Racial Justice - Packet #2 - The Movement
Racial Justice - The Movement
Vocabulary:
● Die-in: When a large group of people go to a space and then lie down, pretending to be dead. It is similar to a sit-in.
● Civil Disobedience: When people refuse to follow certain laws, as a way to protest injustice.
#HandsUpDontShoot came out of Mike Brown’s death. Mike Brown reportedly had his hands in the air when he was shot. This is a response - reminding the police that if a person’s hands are up, it is criminal, and immoral, to shoot them.
#ICantBreathe came out of Eric Garner’s death. Eric Garner said eleven times that he couldn’t breathe, while the police officer was putting the choke hold on him. It is also a metaphor for the fear and helplessness that people of color feel because of racism and policing.
#BlackLivesMatter is a response to the brutal killing of so many young black men and women, and the lack of response from the government to defend these lives.
● If you have Facebook or Instagram, follow “Million Hoodies Movement for Justice” to get the most up to date information. http://instagram.com/million_hoodies
● We encourage you to also consider following:
○ Black Lives Matter
○ BYP 100
○ Colorlines
○ Dream Defenders
Articles
#1: Thousands in S.F., Oakland join Millions March protests
National anger at the killing of unarmed African American men by police officers translated Saturday afternoon to the sight of thousands of people marching in San Francisco and Oakland. The events, dubbed Millions March, also took place in New York and Washington, D.C.
The crowds here were passionate but peaceful, and at times almost festive, as marchers moved together, then rallied on the steps of public buildings. There were speeches calling for a sustained effort to push for improved racial conditions in the United States.
Photo gallery links: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Marches-in-S-F-and-Oakland-as-part-of-national-5955321.php
http://www.mtv.com/news/2025831/millions-march-nyc-protests-eric-garner/
Click through the photos, noticing what you see. Pick THREE photos that you think are espeically powerful, that you could use in your final project. Your final project will be educating parents, teachers and community members about this issue through a website, poster and speech. Which images will help you explain what happened?
In the space below, put the photo number, and then why you chose that photo:
Image # _____ Reason I chose it: ___________________________________________
Image # _____ Reason I chose it: ___________________________________________
Image # _____ Reason I chose it: ___________________________________________
#2: Hashtags: A Visual Guide to Global Outrage about Mike Brown and Eric Garner
The below link shows how often people around the world have been tagging:
#HandsUpDon’tShoot, #BlackLivesMatter, and #ICantBreathe
http://colorlines.com/archives/2014/12/a_visual_guide_to_global_outrage_over_mike_brown_and_eric_garner.html
#3: The Song of Ferguson: J. Cole releases protest song “Be Free” WRITTEN BY: Dan Reilly
August 15 2014, 12:36 PM ET
As the fallout continues following the tragic death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown at the hands of a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, J. Cole now channels the combination of outrage, shock, and despair into a new song dubbed "Be Free." The North Carolina MC repeatedly croons "all we want to do is take the chains off" over a sparse electronic piano sample, with audio of Brown's friend Dorian Johnson recounting the fatal killing interspersed. To add to the impact, Cole used a photo of Brown's body as it lay uncovered in the street after his death (warning: if you don't want to see it, don't scroll past the play-button on the embedded player below).
Cole explained his intentions behind the song and his feelings on the tragedy in a statement, saying:
There was a time in my life when I gave a fuck. Every chance I got I was screaming about it. I was younger. It's so easy to try to save the world when you're in college. You got nothing but time and no responsibility. But soon life hits you. No more dorms, no more meal plan, no more refund check. Nigga need a job. Nigga got rent. Got car note. Cable bill. Girlfriend moves in and becomes wife. Baby on the way. Career advances. Instagram is poppin. Lebron leaves Miami. LIFE HITS. We become distracted. We become numb. I became numb. But not anymore. That coulda been me, easily. It could have been my best friend. I'm tired of being desensitized to the murder of black men. I don't give a fuck if it's by police or peers. This shit is not normal. I made a song. This is how we feel.
On SoundCloud, he added, "Rest in Peace to Michael Brown and to every young black man murdered in America, whether by the hands of white or black. I pray that one day the world will be filled with peace and rid of injustice. Only then will we all Be Free." Listen to "Be Free" below, and visit SoundCloud to hear another take by MOORS called "Wolves at War."
Listen to “Be Free”: http://dreamville.com/track/free/
Other musicians dedicate songs to the movement:
● The Game, “Don’t Shoot” Ft. Diddy, Rick Ross,2 Chainz, Fabolous,Yo Gotti,Wale (Michael Brown Tribute): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCp-VrzqsB4
● #BlackLivesMatter Protest Music - 22 Track Mix Tape For The Movement: Follow the below link to for #BlackLivesMatter dedicated music from Lauren Hill, Kendrik Lamar, Stevie Wonder, Wu-Tang Clan and many more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/ummahwide/blacklivesmatter-protest-music-20-track-mix-tap-1572o
#4: LeBron James and other NBA players don 'I can't breathe' shirts
December 8th, 2014 (CNN):
As they warmed up for the game, Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were among the players wearing T-shirts that said "I can't breathe" -- Eric Garner's last words, which have become a rallying cry for protesters after last week's grand jury decision not to indict an officer in his death.
Outside the Barclays Center, a large crowd of demonstrators swarmed the streets, chanting "hands up, don't shoot" and "black lives matter." The crowd erupted in cheers after an organizer told them about the players' T-shirts. Video Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/08/justice/protests-grand-jury-chokehold/
Photo: Notre Dame girls basketball team also dons “I can’t breathe” t-shirts in protest of Eric Garner’s death and decision to not indict the police officer who is responsible for his death.
#5: Browns Player Offers Thoughtful Rebuke After Police Union Slams T-Shirt Protest: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/andrew-hawkins-response-tamir-rice-protest
After police unions slammed his decision to wear a T-shirt protesting the police shootings of two black people in Ohio, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins gathered the media on Monday to explain himself more fully. Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3-94BBs2rk
#6: Student activists & others lead civil disobedience across country:
Protesters at UC-Berkeley are met with police violence. (Photo: Laleh Behbehanian)
Follow the link below to see ten short videos and paragraphs about the civil disobedience that happened all over the US during December 2014:
http://www.thenation.com/blog/192193/are-you-listening-ten-highlights-generational-moment#
Time Lapse NYC Protest - Watch This Video to See Just How Huge the Protest Was:
http://mashable.com/2014/12/13/time-lapse-new-york-protest-march/
Pick two videos that you think are most moving. Describe here what happened & why it matters:
Video #___: ___________________________________________________________
Video #___: ___________________________________________________________
#7: Protesters Shut down freeways as major protest strategy:
One of the most common forms of protest in this movement is to block a highway. This is a way to get national attention. Some protesters feel like its a way to express to the parents of Michael Brown, or the children of Eric Garner, that their lives were not lost without notice or care. In Oakland, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, DC, New York, Boston,.
Video Link: : http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/25/us/national-ferguson-protests/
#8: Organization ColorofChange posts internet petition demanding for the Police, and Obama’s Action:
The organization “Color of Change” successfully gathered more than 35,000 signatures on an internet petition demanding all police wear body cameras and that a civil rights investigation be done by the government. Read it and sign the petition here: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/
federalpolicingreforms/?source=coc_website
#9: Hundreds of Berkeley High School Students take to the streets to stage a “die-in”: December 11, 2014
Hundreds of Berkeley High students staged a ‘die-in,” observing a 4.5 minute silence while lying at the foot of the Campanile on the UC Berkeley campus as part of a protest action on Dec. 10, 2014. Photo: Tracey Taylor
Despite the location, the protesters were not Cal students. They were all Berkeley High students who, as part of an event, carefully organized by the school’s Black Student Union, had walked off their downtown campus at 2:30 p.m., skipping the last class of the day, in order to make their voices heard in the uproar over the recent police-related deaths of young black men.
Led by the union’s president, Kadijah Means, the students first congregated outside Old City Hall on MLK Jr. Way, where a handful of participants took the megaphone to make short speeches.
Another male student, who described himself as half white half black, talked of racism existing “even here in Berkeley,” but added, “Our generation is the change!”
Earlier on Wednesday, a small group of UC Berkeley Law students had also held a die-in in front of Boalt Hall — it lasted for 15½ minutes: 11 minutes for the number of times that Eric Garner said “I can’t breathe,” plus 4½ minutes for Brown.
.
#10: Tumblr keeps protestors up to date:
Tumbr has been used to help protesters know where to gather, and to share the energy. The below tumblr feed has been live throughout December and January:
http://fergusonresponse.tumblr.com
#11: Congressional Staff walks out in protest with “hands up, don’t shoot”:
Dozens of congressional staff members walked out of the Capitol at 3:30 p.m. ET Thursday, in a show of support for protesters angered by recent grand jury decisions not to indict police officers in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
Wearing suits, ties and overcoats, the staffers stood several rows deep on the steps of Capitol Hill before making the hands-up gesture that has come to symbolize frustration with the deaths of the two unarmed black men at the hands of police. They stood silently with their arms raised for a moment before disbanding and walking down the steps.
While the event was spearheaded by the Congressional Black Associates, it also drew other staff members, including the Congressional Asian Pacific American Staff Association and the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association, according to CNN.
The protest comes a week after Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said she was "deeply disappointed" by a Staten Island grand jury's decision not to level charges in the Garner case.
Noting that the decision was similar to another jury's findings in Ferguson, Mo., Fudge wrote:
"In the span of two weeks, this nation seems to have heard one message loud and clear: there will be no accountability for taking Black lives. As an American, it is growing increasingly difficult to believe that there is justice for all."
#12: Murals and dedications remind us of what has happened:
Huge banners outside of director, Spike Lee’s “40 acres & a mule” office.
A mural in St. Louis, MO honors Michael Brown.
#13: Teachers across the country teach lessons on police brutality & racism:
Teachers across the country have responded to the recent tragedies by teaching lessons on the history of racism in the U.S., and the current situation involving racism & police brutality.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/03/the-death-of-michael-brown-teaching-about-ferguson/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/teachers-can-talk-students-ferguson/
Listen to the story: http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/10/28/359323899/some-st-louis-teachers-address-ferguson-with-lessons-on-race
Results (So far)
1.December 1st, President Obama met with 7 Black and Latino organizers, most of whom were under 30. Deatils here: http://fergusonaction.com/white-house-meeting/
2. Obama Requests $263 Million for Police Body Cameras, Training
Click this link for video, including information on how body cameras did decrease policy brutality in a one-year test program in California:
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/obama-requests-263-million-police-body-cameras-training-n259161
3. California and New York are changing the laws: about how police brutality court cases are heard. They are changing so that it isn’t local courts who will decide if police need to stand on trial. See below for more information about New York:
http://observer.com/2014/12/eric-schneiderman-wants-to-investigate-future-eric-garner-like-cases/
Ms. D’Amato’s experience:
When Michael Brown was killed in August, and then when Officer Wilson was not indicted (not put on trial), there was a lot of outrage. People were talking, tweeting, facebooking... I read a lot, and posted some things, but mostly experienced this moment from my living room, where I would look at my computer and phone to see what was happening.
When Eric Garner was killed, and then his killer was not indicted in December, the movement really began in a tangible way. There were hundreds, often thousands, of people gathered every night to protest. The protests that I attended were almost all peaceful, and the speakers were inspirational. Each protest would walk into the street and stop traffic, to make a statement that business as usual could not continue as long as justice was not achieved for the deaths of these young people. Every night the protest would begin at 5 and continue until about midnight. There was a spirit in the air, something catching... people came out of their houses to join just to see what was going on. Two helicopters would always be above the protest - one police, one news cameras. We always knew there was a protest, because you could hear the helicopters. I had conversations every night with total strangers, because people were looking to connect with others. I got twitter because that was the best way to keep track of where the protests were. This continued every night for most of December.
One particularly inspirational gathering was at the Oakland Courthouse on a Saturday. There were at least 3,000 people gathered, and people were totally engrossed in a tiny stage, where individuals came up to speak. Oscar Grant’s mother spoke. A mother spoke whose son had been pulled out of their house and beaten by police in front of her, and she expressed how hopeless she had felt. Anyone whose family had experienced violence from the police or government was invited to speak. Also leading the way was the UC Berkeley Black Student Union, who led chants like “we got your back”. After the rally was over, we marched through the streets of Oakland. Someone brought a huge portable set of speakers, and they blasted music like Tupac, and it turned into a dance party.
Another particularly inspirational gathering was a panel of speakers. Alicia Garza, one of the founders of BlackLivesMatter, was one of the speakers. There were 600 people in the crowd and 400 people turned away at the door for lack of space. The next day Michael Brown’s father came to speak at Mission High School, and a similarly large crowd turned out. Its inspiring to realize how many people care and want to know more.
Dr. Clarence B. Jones is a visiting professor at USF and he was interviewed in honor of MLK Day. See the interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP83mggwzMY
Vocabulary:
● Die-in: When a large group of people go to a space and then lie down, pretending to be dead. It is similar to a sit-in.
● Civil Disobedience: When people refuse to follow certain laws, as a way to protest injustice.
#HandsUpDontShoot came out of Mike Brown’s death. Mike Brown reportedly had his hands in the air when he was shot. This is a response - reminding the police that if a person’s hands are up, it is criminal, and immoral, to shoot them.
#ICantBreathe came out of Eric Garner’s death. Eric Garner said eleven times that he couldn’t breathe, while the police officer was putting the choke hold on him. It is also a metaphor for the fear and helplessness that people of color feel because of racism and policing.
#BlackLivesMatter is a response to the brutal killing of so many young black men and women, and the lack of response from the government to defend these lives.
● If you have Facebook or Instagram, follow “Million Hoodies Movement for Justice” to get the most up to date information. http://instagram.com/million_hoodies
● We encourage you to also consider following:
○ Black Lives Matter
○ BYP 100
○ Colorlines
○ Dream Defenders
Articles
#1: Thousands in S.F., Oakland join Millions March protests
National anger at the killing of unarmed African American men by police officers translated Saturday afternoon to the sight of thousands of people marching in San Francisco and Oakland. The events, dubbed Millions March, also took place in New York and Washington, D.C.
The crowds here were passionate but peaceful, and at times almost festive, as marchers moved together, then rallied on the steps of public buildings. There were speeches calling for a sustained effort to push for improved racial conditions in the United States.
Photo gallery links: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Marches-in-S-F-and-Oakland-as-part-of-national-5955321.php
http://www.mtv.com/news/2025831/millions-march-nyc-protests-eric-garner/
Click through the photos, noticing what you see. Pick THREE photos that you think are espeically powerful, that you could use in your final project. Your final project will be educating parents, teachers and community members about this issue through a website, poster and speech. Which images will help you explain what happened?
In the space below, put the photo number, and then why you chose that photo:
Image # _____ Reason I chose it: ___________________________________________
Image # _____ Reason I chose it: ___________________________________________
Image # _____ Reason I chose it: ___________________________________________
#2: Hashtags: A Visual Guide to Global Outrage about Mike Brown and Eric Garner
The below link shows how often people around the world have been tagging:
#HandsUpDon’tShoot, #BlackLivesMatter, and #ICantBreathe
http://colorlines.com/archives/2014/12/a_visual_guide_to_global_outrage_over_mike_brown_and_eric_garner.html
#3: The Song of Ferguson: J. Cole releases protest song “Be Free” WRITTEN BY: Dan Reilly
August 15 2014, 12:36 PM ET
As the fallout continues following the tragic death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown at the hands of a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, J. Cole now channels the combination of outrage, shock, and despair into a new song dubbed "Be Free." The North Carolina MC repeatedly croons "all we want to do is take the chains off" over a sparse electronic piano sample, with audio of Brown's friend Dorian Johnson recounting the fatal killing interspersed. To add to the impact, Cole used a photo of Brown's body as it lay uncovered in the street after his death (warning: if you don't want to see it, don't scroll past the play-button on the embedded player below).
Cole explained his intentions behind the song and his feelings on the tragedy in a statement, saying:
There was a time in my life when I gave a fuck. Every chance I got I was screaming about it. I was younger. It's so easy to try to save the world when you're in college. You got nothing but time and no responsibility. But soon life hits you. No more dorms, no more meal plan, no more refund check. Nigga need a job. Nigga got rent. Got car note. Cable bill. Girlfriend moves in and becomes wife. Baby on the way. Career advances. Instagram is poppin. Lebron leaves Miami. LIFE HITS. We become distracted. We become numb. I became numb. But not anymore. That coulda been me, easily. It could have been my best friend. I'm tired of being desensitized to the murder of black men. I don't give a fuck if it's by police or peers. This shit is not normal. I made a song. This is how we feel.
On SoundCloud, he added, "Rest in Peace to Michael Brown and to every young black man murdered in America, whether by the hands of white or black. I pray that one day the world will be filled with peace and rid of injustice. Only then will we all Be Free." Listen to "Be Free" below, and visit SoundCloud to hear another take by MOORS called "Wolves at War."
Listen to “Be Free”: http://dreamville.com/track/free/
Other musicians dedicate songs to the movement:
● The Game, “Don’t Shoot” Ft. Diddy, Rick Ross,2 Chainz, Fabolous,Yo Gotti,Wale (Michael Brown Tribute): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCp-VrzqsB4
● #BlackLivesMatter Protest Music - 22 Track Mix Tape For The Movement: Follow the below link to for #BlackLivesMatter dedicated music from Lauren Hill, Kendrik Lamar, Stevie Wonder, Wu-Tang Clan and many more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/ummahwide/blacklivesmatter-protest-music-20-track-mix-tap-1572o
#4: LeBron James and other NBA players don 'I can't breathe' shirts
December 8th, 2014 (CNN):
As they warmed up for the game, Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were among the players wearing T-shirts that said "I can't breathe" -- Eric Garner's last words, which have become a rallying cry for protesters after last week's grand jury decision not to indict an officer in his death.
Outside the Barclays Center, a large crowd of demonstrators swarmed the streets, chanting "hands up, don't shoot" and "black lives matter." The crowd erupted in cheers after an organizer told them about the players' T-shirts. Video Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/08/justice/protests-grand-jury-chokehold/
Photo: Notre Dame girls basketball team also dons “I can’t breathe” t-shirts in protest of Eric Garner’s death and decision to not indict the police officer who is responsible for his death.
#5: Browns Player Offers Thoughtful Rebuke After Police Union Slams T-Shirt Protest: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/andrew-hawkins-response-tamir-rice-protest
After police unions slammed his decision to wear a T-shirt protesting the police shootings of two black people in Ohio, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins gathered the media on Monday to explain himself more fully. Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3-94BBs2rk
#6: Student activists & others lead civil disobedience across country:
Protesters at UC-Berkeley are met with police violence. (Photo: Laleh Behbehanian)
Follow the link below to see ten short videos and paragraphs about the civil disobedience that happened all over the US during December 2014:
http://www.thenation.com/blog/192193/are-you-listening-ten-highlights-generational-moment#
Time Lapse NYC Protest - Watch This Video to See Just How Huge the Protest Was:
http://mashable.com/2014/12/13/time-lapse-new-york-protest-march/
Pick two videos that you think are most moving. Describe here what happened & why it matters:
Video #___: ___________________________________________________________
Video #___: ___________________________________________________________
#7: Protesters Shut down freeways as major protest strategy:
One of the most common forms of protest in this movement is to block a highway. This is a way to get national attention. Some protesters feel like its a way to express to the parents of Michael Brown, or the children of Eric Garner, that their lives were not lost without notice or care. In Oakland, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, DC, New York, Boston,.
Video Link: : http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/25/us/national-ferguson-protests/
#8: Organization ColorofChange posts internet petition demanding for the Police, and Obama’s Action:
The organization “Color of Change” successfully gathered more than 35,000 signatures on an internet petition demanding all police wear body cameras and that a civil rights investigation be done by the government. Read it and sign the petition here: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/
federalpolicingreforms/?source=coc_website
#9: Hundreds of Berkeley High School Students take to the streets to stage a “die-in”: December 11, 2014
Hundreds of Berkeley High students staged a ‘die-in,” observing a 4.5 minute silence while lying at the foot of the Campanile on the UC Berkeley campus as part of a protest action on Dec. 10, 2014. Photo: Tracey Taylor
Despite the location, the protesters were not Cal students. They were all Berkeley High students who, as part of an event, carefully organized by the school’s Black Student Union, had walked off their downtown campus at 2:30 p.m., skipping the last class of the day, in order to make their voices heard in the uproar over the recent police-related deaths of young black men.
Led by the union’s president, Kadijah Means, the students first congregated outside Old City Hall on MLK Jr. Way, where a handful of participants took the megaphone to make short speeches.
Another male student, who described himself as half white half black, talked of racism existing “even here in Berkeley,” but added, “Our generation is the change!”
Earlier on Wednesday, a small group of UC Berkeley Law students had also held a die-in in front of Boalt Hall — it lasted for 15½ minutes: 11 minutes for the number of times that Eric Garner said “I can’t breathe,” plus 4½ minutes for Brown.
.
#10: Tumblr keeps protestors up to date:
Tumbr has been used to help protesters know where to gather, and to share the energy. The below tumblr feed has been live throughout December and January:
http://fergusonresponse.tumblr.com
#11: Congressional Staff walks out in protest with “hands up, don’t shoot”:
Dozens of congressional staff members walked out of the Capitol at 3:30 p.m. ET Thursday, in a show of support for protesters angered by recent grand jury decisions not to indict police officers in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
Wearing suits, ties and overcoats, the staffers stood several rows deep on the steps of Capitol Hill before making the hands-up gesture that has come to symbolize frustration with the deaths of the two unarmed black men at the hands of police. They stood silently with their arms raised for a moment before disbanding and walking down the steps.
While the event was spearheaded by the Congressional Black Associates, it also drew other staff members, including the Congressional Asian Pacific American Staff Association and the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association, according to CNN.
The protest comes a week after Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said she was "deeply disappointed" by a Staten Island grand jury's decision not to level charges in the Garner case.
Noting that the decision was similar to another jury's findings in Ferguson, Mo., Fudge wrote:
"In the span of two weeks, this nation seems to have heard one message loud and clear: there will be no accountability for taking Black lives. As an American, it is growing increasingly difficult to believe that there is justice for all."
#12: Murals and dedications remind us of what has happened:
Huge banners outside of director, Spike Lee’s “40 acres & a mule” office.
A mural in St. Louis, MO honors Michael Brown.
#13: Teachers across the country teach lessons on police brutality & racism:
Teachers across the country have responded to the recent tragedies by teaching lessons on the history of racism in the U.S., and the current situation involving racism & police brutality.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/03/the-death-of-michael-brown-teaching-about-ferguson/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/teachers-can-talk-students-ferguson/
Listen to the story: http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/10/28/359323899/some-st-louis-teachers-address-ferguson-with-lessons-on-race
Results (So far)
1.December 1st, President Obama met with 7 Black and Latino organizers, most of whom were under 30. Deatils here: http://fergusonaction.com/white-house-meeting/
2. Obama Requests $263 Million for Police Body Cameras, Training
Click this link for video, including information on how body cameras did decrease policy brutality in a one-year test program in California:
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/obama-requests-263-million-police-body-cameras-training-n259161
3. California and New York are changing the laws: about how police brutality court cases are heard. They are changing so that it isn’t local courts who will decide if police need to stand on trial. See below for more information about New York:
http://observer.com/2014/12/eric-schneiderman-wants-to-investigate-future-eric-garner-like-cases/
Ms. D’Amato’s experience:
When Michael Brown was killed in August, and then when Officer Wilson was not indicted (not put on trial), there was a lot of outrage. People were talking, tweeting, facebooking... I read a lot, and posted some things, but mostly experienced this moment from my living room, where I would look at my computer and phone to see what was happening.
When Eric Garner was killed, and then his killer was not indicted in December, the movement really began in a tangible way. There were hundreds, often thousands, of people gathered every night to protest. The protests that I attended were almost all peaceful, and the speakers were inspirational. Each protest would walk into the street and stop traffic, to make a statement that business as usual could not continue as long as justice was not achieved for the deaths of these young people. Every night the protest would begin at 5 and continue until about midnight. There was a spirit in the air, something catching... people came out of their houses to join just to see what was going on. Two helicopters would always be above the protest - one police, one news cameras. We always knew there was a protest, because you could hear the helicopters. I had conversations every night with total strangers, because people were looking to connect with others. I got twitter because that was the best way to keep track of where the protests were. This continued every night for most of December.
One particularly inspirational gathering was at the Oakland Courthouse on a Saturday. There were at least 3,000 people gathered, and people were totally engrossed in a tiny stage, where individuals came up to speak. Oscar Grant’s mother spoke. A mother spoke whose son had been pulled out of their house and beaten by police in front of her, and she expressed how hopeless she had felt. Anyone whose family had experienced violence from the police or government was invited to speak. Also leading the way was the UC Berkeley Black Student Union, who led chants like “we got your back”. After the rally was over, we marched through the streets of Oakland. Someone brought a huge portable set of speakers, and they blasted music like Tupac, and it turned into a dance party.
Another particularly inspirational gathering was a panel of speakers. Alicia Garza, one of the founders of BlackLivesMatter, was one of the speakers. There were 600 people in the crowd and 400 people turned away at the door for lack of space. The next day Michael Brown’s father came to speak at Mission High School, and a similarly large crowd turned out. Its inspiring to realize how many people care and want to know more.
Dr. Clarence B. Jones is a visiting professor at USF and he was interviewed in honor of MLK Day. See the interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP83mggwzMY