklyn, New York
Shot by policeman Peter Liang, who drew his gun and accidentally discharged it. A round ricocheted and hit Gurley, who was elsewhere on the same stairwell as Liang. Liang was indicted by a grand jury on manslaughter, assault, and other criminal charges.
August 11, 2014
Ezell Ford (25)
Florence, Los Angeles
Shot by policemen Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas, who confronted Ford as part of an "investigative stop".
August 9, 2014
Michael Brown (18)
Ferguson, Missouri
Shot by policeman Darren Wilson on a street. After Brown robbed a convenience store, he was confronted by Officer Wilson. The two struggled through the window of Wilson's police vehicle, where Wilson shot Brown, who fled with Wilson pursuing. When Brown turned around and advanced on Wilson, Wilson shot Brown multiple times in the front. Both a St. Louis County grand jury and the United States Department of Justice decided not to charge Wilson.
Resulted in several waves of the Ferguson unrest, as well as the "Hands up, don't shoot" saying.
August 5, 2014
John Crawford III (22)
Dayton, Ohio
Shot by policeman Sean Williams when police answered a 911 call alleging a man waving a gun in a Walmart store. Crawford was holding a pellet/BB gun being sold in the store itself. A grand jury declined to indict any policemen, but the United States Department of Justice is investigating.
July 17, 2014
Eric Garner (43)
New York City, New York
Died from a chokehold by policeman Daniel Pantaleo as well as the police's compression of Garner's chest. Garner was being arrested on the suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes.
April 30, 2014
Dontre Hamilton (31)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Shot by policeman Christopher Manney, when a fight broke out when Manney attempted to frisk Hamilton. Although he did not face criminal charges, Manney was fired from the police.
November 29, 2012
Malissa Williams (30)
Timothy Russell (43)
Cleveland, Ohio
Both were shot during a car chase, each being hit more than 20 times. 13 policemen fired 137 shots into the car; the car chase stemmed from police thinking they were being shot at by the car's occupants, but no gun was found in the car and the sound was later determined to be due to the back-fire of the Chevrolet Malibu. Policeman Michael Brelo was charged with voluntary manslaughter, but was cleared in 2014. The judge found that because other policemen had also fired, it was not beyond reasonable doubt Brelo was responsible for killing the duo.
November 23, 2012
Jordan Davis (17)
Jacksonville, Florida
Shot by software developer Michael David Dunn over an argument over loud music. Dunn was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
March 2012
Rekia Boyd (22)
Chicago, Illinois
Shot by policeman Dante Servin after Servin confronted a group of people in a local park. A directed verdict found Servin not guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
November 2, 2013
Renisha McBride (19)
Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Shot by airport maintenance worker Theodore Wafer, after McBride had approached Wafer's home on a rainy early morning after a car accident, seeking help. Wafer was sentenced to at least 17 years in jail for second-degree murder, manslaughter and felony firearm usage.
February 26, 2012
Trayvon Martin (17)
Sanford, Florida
Trayvon Martin was shot outdoors by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman, who was later charged and acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter.
Resulted in the speech "Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago" by President Barack Obama.
Directly inspired the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement.
November 19, 2011
White Plains, New York
Shot by policeman Anthony Carelli in Chamberlain's home. No criminal charges filed. Emergency services were drawn to Chamberlain's home after his medical alert device activated. Chamberlain refused to let them in, with police breaking down the door to enter.
May 16, 2010
Aiyana Jones (7)
Detroit, Michigan
Shot by policeman Joseph Weekley during a house raid. Weekley was ultimately cleared of all charges after multiple mistrials.
[Taqwa Brookins leading Rutgers Protest] | [Yasmin Qaddoumi, shortly before her arrest during Ferguson protests 11/25/14 Image source AFP] |
[Image Source: Dawud Walid] | [Kameelah Mu’min Rashad - King of Prussia Die In 12/20/14] |
[Image source: Manila Today] | [Image source: Mother Jones] |
[Image Source: The Sentencing Project] | [Image Source: Allied Media] |
[Image Source: Tavis Smiley] | [Image source: Ferguson Action] |
[image source: National Journal] |
[Rutgers Die In, Image source: Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com] | [Image source: Islamic Monthly] |
[Image source: Pics with a Story] | [image source: March 2 Justice] |
[Image source www.jsalbert.photography] | [Image source Muslims make it Plain] |
[Image Source: ACLU] |
Mansur Ball-Bey Image source: www.thegatewaypundit.com |
Image source: CAIR-Philly] | [Image source: NBC News] |
Image source: CIOGC |
Sybrina Fulton, Travyton Martin’s mother with Imam Sultan Muhammad, national Imam of the Nation of Islam | |
Blair Imani praying during Baton Rouge arrests | |
Iesha (pronounced Ay-ee-sha) Evans protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling is detained by law enforcement near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Baton Rouge, La., on July 9, 2016 Photographer Jonathan Bachman | Coco Barnes confronts police in Baton Rouge, La. on July 9, 2016 Photographer Jonathan Bachman |
MuslimARC members at the #Inglewood Black Lives Matter meeting and march July 20, 2019 |
Common chants used at Black Lives Matter demonstrations, protests, and marches
“It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains.” Assata Shakur
“The people united, will never be defeated!”
“Hey hey! Ho Ho! These racist cops have got to go!”
“Black Lives they matter here!”
Call: Hands up!
Respond: Don’t shoot!
No Justice! No peace!
Call: Whose streets?
Respond: Our streets
Call: What do we want?
Respond: Justice!
Call: When do we want it?
Respond: Now!
Call: If we don’t get it!
Respond: Shut it down!
(http://fergusonaction.com/demands/)
OUR VISION FOR A NEW AMERICA
WE WANT JUSTICE FOR MICHAEL BROWN.
WE WANT FREEDOM FOR OUR COMMUNITIES.
We Want an End to all Forms of Discrimination and the Full Recognition of our Human Rights
The United States Government must acknowledge and address the structural violence and institutional discrimination that continues to imprison our communities either in a life of poverty and/or one behind bars. We want the United States Government to recognize the full spectrum of our human rights and its obligations under international law.
We Want An Immediate End To Police Brutality And the Murder Of Black, Brown & All Oppressed People
Every 28 hours a black person in the United States is killed by someone employed or protected by the government of the United States. Other communities are also criminalized, targeted, attacked and brutalized. We want an immediate end to state sanctioned violence against our communities.
We Want Full Employment For Our People
Every individual has the human right to employment and a living wage. Inability to access employment and fair pay continues to marginalize our communities, ready us for imprisonment, and deny us of our right to a life with dignity.
We Want Decent Housing Fit For The Shelter Of Human Beings
Our communities have a human right to access quality housing that protects our families and allows for our children to be free from harm.
We Want an End to the School to Prison Pipeline & Quality Education for All
We want an end to policies that criminalize our young people as well as discriminatory discipline practices that bar access to quality education. Furthermore, we want all children to be able to access free, quality education. Including free or affordable public university.
We Want Freedom from Mass Incarceration and an End to the Prison Industrial Complex
We want an end to the over policing and surveillance of our communities. This will hasten an end to the criminalization of black and brown people and hyper incarceration everywhere. Policing in the United States has historically helped to enforce racist laws, policies and norms. The result is a massive prison industrial complex built on the warehousing of black people. We call for the cessation of mass incarceration and the eradication of the prison industrial complex all together. In its place we will address harm and conflict in our communities through community based, restorative solutions.
National Demands
Strict limits on the transfer and use of military equipment to local law enforcement and the adoption of the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014. The federal government should discontinue the supply of military weaponry and equipment to local law enforcement and immediately demilitarize local law enforcement, including eliminating the use of military technology and equipment.
A comprehensive review by the Department of Justice into systematic abuses by police departments and the development of specific use of force standards and accompanying recommendations for police training, community involvement and oversight strategies and standards for independent investigatory/disciplinary mechanisms when excessive force is used. These standards must include a Department of Justice review trigger when continued excessive use of force occurs.
A comprehensive federal review of police departments’ data collection practices and the development of a new comprehensive data collection system that allows for annual reporting of data on the rates of stops, frisks, searches, summonses and arrests by race, age, and gender. These standards must also include a DOJ review trigger when departments continue discriminatory policing practices.
The repurposing of Department of Justice funds to create grants that support and implement community oversight mechanisms and community based alternatives to law enforcement and incarceration—including community boards/commissions, restorative justice practices, amnesty programs to clear open warrants, and know-your-rights-education conducted by community members.
The development of a DOJ policy to withhold funds from local police departments who engage in discriminatory policing practices and condition federal grant funds on the adoption of recommended DOJ trainings, community involvement and oversight strategies, use of force standards and standards for independent investigatory/disciplinary mechanisms.
Congressional hearings investigating the criminalization of communities of color and systemic law enforcement discriminatory profiling and other abuses especially at the local level—including an examination of systemic structures and institutional practices and the elevation of the experiences and voices of those most impacted. Congressional hearings will allow for a continuation of the national discussion about police abuse and it’s underlying causes.
Support for the passage of the End Racial Profiling Act (ERPA) which in law would prohibit the use of profiling on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin or religion by law enforcement agencies.
The development and enactment of a National Plan of Action for Racial Justice by the Obama Administration. The National Plan of Action for Racial Justice should be a comprehensive plan that address persistent and ongoing forms of racial discrimination and disparities that exist in nearly every sphere of life including: criminal justice, employment, housing, education, health, land/property, voting, poverty and immigration. The Plan would set concrete targets for achieving racial equality and reducing racial disparities and create new tools for holding government accountable to meeting targets.
(http://www.thisstopstoday.org/demands/)
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR NYPD USE OF EXCESSIVE & DEADLY FORCE, AS WELL AS ABUSE
1) Full accountability through NYPD disciplinary procedures and the criminal justice system for all NYPD officers responsible for killing Eric Garner, Akai Gurley and all officers who brutalize New Yorkers.
2) Department of Justice should convene grand juries to federally indict officers responsible for the killing of Eric Garner, as well as in other NYC cases such as Ramarley Graham. (We are in solidarity with calls for federal charges in the killings of Michael Brown, John Crawford and others).
3) Governor Cuomo should issue an executive order directing the Office of the Attorney General to serve as special prosecutor in cases involving civilians killed by police officers.
4) Governor Cuomo should veto legislation (S7801/A9853) that would allow police unions to make police disciplinary policies subject to contract negotiations. The legislation would undermine the ability of local government officials across New York State to discipline officers engaged in misconduct and brutality.
5) End the NYPD Commissioner’s exclusive authority over disciplinary decisions for officers in cases of abuse, misconduct towards civilians, and excessive or deadly force.
END DISCRIMINATORY AND ABUSIVE NYPD POLICIES & PRACTICES
6) Mayor de Blasio should end broken windows, and other discriminatory and abusive policing practices. This includes hyper-aggressive selective enforcement of low-level offenses, NYPD’s discriminatory arrests for violations (non-criminal offenses), enforcement of possession of small amounts of marijuana; blanket surveillance of Muslim communities and political activists.
7) Mayor de Blasio should work with the City Council to pass the Right to Know Act to protect New Yorkers’ rights and improve daily interactions between NYPD officers and New Yorkers.
8) The Floyd federal stop-and-frisk trial court-appointed monitor Peter Zimroth, the facilitator Judge Ariel Belen, and Mayor Bill de Blasio should ensure that organizations led by and for communities impacted by discriminatory and abusive policing have a formal and structured role in NYPD reform. The Court-appointed Monitor, Facilitator and Mayor’s office should work with Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) to ensure that community organizations help determine what reforms are to be implemented, how they should be implemented, and how they are evaluated.
TRANSPARENCY OF NYPD DISCRIMINATORY ENFORCEMENT AND USE OF EXCESSIVE & DEADLY FORCE
9) The Department of Justice should launch an investigation into broken windows policing and the use-of-force policies and practices of the NYPD.
10) NYPD Inspector General Philip Eure should issue a report on the use of deadly force and other excessive force, to include accounting of the disciplinary outcomes in these incidents over the past two decades.
11) The NYPD should publish quarterly and annual reports of summons and misdemeanor arrests, as well as use of force, to include demographic data such as race, gender, age, precinct, etc. (We are also in solidarity with national calls for a federal database on use of force and police killings).
BALTIMORE DEMANDS
source: http://baltimoreuprising.org
Message from the Baltimore Grassroots:
WE DEMAND JUSTICE FOR FREDDIE GRAY AND POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY
SUMMARY:
The Maryland Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights (LEBOR) is the biggest obstacle to meaningful police accountability and transparency in Baltimore and around the state of Maryland. It creates barriers to gaining access to information about incidents of police misconduct/excessive force and impedes the public ability to punish officers who have abused and brutalized people in our community.
Many elected officials have made the statement that Maryland/Baltimore is not Ferguson. According to a recent report by the ALCU, 109 people have died in police custody since 2010. This is a damning refutation of a such an ignorant assertion. This has been happening for decades, but the community has had enough.
Public Safety is a public good. Public goods must be preserved through mechanisms of accountability to the institutions that are responsible for serving the community. The LEOBR keeps police from being accountable.
DEMANDS:
1) The State’s Attorney needs to do a thorough investigation and indict the officers responsible for the death of Freddie Gray.
2) All local officials must make a public commitments to substantively support efforts to move relevant reforms to the Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights during the 2016 MD Legislative session. (see attached for specified amendments). 3) A series of public mediated conversations with those who have been advocating police reform and the Fraternal Order of Police and other relevant parties.
WHY BALTIMORE IS DIFFERENT
Baltimore is saturated with non-profit institutions and controlled by the Democratic Party. These institutions engage in the practice of lifting up examples of the success of individual Black people as a sign of the collective empowerment of Black people.
This has led to a divestment in the development of independent Black led grassroots organizations. This has devastated our ability to effectively address these kinds of problems. Many of our elected officials are products of this system and have no real accountability to the masses of people in Baltimore.
We must use this opportunity to talk about building the institutional capacity, political and economic power to make our government respect our humanity. American civil society has demonstrated its lack of interest the humanity of our people, so we must build the institutions the protect our interest ourselves.
Even though we have come together to address the issue of police brutality, this is one element of a larger system of racism/white supremacy. Civil society is structured in such a way that undermines the humanity of Black people and other people of color. We need to begin to ground our words and action into sustainable mechanism for true empowerment.
We need to build the economic and political infrastructure in our communities so that we can have the capacity to build the power necessary to prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again.
THE PARTS OF THE LEOBR THAT WE WANT CHANGED
Investigations into police misconduct
CURRENT LAW: Only sworn law enforcement or a designee by the Governor or the Attorney General (or a designee of theirs) can investigate police misconduct.
DEMAND: We want people other than law enforcement to be able to be involved in investigating police misconduct. We need to allow for non-law enforcement agencies to conduct investigations as well.
• This is consistent with the recent recommendations from the US Federal Department of Justice to the Philadelphia Police Department in wake of events of police brutality in their department. 1
Police trial boards
CURRENT LAW: The only people that serve on the Police Trial Boards (which is responsible for making determinations about disciplining officers) are other Law Enforcement officials. Also, the current police trial board in Baltimore has NO citizen representative.
DEMAND: We want non-law enforcement residents to serve on police trial boards.
• This is consistent with the recent recommendations from the US Federal Department of Justice to the Philadelphia Police Department in wake of events of police brutality in their department. 2
Complaint filing with the police department
CURRENT LAW: Victims of police brutality only have 90 days to file a complaint.
DEMAND: We want to extend the amount of time that people can file a complaint to at least 180 days.
Abolish the 10 Day Rule
CURRENT LAW: Police Officers are entitled to a copy of their investigatory file 10 days before they appear before the hearing board.
DEMAND: Police officers should not receive information about the case made against them before the hearing.
1 47.3 - The police commissioner should enter into a memorandum of understanding with an external, independent investigative agency, through which the investigation of all OISs involving an unarmed person will be submitted for review.
2 40.3 - Voting board members should include command staff, a sworn officer one rank higher than the involved officer, a peer officer, and at least one citizen representative.
March 2 Justice Demands
One of the most important aspects of the #MARCH2JUSTICE will be the opportunity to raise our collective voices and mobilize support in communities and Congress towards passage of what we are calling the “JUSTICE PACKAGE”.
The “Justice Package” is 3 pieces of federal legislation:
Below please find more information about each of these legislative imperatives we support.
JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION ACT (JJDPA): (Protecting Children and Providing for Our Communities.) The JJDPA creates a federal-state partnership for the administration of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention by providing: a juvenile justice planning and advisory system, and a federal funding plan for delinquency prevention and improvements in state and local juvenile justice programs. The JJDPA also sets forth federal standards to ensure a minimum level of safety and equitable treatment for youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system. For messaging, videos and other educational materials: MORE HERE
END RACIAL PROFILING ACT: (The End Racial Profiling Act (ERPA)) (H.R. 2851), would prohibit the use of profiling on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin or religion by law enforcement agencies. MORE HERE
MILITARIZATION BILL: (Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act) (H.R. 5478) - Amends the program under which the Secretary of Defense is authorized to transfer excess personal property of the Department of Defense (DOD) to federal and state agencies for law enforcement activities. Excludes counter-drug activities from the categories of law enforcement activities for which DOD property may be transferred under such program. The legislation lays out a number of changes to current law, and details can be found HERE
The Young, Gifted and Black Coalition (YGB) and Freedom, Inc Demands
The Young, Gifted and Black Coalition (YGB) and Freedom, Inc. denounce the non-indictment decision and renew the call to grow the Black Liberation Movement with the following demands and actions:
1). Free the 350
Blacks make up just 6% of the general population in Dane County, WI, but almost 50% of jail inmates. This disparity demonstrates structural racism. Because of the Black poverty rate, many people sit in pre-trial detention- while they are still presumed innocent- merely because they cannot pay bail of $1,000 or less. Because anyone with bail as low as $1,000 does not represent a public safety threat, those human beings are in jail because they are Black and poor. If Matt Kenny, who killed a 19 year old, did not go to jail, then no one should. Therefore, we demand the release of 350 Black inmates to end the racial disparity of incarceration.
2). Independent Investigation
We demand a dual track independent investigation into the murder of Tony Robinson and the persistent racial disparities in poverty, education, housing, public services, incarceration and policing. Because the US Department of Justice has proven incapable of bringing justice to Black communities, we demand the independent investigations are conducted entirely by the human rights bodies in the United Nations and Organization of American States.
3). Community Control Over Police
In Black communities across the country, the police serve as an occupying force. We can never expect fair or just treatment from an occupying force. Therefore, we demand full Community Control Over Police, with the power to set priorities, policies and enforce the proper practice of those mandates. We do not want a review board or community policing, but Community Control Over Police.
Campaign Zero Platform
We can live in a world where the police don’t kill people by limiting police interventions, improving community interactions, and ensuring accountability. The categories for policy solutions are as follows:
Click here to access the PDF with the full federal policy agenda
Click here to access the PDF with the full state policy agenda
Click here to access the PDF with the full local policy agenda
We believe in elevating the experiences and leadership of the most marginalized Black people, including but not limited to those who are women, queer, trans, femmes, gender nonconforming, Muslim, formerly and currently incarcerated, cash poor and working class, differently-abled, undocumented, and immigrant. We are intentional about amplifying the particular experience of state and gendered violence that Black queer, trans, gender nonconforming, women and intersex people face. There can be no liberation for all Black people if we do not center and fight for those who have been marginalized. It is our hope that by working together to create and amplify a shared agenda, we can continue to move towards a world in which the full humanity and dignity of all people is recognized.
While this platform is focused on domestic policies, we know that patriarchy, exploitative capitalism, militarism, and white supremacy know no borders. We stand in solidarity with our international family against the ravages of global capitalism and anti-Black racism, human-made climate change, war, and exploitation. We also stand with descendants of African people all over the world in an ongoing call and struggle for reparations for the historic and continuing harms of colonialism and slavery. We also recognize and honor the rights and struggle of our Indigenous family for land and self-determination.
We have created this platform to articulate and support the ambitions and work of Black people. We also seek to intervene in the current political climate and assert a clear vision, particularly for those who claim to be our allies, of the world we want them to help us create. We reject false solutions and believe we can achieve a complete transformation of the current systems, which place profit over people and make it impossible for many of us to breathe.
Together, we demand an end to the wars against Black people. We demand that the government repair the harms that have been done to Black communities in the form of reparations and targeted long-term investments. We also demand a defunding of the systems and institutions that criminalize and cage us. This document articulates our vision of a fundamentally different world. However, we recognize the need to include policies that address the immediate suffering of Black people. These policies, while less transformational, are necessary to address the current material conditions of our people and will better equip us to win the world we demand and deserve.
We recognize that not all of our collective needs and visions can be translated into policy, but we understand that policy change is one of many tactics necessary to move us towards the world we envision. We have come together now because we believe it is time to forge a new covenant. We are dreamers and doers and this platform is meant to articulate some of our vision. The links throughout the document provide the stepping-stones and roadmaps of how to get there. The policy briefs also elevate the brave and transformative work our people are already engaged in, and build on some of the best thinking in our history of struggle. This agenda continues the legacy of our ancestors who pushed for reparations, Black self-determination and community control; and also propels new iterations of movements such as efforts for reproductive justice, holistic healing and reconciliation, and ending violence against Black cis, queer, and trans people.
Demands
by Hakeem Muhammad
A gathering demanding #JusticeOrElse took place outside the White House on October, 10th, 2015—the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March. The ultimate demand #JusticeOrelse came as a response to the ubiquitous cases of anti-black police violence, the disproportionate concentration of poverty in black communities, and a collective white power structure that devalues the life of black people.
In attendance was Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Travyon Martin, the family of Sandra Bland, Louis Head, the step-father of Michael Brown, as well as a plethora of organizations demanding justice. This included the Nation of Islam, Black Lives Matter, and Justice League. Tamika Mallory, an organizer of the event , called for the end of police tyranny against black people,”Twenty years ago, the death of Tamir Rice would have fallen on deaf ears and been left for the police to write a false report, not broadcast for the world to know.” However, in the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March, a world of black people came together stating they had enough, they exposed police misconduct, made their demands, and boldly declared #Orelse.
The #ORELSE
As result of systemic political terrorism in black communities and other social problems which emanate from a system of global white supremacy, NOI spokesman Nuri Muhammad spoke of an appalling sociological reality, “the black male is dying at the rate of an endangered species.” These are conditions that exists in black communities that necessities the #ORELSE,-- as the social situation in black communities are so unbearable that they demand immediate change. These below are all courses of action that #JusticeorElse advocates plan to take if their demands are not met.
1) Economic Withdrawal:
Protestors at #JusticeorElse called for an economic withdrawal in form of a boycott of major corporations. This tactic of economic withdrawal was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, who said that we must go to “massive industries in our country, and say, ‘God sent us by here, to say to you that you’re not treating his children right.” Acting upon this, the organizer of Justice or Else has called for black people and those in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter to boycott the consumerist culture of Black Friday and the Christmas holiday. Flyers, were shown stating, “Down with Santa, Up with Jesus.”
The organizer of #JusticeorElse hope to “redistribute the pain” in order to force big businesses and corporations to cease being complicit in the oppression of black people. This call for economic withdrawal was compounded with a call for an increase in black entrepreneurship and businesses, so that money will remain circulating in the black community. (Information on which specific corporations to target for the economic withdrawal, will be forthcoming).
2) The Creation of a group of 10,000 men and women.
A common theme rearticulated by activists at #JusticeOrElse, is that Police have failed miserably in their attempts to “serve and protect” in the black community. As a consequence, the black community is replete with instances of political brutality, as well as gang-warfare as a result of institutional racism and societal neglect. Nuri Muhammad, proposed a solution to this in calling for a group of 10,000 fearless men and women who will,” “stand as a solid wall against oppression and tyranny” by confronting and combating the multiple deleterious behaviors that a system of white supremacy leads to in black communities: a pervasive drug economy, gang warfare, and police brutality.
3) Community Control of Education
Organizers of Justice or Else indicated the educational system of America has being soaked in system of white supremacy which is incapable of solving for the social ills of the black community; they called for black educators to take control of the educational systems in their communities and for black think tanks to come up with curriculums that will address social ills and problems of their communities and be supportive of black liberation.
4) Black involvement in Local Politics
Organizers at Justice or Else called for the black community to become more involved in the politics of their local community in order to force politicians to be more accountable to their communities in ruling with justice. They called for greater involvement in the school board meetings, city council meetings, or taking up a local issue for social justice. The end goal of this is greater cohesion and unity in the black community
5) Put the U.S government on Trial & Release the FBI Files on Malcolm
Prior to his assassination, Malcom X sought to put the U.S government on trial before the United Nations for its systemic crimes against black people. Continuing this tradition, a group of protestors at #JusticeOrElse held an image up of Malcolm X and called for the United States to be put on trial for its systemic human rights abuses against black people and to release all of the FBI files on Malcolm X.
Unity among Oppressed people against White Supremacy.
The #JusticeOrElse gathering represented unification between oppressed populations; Latino, Native-American, Palestinian activists were present in order to make demands to the government, and to oppressed populations.
Native American: Revoke the Sainthood of Francisan Friar Junipero
Native Americans, currently live with their lands colonized by the descendants of white European settlers and suffer from the lowest life expectancies and poverty rates in America. One unnamed Native American activist declared, “They have the entire race of indigenous[LA1] people on reservations, concentration camps.” The Native-American activists called for the freedom of Leonard Peltier and for the Catholic Church to both revoke the doctrine of Papal Bull and to revoke the sainthood of Francisan Friar Junipero Serra. The Native-American activists called for unity about oppressed people:”Let’s come together; the red and the black” against settler-colonialism emanating from a global system of white supremacy.
Palestine-Black Solidarity: Recognize White Supremacy as the Global Political System
Participants in #JusticeorElse demanded that white supremacy be recognized as a global political system that must be vigilantly opposed. Palestinian activist, Linda Sarsour, expressed solidarity with the black liberation struggle, stating,” the same people who justified the massacres of Palestinian people and call it collateral damage are the same people who justify the murder of black young men and women.” Sansour, called for the end of euphemisms to describe this system and for oppressed populations to unite against, “[the] common enemy, sisters and brothers, is white supremacy, let’s call it what it is.” Recognizing, white supremacy as a community enemy, was put forth as a perquisite for oppressed populations to realize to interconnectedness of their liberation struggles.
#BlackLivesMatter was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was post-humously placed on trial for his own murder. Rooted in the experiences of Black people in this country who actively resist our de-humanization, #BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society.Black Lives Matter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes.
#ThisStopsToday is a collaboration of Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), Million Hoodies and Freedom Side. CPR organizations that are leading this effort include: Justice Committee, Make the Road New York, VOCAL-NY, ColorofChange, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, New York Civil Liberties Union and Center for Popular Democracy.
We, the protesters of Ferguson and beyond, in order to fulfill the democratic promise of our union, establish true and lasting justice, accord dignity and standing to everyone, center the humanity of oppressed people, promote the brightest future for our children, and secure the blessings of freedom for all black lives, do ordain and dedicate ourselves to this movement of radical liberation.
4. BmoreUnited
Baltimore United for Change (BUC) is a coalition of organizations and activists with a long track record of working for social justice in Baltimore. Though newly formalized, coalition members have worked strategically for years to gain concrete wins for justice in our community.
a task force of juvenile and criminal justice advocates, artists and experts, and formerly incarcerated individuals, brought together under the banner of The Gathering for Justice, a social justice organization founded by Harry Belafonte in 2005. JUSTICE LEAGUE NYC is coordinating efforts in and around NYC in response to the non-indictment of Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner. We are focusing our efforts and communities in two areas –direct and peaceful action and the immediate implementation of a list of demands for redress and accountability.
6. Millenial Activists United Legal Defense Fund
Millennial Activists United is a grassroots org founded in Ferguson, MO after the uprisings in response to the murder of Michael Brown. This fundraiser will provide funds for legal assistance to activists who are targeted by the state for prosecution
Facebook page for American Muslims who are committed to seeking justice for Michael Brown and supporting relevant important campaigns in Ferguson.
8. The Organization for Black Struggle
Founded in 1980 by activists, students, union organizers and other community members in order to fill a vacuum left by the assaults on the Black Power Movement.
Dream Defenders is an uprising of communities in struggle, shifting culture through transformational organizing. We believe that our liberation necessitates the destruction of the political and economic systems of Capitalism and Imperialism as well as Patriarchy. We believe in People over profits. We believe that nonviolent resistance is “the only morally and practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom” and are fundamentally committed to nonviolence as our means of struggle against a violent oppressor.
10. Prison Culture
Prison Culture is an attempt to document how the current prison industrial complex operates and to underscore the ways that it structures American society.
11. Justice Together
OUR MISSION IS SIMPLE: Ending police brutality in America.
12. LA Voice
We are an interfaith community organization hat unites people from diverse backgrounds to improve the quality of life of Los Angeles residents. It is our mission to transform Los Angeles into a city that reflect the human dignity of all communities, especially those in greatest need.
Make it Plain is a group of concerned Muslims who are working to raise awareness to encourage, inspire, and support the mobilization of the Muslim community to respond to police brutality and the conditions that bring about the over policing of the Black/African American community. We are kicking off this movement in Philadelphia.
BYP 100 is an activist member-based organization of Black 18-35 year olds, dedicated to creating justice and freedom for all Black people. We do this through building a collective focused on transformative leadership development, direct action organizing, advocacy and education.
15. Muslims for Social Justice
MSJ was founded in North Carolina in 2013 to offer liberation theology perspective in Islam. Key founding members included Saladin Muhammad (Black Workers for Justice), Shafeah M’Balia (Black Workers for Justice) and Manzoor Cheema (human rights activits).
We are a diverse group of Asian voices coming from the Philippines, Vietnam, India, China, Pakistan, Korea, Burma, Japan, and other nations, based in the Bay Area. From our many walks of life, we have come together in response to a call from Black Lives Matter Bay Area (including the BlackOut Collective, Black Brunch organizers, Onyx Organizing Committee, and more) and the larger Black Lives Matter movement, to put forward these principles and protocols as a model for why and how we, as diverse Asian communities around the country and the world, can show up in solidarity with Black people in this struggle.
The BlackOUT Collective is a full service Black Direct Action collective, which provides on the ground support, training and the opportunity for deep space visioning in communities that prioritize the liberation of Black people.
Listing of planned Response Events for #Ferguson and all policebrutality & racial injustice nationwide.
2. The Movement for Black Lives Matter
Hundreds of Black freedom fighters from around the country came together for the inaugural Movement for Black Lives Convening in Cleveland, OH, from Friday July 24 to Sunday July 26th, 2015.
On Monday, April 13th, 2015, Justice League NYC and friends from across the country, will gather in New York City to MARCH to the nation's capital - stopping in key cities and towns along the route for local rallies and mobilization. The MARCH2JUSTICE will culminate in a large Rally & Concert on The National Mall in Washington, DC on Tuesday, April 21st. Justice League NYC will MARCH2JUSTICE with our coalition partners to deliver a "Justice Package" of criminal justice reform legislation that will end racial profiling, demilitarize our police forces, and invest in our communities. We MARCH in solidarity with our elders, our youth, our incarcerated brothers and sisters, and the families and communities of those impacted by police brutality. We MARCH on behalf of Eric Garner. And Akai Gurley. And Jesse Hernandez. And Rekia Boyd. And Tamir Rice. And Michael Brown. And Renisha McBride. And London Colvin. And John Crawford III. And Miriam Carey. And Anthony Baez. And Ramarley Graham.
Million Man March 20th Anniversary. Their Motto Is: WANT JUSTICE EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER THE LAW “If we are denied what rightfully belongs to us then there has to be unified action that we take that will force the justice that we seek.”
Grassroots leaders throughout Philadelphia are mobilizing together to convene in Washington D.C. for the 20th Anniversary of The Million Man March.
A comprehensive package of urgent policy solutions - informed by data, research and human rights principles - can change the way police serve our communities developed by Samuel Sinyangwe, Brittany Packnett, Johnetta Elzie, and DeRay McKesson
7. Mass March and Protest Demonstration for Civilian Control of the Chicago Police
In alliance with community based organizations and victims of police crimes and torture the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression calls upon all our sisters and brothers and all strands of the people’s movement to join us in a mass protest and march on the Federal Building and City Hall this August 29, 2015. Join us in commemorating the 50th anniversaries of the March on Selma, the Voting Rights Act and the Watts Rebellion. And on this day we will stand in solidarity with Fergusons everywhere. The march will kick off at 12 Noon from the Federal Plaza, at Dearborn and Adams, in the Loop.
8. Black Muslim Psychology Conference *Upcoming July 22-23*
The aim of this conference is to highlight the unique concerns and challenges Black Muslims face by bringing together 100 emerging and prominent Black scholars, leaders, mental health professionals and activists from across the country, as well as allies and supporters from other communities.
9. Freedom Now July 21 Collective Action for Justice
If you've been marching on the streets or been on the sidelines, this is your opportunity to join the movement for justice to make sure today is different than yesterday. We can create a future where Black children live in peace and possibility, not under a police state. We will honor those we've lost by fighting for the world we can build together, the world we know is possible, the world we deserve.
Reports
Statements and Open Letters
Related Articles and Blogs
This list is by no means comprehensive, nor does it cover every police brutality case. Rather, it is aims to provide background information, stories that represent flashpoints on police brutality, issues that have arisen out of the Black Lives Matter movement. The current list does not aim to reflect objective reporting. Rather, it aims to provide a coverage that is sympathetic to victims of police brutality, and the activists who aim to advocate for them, the hope is to offer readers greater insight into the movement.
General Topics on Police Brutality and Black Lives Matter
Islam/Muslims and #BlackLivesMatter
Black Women and Police Brutality
Eric Garner
Ferguson
Walter Scott
Baltimore
Tony Robinson
McKinney
Sandra Bland
Black Lives Matter/Palestine
Bernie Sanders and Black Lives Matter
Latinos, People of Color, Whites and Police Brutality
Sam Dubose
Mansur Ball-Bey
Protests
Campaign Zero
Black Lives Matter Critics
Appropriation and Erasure
Imam Luqman Abdullah
Justice or Else
Alton Sterling
Philando Castile
Dallas Police Shooting
Baton Rouge
AbdiRahman Abdi
Korryn Gaines
Milwaukee
(Note: Lyrics may contain profanity and videos may have disturbing images of violence)
You can cite to this Toolkit using Hill, M. (2016). “#BlackLivesMatter: MuslimARC toolkit” retrieved from www.muslimarc.org/blacklivesmatter.
Questions? Comments? Additions? Broken Links?
CONTACT
Last updated Sunday 8/21/16 9:45pm PST
[1] Eric Garner’s words of resistance.