#ThisStopsToday - Best of the Left Activism
You’ve reached the activism portion of today’s show. Now that you’re informed and angry, here’s what you can do about it. Today’s activism: #ThisStopsToday.
In the more than 100 days residents of Ferguson waited to find out if justice would be sought for Mike Brown through the prosecution of his killer, across the country, 14 more teenagers were killed by cops:
- Tamir Rice — Ohio
- Cameron Tillman — Louisiana
- VonDerrit Myers Jr. — St. Louis
- Laquan McDonald — Chicago
- Carey Smith-Viramontes — California
- Jeffrey Holden — Missouri
- Qusean Whitten — Ohio
- Miguel Benton — Georgia
- Dillon McGee — Tennessee
- Levi Weaver — Georgia
- Karen Cifuentes — Oklahoma
- Sergio Ramos — Texas
- Roshad McIntosh — Chicago
- Diana Showman — California
Nina Strochlic details each of their deaths at The Daily Beast under the “Hands Up” tag. They were boys and girls from California to Missouri to Chicago to Georgia. The epidemic of a black person being killed extrajudicially every 28 hours clearly affects communities beyond St. Louis and requires all of us everywhere to care more and do better.
On the heels of the decision from Ferguson came word from NYC: Eric Garner’s killer would not be indicted — despite a “homicide” designation from the medical examiner and a video capturing Garner's entire interaction with police.
Any activism call short of “End Racism & Its Structural Power to Kill” will feel unsatisfactory and somewhat hollow. We must do more in our personal lives to call out racism where we see it and temper our fear of reprisal in our networks with an understanding that people of color fear more than reprisal — they fear injury and even death. The hashtag #AliveWhileBlack created by writer Jamilah Lemieux is a must read for white folks to see what ordinary interactions with the police are like for people of color.
So…what do we do? The “Ferguson Response” Tumblr has a listing of ongoing #ThisStopsNow events to protest police injustice. Find or add your city to their list. Amplify the protests on your feeds — all the more important if you fear a backlash from friends and family who don’t see through their privilege to what’s happening.
Next, we can take the artillery out of the hands of our police forces. The ACLU declares that our communities are not war zones — at least, they shouldn’t be. Their petition at ACLU.org/action calls on the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice to redirect the $400 million per year funneled to police departments for military-grade weaponry.
Both Mike Brown’s parents and President Obama are calling for that funding to go instead to outfit all police with body cameras. In their statement following Officer Darren Wilson’s non-indictment, Mike Brown’s family said the following:
"We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions. While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen. Join with us in our campaign to ensure that every police officer working the streets in this country wears a body camera.”
You can sign the Brown family’s Change.org petition specifically for the St. Louis force if you support cameras and let the White House know you expect them to follow through on the promises from the president’s recent speeches. As you’ve heard in today’s clips, many law enforcement personnel have had positive experiences with cameras, so this is a campaign that shouldn’t receive much push-back from police unions.
Last and perhaps most importantly, as has happened uncountable times since the Civil Rights era, the only place the families can now turn is to federal authorities. Attorney General Eric Holder has publicly stated intentions to investigate and possibly bring federal Civil Rights charges in both Ferguson and New York. We must demand that the Department of Justice follow through. Sign the petitions in the segment notes, visit Justice.gov to contact the DOJ directly through phone, email, and snail mail.
You can also vote in the Time.com’s annual poll to make the Ferguson protesters “Person of the Year.” It’s a good way to call out media coverage after Time inevitably doesn’t listen to the poll and picks someone else while showing your support for the movement as it grows.
TAKE ACTION:
SIGN ACLU petition: "Our communities are not war zones”
SIGN Change.org petition: Require Ferguson and St. Louis County and City police officers to wear body cameras
Demand the Department of Justice Secure Justice For Mike Brown through federal Civil Rights action
Demand the Department of Justice investigate and indict Officer Pantaleo on federal criminal charges for violating Eric Garner’s Civil Rights
Additional Activism/Resources:
#ThisStopsToday events are ongoing. Find/organize one in your city.
Follow Jamilah Lemieux’s #AliveWhileBlack thread.
VOTE for Ferguson protestors to be Time’s Person of the Year: Tweet the Poll as “Yes”
Bookmark the Justice 4 Mike Brown Tumblr which is aggregating video/pics/posts from around the world in solidarity
Sources/further reading:
"The 14 Teens Killed by Cops Since Michael Brown” by Nina Strochlic at The Daily Beast
"1 Black Man Is Killed Every 28 Hours by Police or Vigilantes: America Is Perpetually at War with Its Own People” by Adam Hudson at Alternet
"Justice Department to open civil rights investigation in Eric Garner case” via RT American
"Body cameras for cops could be the biggest change to come out of the Ferguson protests” via The Washington Post
"Please Stop Telling Me That All Lives Matter” by Julia Craven at HuffPo
"Federal Ferguson Investigation Will Remain Independent, Holder Insists” via NPR: It's All Politics
"Michael Brown’s family denounces prosecutor, condemns violence” by Elahe Izadi at The Washington Post
"Michael Brown’s family releases statement on grand jury decision” via Fox8 Cleveland
"Mike Brown's Law is a start, but police body-cams are no panacea for violence” via The Guardian
"Should police officers wear body cameras?” via The Melissa Harris-Perry Show
"Police Say Body Cameras Give "Real Perspective" of What Cops Encounter” by Nannette Miranda at NBC, Bay Area
"Where Do We Go After Ferguson?” by Michael Eric Dyson via The New York Times
"A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement by Alicia Garza” by Alicia Garza at The Feminist Wire
"No Indictment for Darren Wilson, No Justice for Black Lives” by Mychal Denzel Smith at The Nation
"On Being a Black Male, Six Feet Four Inches Tall, in America in 2014” by W. Kamau Bell at Vanity Fair
”Only Words” by Roxane Gay at The Toast
Hear the segment in context:
Episode #882 "Breakdowns in the systems (Injustice System)"
Hear previous segments on this topic:
"Campaigns for #MikeBrown and #Ferguson via @LeBreed7910”; episode 855
"#JusticeForEricGarner via @ColorOfChange; episode 85
Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich
Campaigns for #MikeBrown and #Ferguson via @LeBreed7910
The "Spaceship Dreaming" blog has become the go-to resource for aggregating information, actions, campaigns, etc. dedicated to supporting Mike Brown’s family and the Ferguson community.
Among the efforts listed are: the Michael Brown Memorial Fund, the Bail and Legal Fund for Those Arrested During Ferguson Anti-Police Demonstrations, the Dream Defenders’ teespring store, Operation Help Or Hush, and Feed the Students of Ferguson — an effort to help those children who rely on meals provided in school while the school year is indefinitely delayed.
You can also donate directly to the St. Stephen’s Food Pantry, donate items through the St. Louis Urban League and sign the petitions demanding federal protections from police violence and misconduct as well as the removal of St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch from the Mike Brown investigation.
TAKE ACTION:
Support the Campaigns for #MikeBrown and #Ferguson via B. Reed (@LeBreed7910)
Sources/further reading:
"America’s new racial low point: More crying black mothers, and tear gas on our dreams” by Brittney Cooper at Salon
"The Murder of Black Youth Is a Reproductive Justice Issue” by Dani McClain at The Nation
"What Matters in Ferguson” by Mychal Denzel Smith at The Nation
"A Former Marine Explains All the Weapons of War Being Used by Police in Ferguson” by Lyle Jeremy Rubin via Truthout
"St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch’s perception problem” by Alex Seitz-Wald at MSNBC.com
"Crowdfunders Raise $225,000 for Cop Who Shot Michael Brown”
Hear the segment in context:
Episode #855 Just the most recent spotlight on militarized racism (#Ferguson)
Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich
#JusticeForEricGarner via @ColorOfChange
When the writing for this segment started, the murder of Eric Garner by the NYPD was the obvious topic. Since then, breaking news that Renisha McBride’s killer had been convicted was botched by the Associated Press headline writers and a young teen named Mike Brown was gunned down by police in Ferguson, Missouri.
Simply keeping up with the number of young, murdered black Americans and their treatment by the injustice system and the media is an impossible task. The hashtags #JusticeForEricGarner, #RememberRenisha and — the latest — #IfTheyGunnedMeDown became a chorus of community expressing sorrow and rage over the past several days.
In New York, Eric Garner’s death has officially been ruled a homicide — a painful death at the hands of an officer who wielded a deadly chokehold for the crime of selling untaxed cigarettes.
"The motto can no longer be 'to protect and serve' if that only applies to certain people,” writes Mychal Denzel Smith at The Nation. "We can't cede the idea of crime prevention to an armed police force, and then allow them the discretion to determine which crimes are worth preventing. The reality of policing in America is that it upholds a system of racism and oppression of the poor. There is no justice, for Eric Garner or anyone else, until that changes.”
The white supremacy power structure in this country is deadly; that doesn’t change until more than a minority of us stand up and demand justice.
UPDATE:
Since the production of this episode, a nationwide moment of silence and accompanying vigils in 50 cities has been planned for THURSDAY Aug 14 at 7pmEST. #NMOS14 is being coordinated by Feminista Jones who's Twitter you can follow for information.
TAKE ACTION:
Sign the ColorOfChange.org letter to Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton: #JusticeforEricGarner
Additional Activism/Resources:
Sign: White House petition demanding a statement (at the very least) on the killing of young, black men
Read and join in these Twitter conversations:
”Black Women Matter: #RememberRenisha”
"#IfTheyGunnedMeDown Shows How Black People Are Portrayed in Mainstream Media” by Yesha Callahan at The Root
Sources/further reading:
"News coverage of the Michael Brown shooting: headlines matter” via The People’s View
"When Parenting Feels Like a Fool’s Errand: On the Death of Michael Brown.” by Stacia L. Brown
"Surprise! NYPD Commissioner Bratton Doesn’t Think Race Had Anything to Do With Eric Garner’s Death” by Mychal Denzel Smith at The Nation
"Eric Garner’s Death and the Exasperation With Police Violence” by Mychal Denzel Smith at The Nation
Hear the segment in context:
Episode #851 "To selectively protect and serve (Injustice System)"
Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich
Save the Children: Border Crisis
TEXT “AID” to Save the Children at 20222 to donate $10
Learn exactly where your support is going at: U.S. Border Crisis: 'Save the Children’ Meeting Immediate Needs of Children
Sources/further reading:
Read and watch stories from those crossing the boarder at: Save the Children’s “U.S. Border Crisis” page.
"Border children need immediate cooperation" via Save the Children at USA Today
"To Address Honduran Refugee Crisis at the Border, US Should Stop Financing Repression in Honduras” by Laura Raymond at Truthout
"This Is What an Overcrowded Holding Center for Migrant Children Looks Like” by Steven Hsieh at The Nation
Hear the segment in context:
BOTL Episode #847 "Refugees at the border (Immigration)"
Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich
Stand Against ‘Shoot First’ Laws
BOTL segment excerpt:
From the Color of Change campaign:
It's time to end so-called "Stand Your Ground" laws and other such laws that undermine public safety, senselessly put people at risk, and enable the kind of tragedy we've witnessed in the cases of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis. I'm calling on you to take leadership and undo these dangerous laws now.
Take Action:
Contact your representatives: ”Stand Against ‘Shoot First’ Laws” petition from ColorOfChange.org
More info:
Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: Stand Against ‘Shoot First’ Laws, episode #805 "Unequal Justice Under the Law (the (in)justice system)”
Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich
Families Against Mandatory Minimums
BOTL segment excerpt:
The ineffectiveness of the “war on drugs” is not a new concept to listeners of this show. We regularly discuss the for-profit prisons, racist structure of the court system and hurtles impeding a return to full citizenship in clips as well as in our voicemail and commentary segments.
What’s often left out is a major (and politically inconvenient) cause of our prison population spike: mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Congress passed mandatory minimum sentencing laws in the 80’s as part of an attempt to appear “tough on crime.” Since then, the federal prison system has seen a nearly ten-fold increase in incarcerations. Consequently, one out of every four Department of Justice dollars is spent on locking up mostly nonviolent drug offenders in federal prisons.
Take Action:
Add your voice in support of common sense reform: Tell the Commission: Cut These Drug Sentences!” from Families Against Mandatory Minimums
More info:
Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: Families Against Mandatory Minimums, episode #798 "Learning to play nice with human nature (War on Drugs)”
Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich
Campaign to End Solitary Confinement in Illinois Prisons
BOTL segment excerpt:
2,200 people are held in a tiny cell for 23 hours hours each day, with no access to commissary or phone calls in the state of Illinois. This, predictably, results not in rehabilitation, but in the emotional, mental and physical deterioration of the inmates subjected to this human rights violating practice.
The Illinois Coalition Against Torture, an association of individuals and community-based organizations, formed in 2010 to end torture on all levels — local, state and international. Drawing on the Chicago City Council’s 2012 passage of the ICAT sponsored resolution to make Chicago “torture free,” they have just launched The Campaign to End Solitary Confinement in Illinois.
Take Action:
End Solitary Confinement In Illinois petition from CREDO and hard copy petition from Illinois CAT.
Printable info flier to circulate.
More info:
Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTLActivism: Campaign to End Solitary Confinement in Illinois Prisons, episode #819 "Incentives have consequences (Injustice system)”
Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich
Stop Michael Boggs’s Confirmation
BOTL segment excerpt:
In the words of NARAL president Ilyse Hogue:
Judicial appointments to the federal bench may be the most significant legacy a president leaves behind. These lifetime appointees have incredible power and often provide the final word on questions of constitutional law, including those of equality, rights, and justice...Michael Boggs actually believes that there is one definition of what it means to live your life as an American. The thing is, that’s anti-American.
Take Action:
Contact your representatives to stop this nominee from being confirmed:
Stop Michael Boggs’s Confirmation from NARAL Pro-Choice America
Stop Michael Boggs’s Confirmation from MoveOn.org
More info:
Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: Stop Michael Boggs's Confirmation, episode #807 "Like Men, Only Cheaper (feminism)"
Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich