Jacksonville, FL – On Dec. 15, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office returned some of the phones they seized from the 19 protesters who shut down the Hart Bridge last week.

The protesters, dubbed the Jacksonville 19 by local activists and media, stopped traffic on the bridge on Dec. 8 to demand justice for Eric Garner. Garner was the African American man who the NYPD choked, leading to his death. A New York grand jury refused to indict the white police officer Daniel Pantaleo, adding fuel to the flames of a nationwide protest movement against racism and police brutality.

Sheriff’s office staff called several protesters to let them know that they could pick up their phones from evidence. As of Dec. 15, police were still holding cameras belonging to protesters, and many phones and electronic storage devices remained in custody.

Police seized every phone, camera and other storage device from protesters after arresting them for obstructing traffic. Officers claimed they were seizing these personal belongings to use as evidence against the protesters and to identify the people who attended another protest earlier on the same day.

The Jacksonville Sheriff Office sergeant at the scene originally told protesters that they would receive verbal warnings and written citations for the offense, which is a misdemeanor in Florida. Activists say that the protesters were arrested after a communication from Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford, who gave the order to arrest everyone.

Immediately after the arrests on Dec. 8, the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition called an emergency jailhouse protest outside the John E. Goode Pre-trial Detention Facility, where police held the protesters for several hours. More than 30 people assembled outside chanting “Jail killer cops, not justice protesters!” and “Free the Jax justice fighters!”

With support from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, all 19 protesters were released or bonded out on Dec. 9.

One of the 19, Siddie Friar, was charged with two felonies. Police claim that Friar resisted arrest with violence and assaulted an officer. At a separate bond hearing for Friar on Dec. 9, State Attorney Angela Corey's office asked the judge to raise Friar's bond, using Facebook posts as evidence of her political activity. According to activists present at the bond hearing, some of the Facebook posts presented by prosecutors were obtained through Friar's phone. Friar was eventually released with the same bond as the others.

Police are still holding Friar's phone, along with many other devices.

The court appearance dates for the Jacksonville 19 are set for late December and early January. The Jacksonville Progressive Coalition, along with several other organizations, is calling on State Attorney Angela Corey to return all seized belongings to the protesters immediately and to drop all charges on the Jacksonville 19.

#JacksonvilleFl #PeoplesStruggles #NewYork #Florida #EricGarner #Ferguson #MikeBrown

Gainesville, FL – On Dec. 12, students and community members blocked the entrances to a basketball game between the University of Florida (UF) and Texas Southern University. The action was called as part of a growing movement to protest police killings of African Americans and Latinos in the U.S. This follows the failures to indict police officer Darren Wilson, who shot Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, as well as NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo, who choked Eric Garner to death.

Around 130 people gathered at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center before the basketball game and held a die-in at the entrance as the doors opened. Then, the group moved to the student gate, blocking the entrance doors and the sidewalks leading to the other doors. Despite university personnel opening and closing certain entrances based on the location of the protesters, the group was able to finalize its position at the student entrance.

Trenton Brooks of the UF Dream Defenders explained, “Our action today was to show that people cannot just go about their lives as if it's simply business as usual. There are systemic problems in this country and ignoring them just isn't an option.”

Chants included “No justice! No peace! No racist police!” and one specifically for the occasion “You only care about us when we are in jerseys!”

Farah Khan, of UF Students for a Democratic Society, talked about the impact the protest had on the game, “It definitely shook people up and left both attendants of the game and administration completely disoriented. Not a single person at that game could ignore us.”

#GainesvilleFl #PeoplesStruggles #UniversityOfFlorida #Antiracism #UF #EricGarner #Ferguson #MikeBrown #BlackLivesMatter

Gainesville, FL- 350 people, mostly students, marched from the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in downtown Gainesville to the intersection of University Avenue and 13th Street. In a dramatic action on Dec. 8, they marched through busy streets and then shut down the important intersection for 11 minutes in solidarity with Eric Garner.

Protesters began gathering at 4:00 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial statue near City Hall. People were asked to show up wearing black and to bring black signs. Nailah Summers, coordinator of the Civic Media Center, began the event by inspiring the crowd with a variation of an Assata Shakur quote, “We have a duty to fight. We have a duty to win. We have the duty to love each other and protect each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains!” The crowds repeated after her as they filed into the heavy traffic of University Avenue.

The march took up two lanes, completely blocking the cars on one side of the road, while protesters chanted, “Black lives matter!” and “If we don’t get no justice, then you don’t get no peace!” Three police cars tailed the protesters closely. Onlookers took pictures, put their fists up in solidarity and a couple even joined the march.

The protesters arrived at University and 13th, one of the busiest intersections in Gainesville, at the height of rush hour. The crowds formed a giant circle, ensuring that no cars could get past them. At the center of the circle two protesters held a silver coffin while a Dream Defender activist gave a eulogy and spoke, “You tell us to fear ISIS, and yet every time I pass the police, I hold my breath!”

Protesters stood in the intersection for 11 minutes. This symbolized the 11 times Eric Garner said, “I can’t breathe”, as NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo strangled him. At the end of the 11 minutes, everyone turned to face the cars and yelled, “What side are you on?”

Eric Brown, with Students for a Democratic Society, said “I think we're at a tipping point where people are tired of the status quo and are willing to literally put their bodies on the line to ensure that the systematic killings of Black bodies in America stops. The number of people who came out today is promising for future organizing around issues of national oppression. Ferguson is everywhere, and we have an obligation to use the air that Eric Garner can no longer inhale to fight for liberation.”

Brittany King, an organizer with University of Florida Dream Defenders, spoke about future plans in Gainesville, “We want Gainesville to wake up and realize that just because it doesn’t happen in Gainesville, it doesn’t mean it’s not happening everywhere else. While people are sleeping, more people are dying. Today was a testament that Gainesville is prepared to wake up and prepared to join the movement!”

People left the intersection and gathered into an empty lot where the event ended on a high note with plans for future action and chants of “I believe that we will win!”

#GainesvilleFl #GainesvilleFL #NewYork #Florida #EricGarner #Ferguson #MikeBrown #ShutItDown #BlackLivesMatter

Minneapolis, MN – About 300 people took to the streets here Dec. 4 to demand justice for Eric Gardner, Mike Brown, Terrence Franklin and others killed by racist police. Massive demonstrations against police terror are taking place in cities across the U.S.

The Minneapolis started in South Minneapolis, then took over the northbound lanes of Interstate 35W, where several die-ins took place. They marched up I-35W into downtown and proceeded to Minneapolis City Hall. Sabry Wazwaz of the Anti-War Committee led chants for much of the march.

#MinneapolisMN #PoliceBrutality #EricGarner #Ferguson #MikeBrown

The spokesperson for the DPRK Foreign Ministry went on to condemn the U.S. for interfering in the affairs of other countries while carrying out human rights abuses at home.

#DemocraticPeoplesRepublicOfKorea #PoliceBrutality #DPRK #NorthKorea #Ferguson #MikeBrown

Minneapolis, MN – About 500 students participated in a sit-in at of South High School to protest the grand jury verdict that failed to indict the cop who killed Mike Brown. The sit-in wrapped around the corridors of the entire first floor of the building.

When students requested the media be allowed inside, the principal said no, and the decision was made to walk out. Students then marched up to Lake Street and to the Third Precinct Police Station, where there was chanting and speeches.

Larry Whiten, one of the students who organized the protest stated, “We needed to do this demonstration to show that the youth in our community are aware of the unjust things happening to our peers in our society. We are not oblivious to our surroundings. We organized this 500-person march and sit-in in less than 15 hours! We are unstoppable.

#MinneapolisMN #PoliceBrutality #Ferguson #MikeBrown #MinneapolisSouthHighSchool #SitIn

Led by a diverse array of student groups and coordinated by Students United Against Police Brutality, the rally began with a four and a half minute moment of silence as requested nationally by the family of Michael Brown; a minute of silence for each hour Michael Brown’s lifeless body was left on display in the streets of Ferguson after his murder by police on August 9.

The rally continued with speeches expressing solidarity with those fighting back against police brutality both in Ferguson and across the country. Members from Whose Diversity?, the Black Student Union, and the Friends of Chicano and Latino Studies all spoke about the links between police brutality in Ferguson and the manifestations of racist discrimination and national oppression at University of Minnesota. They spoke of racialized crime alerts leading to increased racial profiling of Black men on campus, of non-white student groups fighting to keep their own spaces open on the second floor of Coffman Memorial Union and of university threats to defund and shut down the Chicano Studies Department and other ethnic studies departments as well.

After the speeches, the students marched across the campus quad to Morrill Hall, UMN’s administration building, and chanted for several minutes before heading to the light rail station and joining up with the larger community rally at the Third Precinct Police Station.

Matt Boynton, a member of Students for a Democratic Society at UMN, stated, “The struggle against police brutality is of vital importance not only to Black and Brown youth targeted by the police, but to all people seeking to change the U.S. political system. From the era of slave catchers and lynch mobs to the present, police violence against oppressed nationality communities is an important way the U.S. elite has maintained it’s political and economic control and needs to be combated.”

#MinneapolisMN #Ferguson #MikeBrown

Asheville, NC – Over 200 people gathered downtown here, Nov. 25 in front of the Vance Monument to protest the grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson for the murder of Michael Brown.

One banner read, “Hold cops accountable! Solidarity with Ferguson!” Protesters held signs that read “Black lives matter” and “Jail all killer cops.”

Several people attending the rally got up to the megaphone to express solidarity. One woman said, “I came out tonight to rally against injustice. People make it a crime issue. People take a tragedy and make racist remarks and talk about looting and destroying property. When you have no voice, you resort to all means. I’m a mother. I’m a Black woman. My kids walk out the door and I have to know every minute of their whereabouts. It’s scary.”

The crowd chanted “No justice, no peace!” and “Darren Wilson, you can’t hide. We charge you with homicide!” while drums beat in the background. The evening ended with organizers lighting candles and reading names of unarmed African American people killed by police.

#AshevilleNC #Ferguson #MikeBrown

Milwaukee, WI – 350 people took to the streets here, Nov. 25, upon hearing that Ferguson’s killer cop Darren Wilson was not indicted for the shooting of unarmed teenager Mike Brown. This was the latest protest in Milwaukee against police murder and violence. In a case similar to Ferguson, Milwaukee Police Officer Christopher Manney shot unarmed 32-year-old Dontre Hamilton 14 times in a downtown park in April of this year. Dontre Hamilton was doing nothing wrong. An active and growing movement is calling for the arrest of Manney.

Protesters gathered at Milwaukee's “ground zero,” Red Arrow Park, where Dontre Hamilton was murdered. Hamilton's mother, Maria, told the gathering, “I send my prayers to the Brown family. We have been waiting almost seven months for a decision to be made for Dontre.” Officer Manney was fired for misconduct, but is not yet charged with a crime. Maria Hamilton finished by saying, “District Attorney John Chisolm needs to do his job and protect communities or step down and let someone take his spot who will.”

Nate Hamilton, Dontre's brother, said, “I want to thank everyone for coming out. People being involved in this kind of action, is the only way to get justice.”

People marched through downtown Milwaukee, shutting down major streets, and rallying at the federal courthouse where Brandon Johnson's mother spoke. Johnson, a 25-yearold African American man died in the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex in 2012. He died of a mysterious broken neck injury after being taken into custody by the Milwaukee police on a mental health check. Johnson's family is still waiting for answers of what happened to their loved one while in the care of the police and county.

Protesters then marched into the Grand Avenue mall, chanting, “No justice, no compromise.” The march went through the center of the mall, with the shops and security guards scrambling to deal with the situation.

Demonstrators next marched to the Bradley Center, where the Milwaukee Bucks were scheduled to play a game. The south entrance was shut down as protesters tried to get in, chanting, “Dontre Hamilton!” and “Mike Brown!” The crowd then moved to the other entrance where people were waiting to get into the game, with people chanting, “Fist up! Fight back!”

March organizers led people back to Red Arrow Park, where everyone was urged to come out to a rally planned for Dec. 4. Organizers will be attending the Police and Fire Commission meeting to demand justice for Dontre Hamilton and all victims of police violence.

#MilwaukeeWI #MikeBrown

Salt Lake City, UT – 40 protesters waited in chilling weather for the Ferguson grand jury announcement. They anticipated the failure to indict police officer Darren Wilson for murdering Mike Brown by chanting “From Ferguson to SLC, end police brutality!” and “No justice, no peace, no killer police!” A body-armored Department of Homeland Security officer with an attack dog came over to inform protesters where they could exercise their rights – a clear attempt at intimidation.

Utah Against Police Brutality organizer, Chris Manor, urged protesters, “Remember those killed here in Utah. This includes Dillon Taylor who was unarmed when Salt Lake City police gunned him down outside of a 7-Eleven. Also, Darrien Hunt, a young African American man killed by white police officers after being reported suspicious for cosplaying.” Cosplay, growing in popularity, is dressing as an anime character.

Both police killings in Utah were ruled justified.

Manor stated to the protesters, “What we see here tonight is that these courts don’t give us justice, they just give us justifications for police murders.”

Gregory Lucero of Freedom Road Socialist Organization addressed the rally, “In any city in America, the police are the biggest armed gang. I’m fine walking past any Sureños, Bloods, or Crips, but I fear for my life every time I walk past the biggest street gang here, the Salt Lake Unified Police Department.”

At 7:10, the announcement came that there would be no charges for killer cop Darren Wilson. Boos and jeers erupted from the protesters. As per the wishes of the Michael Brown’s family, those in attendance observed the four and half minutes of silence. The family statement was read out loud: “After the Grand Jury’s decision, we are asking for four and half minutes of silence to remember why we lift our voices. We are not here to be violent. We are here in memory of our son. We are here for protection of all children. We are here to support justice and equality for all people. We lift our voices to ensure black and brown men, women and children can live in this country without being devalued because of the color of our skin.”

After hearing that no charges against Darren Wilson would come, Alyssa Ferris, member of Revolutionary Students Union at SLCC, said, “I was shocked and heartbroken, I live in fear for the safety of the people I love, knowing that the cops can roam around and kill without suffering any consequence.”

Utah Against Police Brutality plans to hold a second rally at the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building, Nov. 29 at 2:00 p.m. There is also an organizing meeting planned at the Salt Lake City library on Dec. 17.

Like Utah Against Police Brutality on facebook.

#SaltLakeCityUT #MikeBrown

Tallahassee, FL – Nearly 100 protesters marched on the streets of Tallahassee the night of Nov. 24. The protest was in response to the Ferguson grand jury failure to indict officer Darren Wilson for killing Mike Brown. The protesters’ message was clear as they chanted, “Indict, convict, send that killer cop to jail, the whole damn system is guilty as hell!”

Organizers from the Tallahassee Dream Defenders organized the emergency rally to protest the murder of 18-year-old African American teenager Mike Brown by a white cop.

“What are you willing to do for justice?” Naomi Brown, Tallahassee Dream Defender asked the crowd. “What are you willing to give up for your freedom?”

After marching to the Florida Old Capitol where leaders spoke, the march took to the streets and shut down Appalachee Parkway and Monroe Street, a busy Tallahassee intersection. Protesters stayed in the streets chanting, “I believe that we will win!”

Tallahassee Dream Defenders have promised more actions to end police brutality in the near future.

#TallahasseeFL #Ferguson #MikeBrown #TallahasseeDreamDefenders

Chicago, IL – Over 200 people gathered in front of Chicago Police headquarters, Nov. 24, awaiting the verdict from the grand jury in the Michael Brown murder case. Frank Chapman, an organizer with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, who spent some 14 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, addressed the crowd.

Chapman called upon fellow protesters to, “build a militant mass movement against police crimes.” The Alliance is currently building such mass movement for a Civilian Police Accountability Council in Chicago. The crowd was made up of mostly youth who echoed the call for ongoing protest until justice for Mike Brown has been won.

#ChicagoIL #PoliceBrutality #Ferguson #MikeBrown #DarrenWilson

Ferguson, MO – Thousands protested here Oct. 10 to demand Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson be jailed for the murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown. In August, the white police officer shot Michael Brown dead, as the unarmed African American youth held his hands up in the air. The people of Ferguson wasted no time in showing their outrage as they took to the streets, calling for the police officer to go to jail. Protesters are now demanding justice as a grand jury meets to decide whether to bring charges against Wilson.

On Oct. 11, thousands of protesters arrived in downtown Saint Louis and marched through the streets. The crowd was full of energy as groups of African American organizers and anti-police brutality activists from all over the country joined in. The crowd chanted, “Send these killer cops to jail, the whole damn system is guilty as hell!”

Later in the day, hundreds of protesters, mostly youth, marched on the Ferguson police station. The militant crowd chanted, “If Mike Brown don't get it, we gonna shut this shit down!” Police officers blocked the entrance as they stared expressionless at the singing and dancing protesters. Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown praised the protesters for their determination. She closed the protest by pleading, “Do not stop until justice is reached.”

Next, 100 protesters gathered on the Southside of Saint Louis to protest the murder of another 18-year-old, Vonderrit Myers. Myers was shot 17 times by an off- duty Saint Louis police officer.

As the Fight Back! news team walked to Shaw Street, they confronted a racist white vigilante. The vigilante banged his baseball bat from a third floor residence, shouting, “Stop looting. Go home. Nobody wants you here.” He then ran out on the street, threatening to use his bat on the group. The team showed no fear and one stepped up to bravely confront the man. The racist immediately went back into his house. Next the team faced a police checkpoint, before finding other protesters.

Despite the intimidation, protesters showed great courage and marched, chanting, “Mike Brown means, we gotta fight back!” As soon as the 100-plus contingent reached the gas station near the shooting site of Myers, the Saint Louis police met them with full force. The police were dressed in riot gear, armed with batons, pepper spray, tear gas and mace. Buses full of police vans showed up to arrest people and the department brought a military vehicle. Police surrounded protesters on all sides as people sat in at the entrance of the gas station. Police beat the people doing peaceful civil disobedience with batons, used pepper spray and arrested 14 who continued to maintain their position. Those who escaped to the sidewalk and followed the police orders were not spared either. They were met with tear gas, mace and pepper spray. The police lied to the media about rocks being thrown, when there were none to be found.

The next day, Oct. 12, led by Saint Louis University (SLU) students, people marched from Shaw Street down to campus. 1000 marched silently down the road, on their way to the university, but were met once again with a police riot team. The police did their best to intimidate the people by beating their batons on the ground, but the protesters maintained their ground. They were eventually allowed to pass and go to the SLU campus.

Students and community members decided to occupy the campus into the next day. Echoing Occupy Wall Street, the main organizer announced, “We are here today to fight systematic racism and white supremacy. That does not mean white versus Black or Asian versus Hispanic, but the 99 % versus the 1%”. The crowd responded, “You can’t stop the revolution!”

Dream Defender Biko Misabiko who traveled from Jacksonville, Florida stated, “What the people in Ferguson are doing is a model for activism. We need to have militant actions in as many cities as possible.”

Another Dream Defender activist, Naomi Brown stated, “Going to Ferguson changed my life. I feel a great sense of urgency to take action and spread revolution everywhere.” As the protests in Ferguson continue, the African American liberation movement is gaining strength as people in other parts of the country organize new groups.

#FergusonMO #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #MikeBrown

El 17 de Julio, luego de haber ahorcado a Eric Garner, un Afroamericano padre de seis hijos, los agentes de la policía de New York decidieron revisarle los bolsillos antes de llamar a la ambulancia. Tres semanas después, el oficial Darren Wilson en la ciudad de Ferguson, Missouri mato de seis disparos al joven Michael Brown, dejando su cuerpo tirado en la calle sin llamar por ayuda médica. Por más de una semana la policía se negó a liberar el nombre del oficial Wilson y se rehusó a entregar el reporte oficial. Todo esto demuestra que también pretenden encubrir la verdad sobre el asesinato de Michael Brown.

Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Jordan Davis, Trayvon Martin, tan solo son los casos publicados más recientes de asesinatos llevados a cabo por la policía y vigilantes. Alrededor de todo el país, los hombres de color están siendo cazados. Muchos de ellos solo tienen la culpa de “caminar siendo negro” mientras otros han sido acusados de delitos menores, de igual manera la policía está actuando como juez, jurado, y ejecutor. Estos asesinatos solo tocan la superficie del problema. Por cada asesinato llevado a cabo por policías o vigilantes, existen miles de hombres y mujeres de color que son víctimas de policías, leyes, y cortes racistas creadas por los ricos y poderosos para llenar las prisiones de este país.

Gran parte de la base de la riqueza de los Estados Unidos es producto de la opresión de los Afroamericanos. En los primeros 200 años de las colonias Británicas, y luego con la fundación de los EE.UU, millones de Africanos fueron arrebatados de sus familias y hogares, y obligados a trabajar como esclavos. Millones murieron en el infame recorrido de África a las Américas, y aquellos que sobrevivieron fueron forjados en el sur de los EE.UU en una sola nación oprimida, con cultura, lenguaje y economía común.

Para poder suprimir la lucha de los esclavos por su libertad, los EE.UU institucionalizó milicias locales para combatir las rebeliones de los esclavos. Después de la guerra civil y la liberación de los esclavos, el ascenso del Ku Klux Klan fundado por el antiguo general de los Estados Confederados Bedford Forrest, junto al trabajo forzado de los Afroamericanos encarcelados en las famosas “chain gangs”, se desarrolla la colaboración entre vigilantes racistas, policías y cortes para reforzar un sistema de segregación social conocido como “Jim Crow”. Es aquí donde se ubica la raíz de la criminalización de los Afroamericanos en los EE.UU.

La segregación legal fue desmantelada en los años 1950 y 1960 por el movimiento de lucha de los Afroamericanos conocido como el “Movimiento de los Derecho Civiles”. Esta lucha no solamente les garantizó nuevos derechos y oportunidades a los Afroamericanos, sino que también ayudó a impulsar la lucha de otros movimientos de liberación tales como el de los Chicanos, Latinos, Asiáticos, indígenas, mujeres, y las personas LBGT. En la década de los 1960 también se intensificaron las luchas laborales y huelgas, dando inicio a muchos de los programas de asistencia como Medicare, Head Start y Medicaid, que beneficiaron a las personas mayores, niñ@s, y a los pobres.

Pero el 1% que gobierna los EE.UU se movilizó en apoyo al presidente Nixon y su traidora estrategia para lidiar con el movimiento de liberación de los Afroamericanos. Por una parte el FBI inicio una ola de represión con el programa COINTELPRO, creado para encarcelar y asesinar a líderes Afroamericanos, y acabar con sus organizaciones como la del “Partido de las Panteras Negras” (Black Panther Party). Al mismo tiempo, se desarrolló conscientemente a un nuevo sector de capitalistas y administradores gubernamentales Afroamericanos. Tradicionalmente los negocios de los Afroamericanos se encontraban en sus comunidades, y necesitaban el apoyo de la clase trabajadora. Pero esta nueva elite Afroamericana le serviría al a los sectores corporativos, militares y gubernamentales más alto de los EE.UU. Uno de los resultados fue el debilitamiento de la burguesía nacional Afroamericana, debido al robo corporativo de sus mercados.

Hoy en día todavía se puede ver esta estrategia en juego. De un lado existe la respuesta militarizada hacia las protestas en Ferguson, utilizando desde tropas de asalto hasta vehículos armados de guerra. Por otra parta, existen hoy varios Afroamericanos en los niveles más altos de poder, desde el Jefe de Estado Mayor Colin Powell y el Fiscal General Eric Holder, hasta el gerente general de McDonald Don Thompson, y el presidente Barack Obama.

Sin embargo, el pueblo de Ferguson, junto a las masas de la ciudad de Saint Louis y del resto del país que los apoyan, han podido resistir no solo la represión policial, sino también los esfuerzos de algunos líderes Afroamericanos que intentan pacificar la lucha. El pueblo rechaza el intento por parte de la policía de criminalizar a Michael Brown y justificar el asesinato. Mientras que los medios de comunicación han repetido las acusaciones de la policía sobre la presencia de agitadores externos, el hecho es que la mayoría de los arrestados son residentes del área de Saint Louis.

La Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad (FRSO por sus siglas en ingles) defiende el heroísmo del pueblo de Ferguson y de Saint Louis por haber confrontado la represión policial y por continuar luchando día tras día por que se haga justicia por el asesinato de Michael Brown. De la misma manera como el Movimiento de los Derechos Civiles atrajo a simpatizantes de todo el país, la lucha en Ferguson hoy en día está haciendo lo mismo. La conciencia política está en ascenso y se extiende desde artistas raperos que luchan por la causa, hasta políticos locales que defienden al pueblo en contra de la policía.

Sin duda alguna el movimiento se enfrentará a nuevos obstáculos. Por ejemplo, las cámaras corporales para oficiales que muchos piensan podrán ayudar a evitar la brutalidad policial, están siendo utilizadas para tratar de criminalizar a los protestantes. El oficial Darren Wilson todavía no ha sido arrestado, y su caso ha sido transferido a un jurado secreto bajo las ordenes de un procurador vinculado profundamente con la policía. El objetivo es poder retrasar el procedimiento detrás de puertas cerradas, esperar que muera el movimiento, y permitir que Darren Wilson salga libre de responsabilidad.

Se dice que existen muchos líderes Afroamericanos, pero no hay liderazgo. Lo que se necesita es liderazgo de la nueva generación de jóvenes Afroamericanos que puedan organizar y liderar a las masas trabajadoras Afroamericanas en la lucha por justicia, igualdad y poder. Tal y como surgió el Comité Coordinador Nacional de Estudiantes o SNCC después de las acciones de protestas en Greensboro el 1ero de Febrero del 1960, seguido por la oleada de desobediencia civil en contra de la segregación, hoy también lo que se necesita son organizaciones militantes de base que puedan crear un movimiento de masas en contra de los policías y vigilantes racistas, y que puedan luchar por la igualdad y el poder. Sobre todo debemos mantener el enfoque en las demandas:

¡Justicia para Michael Brown! ¡Arrestar y enjuiciar a Darren Wilson y a todos los policías asesinos y vigilantes racistas!

#UnitedStates #InJusticeSystem #NationalOppression #Editorials #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #MichaelBrown #MikeBrown

Chicago, IL – On, Aug. 25, 250 people gathered in the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) campus quad to commemorate Michael Brown. UIC was one the colleges across the U.S. to hold demonstrations and student walk-outs on the day of Brown's funeral. At UIC, speakers read a list of Black lives lost as a result of police brutality. The UIC action was called by the Black Student Union (BSU). The national call for protests said Aug. 25 should have been Mike Brown's first day of college had he not been the victim of a racist police murder.

Evan Taylor, outreach chair of the BSU, challenged the university to reaffirm its alleged commitment to diversity. Taylor explained that, while UIC claims to be one of the most diverse universities in the country, the Black student population, in addition to their graduation and retention rates, has been declining. And, although UIC is a research institution, little to no research has been done on this issue.

The demonstration ended with the chant that Brown's death has inspired, “Hands up; don't shoot!”

#ChicagoIL #PoliceBrutality #MichaelBrown #JusticeForMichaelBrown #MikeBrown

Minneapolis, MN – About 150 people gathered, Aug. 21 on Minneapolis’s West Bank, carrying signs and banners demanding an end the U.S.-backed Israeli siege of Gaza. The demonstration also called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel and a halt to state sponsored violence “from Ferguson to Palestine.” The rally was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee.

Minneapolis has been the scene of constant protests since Israel launched its assault on Gaza, killing more than 2000 Palestinians – many of them young children.

Sophia Hansen-Day, of the Anti-War Committee, told the crowd, “We must follow the lead of Palestinians who have offered up their solidarity to protesters in Ferguson. We must demand an end to the siege of Gaza backed by the U.S. government while also demanding the immediate halt of state violence within U.S. borders. We must demand an end to U.S. funding of the Israeli military, while also demanding the demilitarization of domestic police who the Pentagon has supplied with $4.3 billion in weaponry – weaponry used to terrorize communities of color.”

Protesters were encouraged to attend a solidarity rally for Mike Brown and all victims of police brutality on Aug. 28, 6pm, at the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S 6th Street, in Minneapolis.

#MinneapolisMN #Gaza #Palestine #PoliceBrutality #Minnesota #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #Missouri #MO #MikeBrown

Milwaukee, WI – More than 200 people gathered for a rally, Aug. 22, at Red Arrow Park in downtown here to continue the fight against the police brutality that’s directed against Black and Latino communities. Organizers brought public attention back to the many victims of police killings and white vigilantism, including Dontre Hamilton, Corey Stingley and Derek Williams. The rally was also showed solidarity with the people of Ferguson.

Organized by the African American Roundtable, Occupy the Hood and Youth Empowered in the Struggle, the rally took the streets and marched on the nearby Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) building. When organizers saw that the doors to the Municipal Court were left unlocked, they led an impromptu storming of the building, with more than 100 protesters pouring up the stairwell and confronting the police directly.

Refusing to leave until MPD Chief Flynn met with the families of police brutality victims, particularly in the case of Dontre Hamilton, where the police have failed to name the killer cop, protesters occupied the entrance of the building, spreading the occupation to the nearby balcony.

Speaking at the rally, Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) organizer Mario Gomez proclaimed that this protest – which included in its demands greater community control over the police and an end to police collaboration with ICE – marked a new beginning for Black-Brown unity in the city. “The Black community and the Brown community are taking justice into their own hands.” Bringing attention to the prolonged struggle that has been occurring over the past few years around police brutality in the city, he added, “We shouldn’t be here, but because they aren't willing to listen to us, because they aren’t willing to treat us with respect, with dignity, we’re out here. This is the roar of our community.”

Police representatives initially refused to meet with the demonstrators and sent riot police to close down the building. After a couple hours of rallying and refusing to leave, the police sent out a captain to meet with the organizers and the victims’ family members. The 65 remaining protesters then came outside, rejoining the motivated crowd and called for a continuation of the struggle. Marchers then seized the streets again, marching through downtown Milwaukee signing civil rights songs and chanting “No justice, no peace!” and “Hands up, don’t shoot!”

Another rally is being held in downtown Milwaukee this Monday, at 4pm. Follow link for more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/652564114839004/652573744838041/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity

#MilwaukeeWI #PoliceBrutality #Wisconsin #Ferguson #MikeBrown

Salt Lake City, UT – Chants of “No justice, no peace, no killer police!” and “Hands up, don’t shoot!” filled the streets here, Aug. 20, with about 100 people rallying at the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building. Organizer Fatima Badran urged protesters to make two phone calls: the first call to Salt Lake City police chief Chris Burbank one demanding justice for Dillon Taylor and the second to Missouri Governor Dixon to demand that he withdraw the National Guard from the streets of Ferguson. People must be allowed to have their democratic rights to address injustice without living under a military occupation.

Kim Kasey spoke out against the recent wave of police militarization. Some of the equipment used in Ferguson once belonged to U.S. soldiers occupying places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Scott Simons spoke next, telling protesters that they are the resistance. Simons’ own daughter was the victim of a police murder in January 2013.

Karen Rodriguez recited her anti-racist poem Our Skin, containing the lines “Black, for all the time when our people can’t see justice and claim at last, the freedom still isn’t ours when we look at the flag,” and, “Black is wise, Black is power, Blacks shall continue to overcome, because it is no longer a tone, color, or race, It is a name and way of being, it is a tradition, a history of colored men, women and children striving and overcoming adversity.”

Aaron Swanenberg was a close friend of Dillon Taylor, who was shot and killed Aug. 11 by a still-unnamed police officer, stated “We know that there’s evidence the police won’t release, body camera footage and 911 phone calls, why won’t they release what’s public information?” Swanenberg continued, “We can’t walk away from this now, we must keep pushing forward until we get the justice we demand.”

Members of Dillon Taylor’s family were present, including his aunt and brother. They addressed the packed crowd, thanking them for showing up to support their family and carry out the fight for justice. Jerrail Taylor was with his brother at 7-Eleven when Dillon Taylor was killed, and said that his brother had headphones in and couldn't respond to the officer’s orders.

Gregory Lucero of the Revolutionary Students Union drove home the protest by stating the demands and the need for people to take concrete actions. “We’re here to recognize the tragedy of two lives cut short by police brutality,” Lucero said. He also spoke about the need for the people to carry out the demands because police and the politicians aren't going to do the right thing. The police have both a history of murdering Black and Brown men and a history of covering it up. Lucero emphasized, “When the police murder unarmed people, it’s still murder!”

Fatima Badran plans to continue organizing street level protests, mobilizing communities to resist the onslaught of police violence.

#SaltLakeCityUT #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #RevolutionaryStudentsUnion #Antiracism #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #MikeBrown #DillonTaylor

Newark, NJ – Hundreds turned out for an Aug. 20 rally here to demand justice for Michael Brown. The protest was sponsored by the People’s Organization for Progress in Newark, NJ.

POP Chairman Lawrence Hamm told the gathering, “Justice is the arrest of the police officer who killed Michael Brown. That is the only standard of justice.”

He also demanded the appointment of a special prosecutor in the case of Michael Brown, charging that county prosecutors are “too cozy” with the police. Other demands were that President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder investigate all cases of Black people killed by police, and that police officer Daniel Pantaleo, whose chokehold led to the death of Eric Garner in Staten Island, be arrested.

“They want people in Ferguson, Missouri to be quiet,” he said. “We say to the people of Ferguson, stand up for justice!”

In contrast, New York Mayor Bill deBlasio calls for nothing more than “peaceful means” at a protest scheduled for Aug. 23 in Staten Island. Rev. Al Sharpton, organizer of the march, has said “We want the DA to say that he is either going to make an arrest on probable cause or give the case to the feds.”

Three parents of victims killed by police also attended: Earl Williams, father of Earl Faison, killed in Orange, New Jersey in 1999; Tawanna Graham, mother of Jacqui Graham, killed while in custody by East Orange police in 2009; and Michele Kamal, mother of Abdul Kamal, killed by Irvington police in 2013. The march was dedicated to the memory of POP member and fighter for justice Mary Weaver, recently deceased, the mother of Randy Weaver, killed by East Orange police in 1999.

“My son did not deserve to be shot down in the street like an animal,” said Michele Kamal. She said she can only bear the pain because she has so much support from her church, POP and others. “It’s so hard every day to go over and go over and go over what happened to my son. New Jersey needs to take this case to the grand jury in a hurry,” she said.

“My son was arrested [on a misdemeanor] and three days later he was dead,” said Tawanna Graham. “His body was found naked in his cell. It was three weeks before I was allowed to see his body. I could not recognize him from him being so beat up. All I ever got was a $500 bill for transfer of his body from the jail to the morgue.”

“It’s a physical pain,” she continued. “It takes you down. I’m in this walker because of it. I’m hanging on to see something better happen for my other son.”

“Police need to be rigorously trained to serve us,” said Earl Williams. “Instead a lot of them seem to go out there to make somebody’s day miserable. We raise our children to be good citizens. You can’t just up and take a life!”

The time when police can take a Black person’s life with impunity is over.

#NewarkNJ #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #MikeBrown

Tallahassee, FL – Around 100 Dream Defenders and community members gathered in Lake Ella Park, Aug. 18, to speak out against the police murder of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. The rally also focused on the injustice of police brutality and systematic racism perpetuated by the U.S. The crowd was tired of the criminalization of Black and Brown people.

Dream Defenders President Brian Marshall started off the action, stating, “We must no longer stand for this New Jim Crow system and we must put an end to the criminalization of our youth.” The demonstrators then marched on the Tallahassee Police Department. The crowd was upbeat with their hands up, chanting “Hands up, don’t shoot! “ Protesters gathered at the entrance of the Police Department where one by one, protesters voiced their anger with the racist status quo.

The rally not only brought attention to the killing of Mike Brown but also to brought to light to the misuse of police power and instances of police brutality in the Tallahassee community.

Vice president of the Dream Defenders, Regina Joseph, spoke on police misuse of power. She recounted the horrific case of a police shooting at a Tallahassee club. An unarmed teenager, Duane Strong, was killed by a police officer in the parking lot. The officer later claimed Strong attempted to back into the officer’s car. Although there were no grounds for the shooting, the police officer has yet to face any punishment whatsoever. Since 2000, over 24 cases of police shooting have occurred where there have been instances of police brutality or misuse of power, yet no real investigation has occurred.

FAMU Dream Defenders Vice president, Everton Foster, spoke out against the misuse of police power and accountability, stating, “At the root of police brutality problem is power. The American government has given the police excessive weaponry, excessive power and has made them responsible for very little.”

Other protesters brought light to issues regarding the downright racist misconduct used by police. Florida State University Dream Defenders organizer, Shivaani Ehsaan, stated, “ We must stand against oppression wherever it takes place. We are now seeing the violent use of American power both abroad and at home. We must stand with the Palestinian people who are facing the oppression of Israeli bombings done with the help of the U.S.”

The continued uprising in Ferguson and the nationwide actions in solidarity are finally putting the system of the New Jim Crow under trial by the people. Missouri police have resorted to tear gas and jailing protesters. To add another insult to injury, Missouri’s Governor Nixon has gone as far as to call in the National Guard. As a result of this blatant disregard for Black and Brown life, the widespread discontent has now growing.

#TallahasseeFl #TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #FloridaStateUniversity #DreamDefenders #Antiracism #FAMU #FSU #MichaelBrown #MikeBrown