0/122 completed ✓ Date Task (all links are click through) Updates (scroll below for actions) 6/6 This document has had a far wider reach than was expected - thank you. I'm so glad that it has been useful to some people, and I really hope that our collective work will help bring meaningful progress to the BLM movement. I've had lots of requests for edit access to the doc, which I've not given. Apologies, as I know lots of you want to be able to tick things off the checklist. However, as the doc has had quite widespread reach, I've been concerned about the potential for trolls/those who aren't supportive of the BLM movement coming across and accessing the document. I've seen cases before where such trolls have hijacked open-access documents and petitions to either delete the entire resource or replace the content with racist bile. If I were to change the settings to give one person edit access, I would have to give it to everybody who can view the document. This would mean that there would be no way to mitigate against the possibility of somebody hijacking this document. Apologies again, but that's the reality of the circumstances that we're in. If you want to be able to tick items off the checklist, I'd recommend downloading this document and uploading it to your own Google Drive/Excel, and editing it as your own file. Please also feel free to share it widely. This is a community resource so we can act together, in meaningful, ongoing solidarity, with Black people both in the UK and abroad. - N 6/6 The links and email templates demanding justice for George Floyd and Belly Mujinga (rows 10 & 14 below) have been updated to reflect the current status of the investigations into their deaths. Specifically, with regard to the George Floyd case, the email template demands "full accountability" as opposed to a specified degree of murder charge. The Floyd family's attorney has stated that they are seeking for first-degree murder charges to be pressed against Derek Chauvin - whether or not this will be achieved is dependent on the outcome of the criminal investigation and the attorney's chosen legal strategy. The new email template is thus worded accordingly, and focuses also on demanding for structural reform in the criminal justice system of Minnesota. With regard to the Belly Mujinga case, although the BTP's initial investigation did not find it possible to conclusively prove that the alleged assaulter infected Belly with COVID-19 and therefore was responsible for her death, they have now referred the evidence onto the CPS to independently review themselves. The email template asks for transparency as to how the initial investigation was carried out, including what evidence was examined. It also asks for assault charges to be pressed against the alleged assaulter, as well as an investigation to be conducted into Belly's employers' responsibilities towards her and her colleagues. Specifically, it asks whether sufficient action had been taken to ensure the safety of the workplace, including whether any foreseeable and preventable risks were mitigated against, in compliance with the reasonable expectations placed on an employer to be responsible for an employee's safety while at work. In accordance with the current status of the investigation, the email does not ask for manslaughter charges to be brought against the alleged assaulter. Please read up on the latest developments in both of these cases before choosing whether or not to send the emails. 22/10 Updated to include a link to the END SARS PayPal pool fund established by Arenike Adebajo. The fund will distribute donations from the UK to the Feminist Coalition and Safe House Nigeria, organisations that are providing emergency care to protestors and survivors on the ground following the government's crackdown on protests against police brutality in Nigeria. All Black Lives Matter. 14/01/21 Updated to include a link to donate to the funeral and legal costs for Mohamud Hassan's justice campaign. Mohamud died following a night of being forcibly held in the custody of Cardiff Bay Police, after which he was found to be severely injured and having received no medical attention. The following is a list of practical steps we can take to support the BLM movement, both here in the UK and abroad. I am not the author of any of the email templates provided, nor did I launch any of the petitions or fundraisers listed below - countless others did, and continue to do, that urgent work. I have just collated them together and provided the referral links, so that they all be in one accessible place for people to use and act on . I'm continuing to receive updated versions of the templates (to reflect the changing status of the investigations taking place) and have verified as much as possible the veracity of the templates' utility as well as that of the non-organisational fundraisers. If you're unsure about anything, please double check things yourself : read up on the latest developments of the cases, and make sure that the organisation/s you want to financially support are legitimate. Emails, Petitions and Open Letters Updated email template to reflect new developments in the ongoing case: Email Minnesota Police Department demanding full accountability from the four officers involved in the death of George Floyd, as well as a diverting and increasing of funds/resources towards community engagement responses instead of resorting to violent policing. The link is an automatic email generator that will open your inbox and fill in the template and address for you. Email your MP and the British Transport Police Authority demanding Justice for Belly Mujinga. Email template here. Email TSSA (Belly Mujinga's union) demanding that collective action be taken to secure robust protections for workers. Email template here. Email Patrick Verwer (Govia Thameslink CEO) enquiring as to the circumstances of Belly Mujinga's workplace during COVID & the Company's treatment of the criminal investigation Email template here. Email UK PM, Mayor of London, the Rail Ombudsman, Go-Ahead, the Secretary of State for Transport, the Deputy Mayor for Transport at London City Hall and MOPAC demanding justice for Belly Mujinga. The link is an automatic email generator that will open your inbox and fill in the template and email addresses for you. Justice for Belly Mujinga petition Email your MP demanding that the full, unredacted "Disparities in the risks and outcomes of COVID-19" report by Public Health England be published immediately. The report was intended to present the findings as to why BAME people are dying at disproportionately high rates of COVID-19. It has since been reported that the Minister for Health, Matt Hancock MP, and his office censored the findings. Email template here. Petition to General Medical Council: Medical schools must include BAME representation in clinical teaching in order to provide comprehensive healthcare to all Free Siyanda petition Petition to Police Scotland demanding an investigation into the death of Sheku Bayoh, who died in police custody soon after his detention on Sunday 3 May 2015. N.B. a public inquiry has been launched for this case, see "Justice at Last?" under "Education" section below Petition: Compel US states to review and amend Police Union Contracts, so that officers can be held accountable to incidents of misconduct and abuse of position Email your MP asking for action to be taken on Government policy and UK law that underwrites systemic racism in the UK and abroad, with regard to the UK's immigration policies, law and order enforcement, labour law, and housing policies. Email your MP asking that the UK ends its arms sales (tear gas, rubber bullets etc) to the US. Email template here. Email the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson MP, to make the inclusion of Black British history mandatory in the national curriculum. Email template here. Email the co-chairs of Pride in London requesting that the Metropolitan Police involvement be dropped from all future Pride parades. Email template here. Petition: UK Govt to suspend the export of arms and riot gear to the US Petition to UK Govt: After Grenfell, replace all flammable cladding on buildings in the UK. Housing is a racial justice issue: it is approaching the 3-year anniversary of the fire at Grenfell Tower, in which 72 people died. The majority of the vicims were BAME and from low-income backgrounds. Similar such tower blocks with flammable cladding on them continue to house low-income and BAME people all over the UK, leaving the residents unsafe with a material risk to their lives. Petition to the Home Secretary: Investigate Black child deaths, including those of Shukri Abdi and Christopher Kapessa Petition to UK Prime Minister and the Department for Education: make Black History Month a compulsory part of curricula in the UK 7 Actions to Change the History Curriculum. Includes email templates to send to MPs and school governors. Petition to UK Government: Build a memorial to remember the victims of the slave trade Justice for Shukri Abdi petition Justice for Christopher Kapessa petition Email your MP demanding justice for Shukri Abdi, including for a robust accountability response to the safeguarding failures of Hazel Wood High School; an inquiry into Greater Manchester Police's investigation into Shukri's death; and for Shukri's treatment in life to inform the formulation and implementation of humane policy towards asylum seekers and immigrants. Email template here. Justice for Breonna Taylor petition Justice for Tony McDade petition Petition to the Governor of Texas to reopen the criminal investigation into the death of Sandra Bland Petition to Hackney Council: extend the tenancy of Sistah Space (a charity that provides support to African and Caribbean victims of domestic violence) to 31 March 2021 Petition to UK Parliament: Improve maternal mortality rates and healthcare for Black women Petition to UK Parliament: Introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting Petition to UK Parliament: Add education on diversity and racism to all school curriculums Petition to UK Parliament: Create an independent investigatory commission to investigate cases involving the death, maltreatment and discrimination of people of colour and ethnic minorities Petition to Bristol's MPs, Bristol City Council and Avon & Somerset Constabulary: Justice for black renters, including Christy Braham's case of July 2019, in which she was illegally evicted following racial harassment by her landlord (including being victim of false reports made to the police). The petition asks for a full investigation into the landlord's false allegations, as well as a review of how eviction cases involving discrimination are being handled by the Council. Email leading UK art galleries, museums and cultural institutions demanding that they go beyond the rhetoric of BLM and instead begin structurally changing the institutions so that they be anti-racist. Demands include transparency about the number of Black people in executive/leading positions; donating to BLM organisations; unconscious bias training for all staff. The link is an automatic email generator that will fill in the address and text for you. Petition: replace the Colston statue with one of Black Bristolian Paul Stephenson, who led the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott Petition to Liverpool Council: rename Bold Street, and other Liverpool roads named after slave traders, to ones named after Black abolitionists Petition to University of Plymouth: rename buildings and outdoor areas named after slave trader Francis Drake Petition to Cardiff Council: remove the statue of slave owner and Governor of Trinidad, Thomas Picton, at Cardiff City Hall Petition to Shropshire Council: remove statue of Lord Robert Clive from Shrewsbury. Clive committed many atrocities against Indian people during his time as an agent of the British Empire (Governor of Bengal). Petition: rename King's College London's Guy's campus Petititon: teach histories of colonialism and imperialism in British schools Petititon: update GCSE reading lists to include texts on race relations in the UK (including The Good Immigrant - N. Shukla and Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race - R.E. Lodge) Email your MP requesting solidarity with BLM and efforts to meet five demands of the movement. Email template here. Open letter in solidarity with BLM protestors for researchers, policy execs, analysts and public/civil servants to sign Donations (including how to donate for free) Donate to Black Lives Matter 14/01/21 Donate to the funeral and legal costs for Mohamud Hassan's justice campaign. 22/10 Donate to #EndSARS PayPal pool fund - a mechanism for UK-based people to donate to the protestors and survivors on the ground in Nigeria, where state machinery is being mobilised to massacre unarmed civilians following protests against police brutality. Pooled donations will be converted and sent to the Feminist Coalition and Safe House Nigeria. Donate to Black Lives Matter and BLM protestors' bail funds for free and from home. N.B. must switch off AdSense / any ad blocker. Donate to BLM for free N.B. must switch off AdSense / any ad blocker Donate to ACLU, Reclaim the Block, NAACP, US bail funds and others for free N.B. must switch off AdSense / any ad blocker Purchase Community Comfort: Recipes from the Diaspora - a recipe ebook featuring over 100 recipes from chefs representing migrant communities in the UK. All purchase proceeds will be donated to the Majonzi Fund, a fund to provide bereavement support for the families, colleagues, friends and faith groups of BAME people who have died from COVID-19. Minimum £10 donation. A list of Black-led racial justice and community organisations in the UK to donate to Donate to Christopher Alder's burial appeal: in 1998, Christopher died in police custody, surrounded by Humberside police. No one has been held to account for his death, despite an inquest ruling that he was unlawfully killed. Further, in 2000, a body was released to his family for burial. It was discovered in 2011 that the body that had been buried was not Christopher's. The family are still pursuing justice for this, and are now launching a criminal investigation into South Yorkshire's handling of this. Donate to support Anthony Williams's campaign for a fair compensation package from the Home Office. As a victim of the racist Windrush Scandal, Anthony continues to be treated with contempt by the HO in his seeking of compensation for the treatment he received. Funds will go towards legal fees, rent, and food. Donate to Dickson Tarnongo's PhD tuition fees fundraiser. Dickson is a disabled asylum seeker expected to live on <£10 a week in asylum support. Despite multiple overlapping difficulties, he successfully got an offer to study a PhD at Leicester University (having previously been a law student), with the aim of helping disability campaigns in Nigeria. Donate to get him to his PhD. Donate in memory of Salina Shaw, a mother who died from COVID-19 just eight days after giving birth to her third child. The money will be used to support her family. Justice for Emanuel Gomes fundraiser. Emanuel was a cleaner at the Ministry of Justice, who died from suspected COVID-19 after being forced to work while ill. His union's demands for PPE, a Living Wage and sick pay were not met, making the workplace an unsafe environment. Donate towards the costs of repatriating his body and his funeral. Donate in memory of Trevor Belle, a British cab driver who died of COVID-19 - he is thought to have contracted it following an assault by a passenger who claimed to have the virus. All funds raised will go towards Trevor's funeral and to support his family. Justice for Chad Gordon fundrasier: donate in memory of Chad Gordon, a 27 y/o autistic Black man who was killed with a gunshot to his head, on his doorstep, in a suspected case of mistaken identity on 18 May 2020. All funds raised will go towards supporting his family and local community in Haringey. Donate towards the legal costs of the Justice for Sheku Bayoh campaign. Sheku died following an interaction with Police Scotland in Kirkcaldy in May 2015. Several missteps were made in the circumstances shortly prior to his death, and the initial investigation. A public inquiry has now been launched to examine the causes and consequences of his death, for which the family need funds to pay the legal costs. Donate in memory of Belly Mujinga, who was assaulted while at work and died from COVID-19, which she allegedly contracted while at work. She left behind a family including an 11 y/o daughter: all funds will go towards supporting them. Donate to the North London Community Consortium Cafe Fund: fundraising to establish a community cafe in Tottenham, that will use the profits to fund free meals for vulnerable communities in the area and a youth support programme, including access to education, training and career development schemes. Donate towards the costs of legal advisors and trained observers providing free counsel to attendees at the BLM UK protests and marches. Donate to United Legal Access, a UK-based organisation that provides free legal information and advocacy for individuals and communities from marginalised backgrounds. The advisors assist on matters including applications to the Windrush Compensation scheme, housing law, employment law, consumer law, and race equality issues. Donate to One Case At A Time - a collective of legal practitioners working on access to justice and legal representation for disenfranchised Black people (specifically Black African individuals, inclusive of the disapora). The funds will go towards legal fees to challenge injustice, and campaigning for legal reform in Parliament and the press. Donate to the Runnymede Trust, the UK's leading race equality think tank Updated list of bail funds in the United States Split your donation between 70+ community bail funds in the US. N.B. PayPal link currently broken. Donate to the 4Front Rest in Power movement - a campaign to memorialise and fight for justice to be brought to the 1,741 people who have died in police custody in England & Wales since 1990. Donate to Remember Oluwale, a charity set up in memory of David Oluwale - a homeless, vulnerable Nigerian immigrant who was the victim of a campaign of abuse by police in post-war Leeds. He died in suspicious circumstances, and his suspected killers never held accountable for his death. The charity works on race-relations education and community engagement in Leeds. Donate to Inquest, the only charity in the UK to investigate state-related deaths Donate to the Network for Police Monitoring, a grassroots organisation that investigates and campaigns against excessive, violent, and intimidating policing/surveillance. Partner orgs include Doughty Street Chambers. Donate to Memorial 2007, a charity that is campaigning to have the first ever national memorial built and dedicated to those who were enslaved during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, who died during the passage, and those who are the descendants of this period of history. Donate to Newham Bookshop to distribute free books on race-relations history and racial justice (including Superior - A. Saini and children's books on racism) to those who can't afford them. Essentially a pay it forward scheme to help people learn and access knowledge. Donate to Sistah Space, a charity providing specialist support to African- and Caribbean-heritage women and girls who are victims of domestic violence. N.B. the original fundraiser was to pay for a retreat for service users to take following lockdown, in which many most likely would have been 'locked down' with their abusers. Excess funds are now going towards infrastructural support for the charity. Donate to the campaign to save Nour Cash & Carry in Brixton. Funds will be used to support the local community, develop photovisual campaign tools and develop a written publicity campaign. Donate to Black Thrive Community Therapeutic Fund to provide free culturally-sensitive mental health services (incl. talking therapy) to Black residents in Lambeth. Donate to UK Black Pride Donate to Black Trans Lives Matter - UK Support Donate to Black LGBTQIA Therapy Fund Donate to the Exist Loudly Fund, to support Black queer young people in the UK with workshops, sustained mentoring opportunities, community programmes. Extra funds raised will go towards Queer Black Christmas, where queer Black people who are either homeless or whose personal circumstances are difficult, can celebrate Christmas in a safe, loving environment. Donate to Green & Black Cross to provide free legal counsel to protestors Donate to Black Cultural Archives, the only national heritage centre in the UK to document and preserve the histories of African and Caribbean people in the UK. Also provides the space for Windrush Action legal clinics. Donate to the Free Black University, so it can establish teaching & educational delivery mechanisms (including a physical hub, an annual conference, a podcast, and publications) to distribute critical knowledge on racism and racial justice Donate to the Black Curriculum, an organisation campaigning for the inclusion of Black British history in school curricula Donate to the Advocacy Academy, an organisation providing training and resources to support young activists, campaigners and changemakers in South London. Campaigns include decolonising school curricula and the ICFREE photo campaign around London bus stops, providing visual proof of excessive policing against Black, Muslim and BAME people. Donate to Northern Police Monitoring Project, a grassroots organisation that provides "know your rights" training, community support and research into excessive police force used in cases in the North of England. Not state funded. Donate to Stop Watch UK, a charity monitoring and campaigning against excessive policing, particularly with regard to disproportionate and discriminatory use of 'stop and search' Donate to Black Minds Matter to provide specialist mental health support to Black people in the UK Donate to the United Family and Friends Campaign Memorial Fund, to support the loved ones of those who have died in state-related circumstances in the UK Donate to Les Gilets Noirs, a collective of migrants of African descent in France, campaigning against police brutality and immigration enforcement practices such as detention, deportation and unsafe labour practices Donate to the Justice pour Adama campaign, led by the family of Adama Traoré who died from being asphyxiated by a French police officer in 2016. The family have been engaged in 10 legal proceedings trying to fight for justice - the money raised will go towards legal costs Subscribe to Gal-Dem (or provide a one-off donation) - an online and print magazine run by women and non-binary people of colour. Its founder, Liv Little, has pledged that gal-dem's content in the coming days and months will be focused on writing by Black people, on ways to support the Black community at this time. Resources and referrals to direct to Black people and allies (includes information for those attending BLM UK protests) "This is how to support Black British people right now - and how not to" - Timi Sotire When and how to film the police (during suspected cases of policing powers overreach during stop & search incidents, protests etc). 5/6 Webinar: free "know your rights" training for those attending BLM UK protests. Delivered online Friday 5 June 6:30pm by civil liberties barristers, Amnesty International, Liberty and the 4Front Project. Must sign up to get webinar link. United Legal Access: a UK-based organisation that provides free legal information and advocacy for individuals and communities from marginalised backgrounds. The advisors assist on matters including applications to the Windrush Compensation scheme, housing law, employment law, consumer law, and race equality issues. London Campaign Against Police and State Violence - provide workshops on how to stay safe and know your rights when faced with 'Stop and Search' (section 60), and court guidance in civil claims against excessive/violent/intimidating policing cases in South London IRIE Mind - provide mental health support by and for African-Caribbean community members in City, Hackney and Waltham Forest Breaking Mad: mental health support for the UK Black community Green & Black Cross 'bust cards' for protestors, detailing your rights at a protest, contact numbers for legal counsel, and what to do if stopped and searched. N.B. print it out and carry it with you at a protest and write the solicitors' numbers on the inside of your arms (or memorise them) in case the paper is lost. A list of experienced protest and civil liberties solicitors if you need counsel during or after attending a BLMUK protest/march GOV UK Notice of rights and entitlements in police detention. Available in many languages including Amharic, Igbo, Somali, Tigrinya and Yoruba. A guide to coronavirus and protest law "Anti-racism protests: what are your rights amid the pandemic?" - Ella Braidwood. Primer and round up on the legal right to protest and how / where it can be impacted by the coronavirus regulations. A guide to Section 50 and your rights. At the London protests on 6/6/20, the police used s50 to demand personal details as a condition for leaving a kettle (containment of peoples at a protest). A guide to kettles (when police contain groups of people so they can't leave an area during a protest). A guide to on/offline privacy for protestors by Open Source Researchers of Colour Access to advice from the Youth Justice Legal Centre for young people who have been stopped and searched and are in need of counsel A list of anti-racist books for all children and teenagers Education 6/6 BAME Lawyers for Justice Facebook live stream event on Saturday 6 June 10am - 12 noon: Black boys and the school-to-prison pipeline. "Being Black in the EU": a report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights Our Migration Story: The Making of Britain - award-winning teaching resource on the long history of migrants' presence and belonging in Britain "Put our colonial history on the curriculum - then we'll understand who we really are" - Maya Goodfellow "Almost ten years without true justice" - a blog written by Marcia Rigg, the sister of Sean Rigg, who died in police custody in 2008. To date, no officer or institution has been held accountable for the circumstances in which Sean died, nor the occurrence of his death. "Marcia Rigg: you think police brutality is just a US issue? Think again." - Olivia Blair: an interview with Marcia Rigg, the sister of Sean Rigg, discussing how the death of George Floyd has spotlighted the issue of police brutality and her campaign for justice for Sean. "My nephew died at the hands of the police. He won't be the last." - Rod Charles: op-ed on police brutality in Britain, written by the uncle of Rashan Charles. Rashan died in 2017 following a 'stop and search' incident with police in Hackney. "The death of Shukri Abdi: 'she was failed when she was alive and she's still being failed now.'" - Nino Omer. An investigative report into the death of 12 y/o Shukri Abdi, a refugee whose body was found drowned in a river in Greater Manchester in June 2019. "That could have been me - Desmond Ziggy Mombeyarara on George Floyd's death and police brutality in the UK" - Alex King. Interview with the man who appeared in a viral video in May 2020, in which he was Tasered in front of his small child by Manchester Police. He speaks about his experience of excessive use of force by police. "Mental health and deaths after police contact - why Seni's Law is welcome but more is needed" - article by a campaigner for Medact. Focuses on medical racism and why the legislative response to the death of Olaseni Lewis, who died after excessive force was used on him by 11 police officers after he had admitted himself to hospital for treatment, does not adequately protect vulnerable Black people seeking mental health support. "Systemic racism and police brutality are British problems too" - Kojo Karam. An evidence-based article by a Birkbeck law professor highlighting the historic development of the modern face of institutional anti-Blackness in Britain. E.g. fact: the percentage of Black people in British prisons is higher than the corresponding figure for the US. "A brief history of police brutality in the UK" - Micha Frazer-Carroll. A piece detailing how the deaths of Black people in police custody demonstrates the UK to be institutionally racist. Learn the cases, say their names. "Reading the Riots": a qualitative research study conducted jointly by the Guardian and the LSE into the causes and consequences of the 2011 riots in England, which were triggered by the death of Mark Duggan at the hands of Tottenham police. Medway Children's Safeguarding Partnership's review into the deaths of Lillian Oluk and her baby Lynne Mutumba, who both died of starvation in 2016 as a direct consequence of the destitution created by the No Recourse to Public Funds policy "Ethnicity, Race and Inequality in the UK: State of the Nation" - a report by leading racial justice organisations and researchers on how race inequalities are present in sectors in society including housing, education, criminal justice, politics, health, arts & media representation. "Justice at last?" - Richard Haley. Legalistic analysis of the 21 May announcement of the remit of the public inquiry into Sheku Bayoh's death. "Why do police never believe black men?" - Kadi Johnson. Kadi is the sister of Sheku Bayoh, who died while being handled by 9 officers during an incident in May 2015. She describes the mistakes she feels were made by the police, both during their handling of the incident in which Sheku died, and the subsequent investigation. "White Complicity Matters: the Nazis by the Lake" - Musa Okwonga Children's rights and policing: Tasers and children's rights - a report by the Children's Rights Alliance for England which examines police use of tasers on children. It was found that, in London, 74% of children who had had a taser used on them in Jan - Oct 2019 were from BAME backgrounds. "Why don't we just acknowledge immigration in our conversation about racial injustice?" - Jo Biglin. On how racial justice is inseperable from migrants' justice.