Justice For Mike Brown

“Crawford’s father Edward Sr. told the Post-Dispatch that he died of a gunshot wound, which police are treating as self-inflicted. Crawford Sr. told the newspaper that his son had been in “good spirits,” recently, and was in the midst of training for a new job and moving in to a new apartment.” 

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New Kids’ Book Helps Parents Approach ‘The Talk’ About Police Brutality

The wife of Tulsa Athletic Director Dr. Derrick Gragg, Sanya Gragg, has a new book out with an important message.

The book is titled “Momma, Did You Hear The News?”

Here are six books that portray protesting more accurately than other forms of media. 

They’re called the Mothers of the Movement. We often hear about those killed by senseless violence — but we rarely hear about the families the victims leave behind. Frankly, the Mothers of the Movement would rather just be moms.

Wilmington, NC, officers pulled over full-time criminal defense attorney and part-time Uber driver Jesse Bright for reportedly picking up someone from a drug house. 

Police told him he couldn’t record them, but Bright knew his legal rights. 

Officers used a K-9 to search Bright’s car but found nothing. The incident is currently under investigation.

MIKE BROWN WAS INNOCENT 

New footage shows that Mike Brown indeed didn’t rob that convenient store afterall. The video shows Mike entering the store at around 1 a.m on August 9th, 2014, to exchange something (possibly marijuana) for cigars. Before he left the store on that night, he went back to the counter to possibly tell the clerk to hold on to the items. Later on that morning, he went back to the store to retrieve the item. That’s it.  Let’s also not forget that the store owner been admitted that Mike Brown didn’t rob the store. 

Allies, thanks so much for your support, but let’s do it the right way. Mamoudou breaks down how to be a constructive ally:

It’s not too late for you to attend a townhall (or organize one)! Pointers from Organizing For Action:

Our three big takeaways:

Ask a pointed, yet respectful, question for your MOC (member of congress). Focus on one issue (health care), fuse with your personal story, and get a commitment from your member of Congress.

Execute your town hall with the biggest splash. Get there early; make sure your group is spread out; and don’t wear partisan buttons or bring signs.

Use digital tools to amplify your work. As we like to say, “pics or it didn’t happen.” The goal of using social networks during recess is to catch eyes – those of our friends and family, press, and member of Congress. Help us help you do that by taking pictures and tweeting them out using the hashtags #CareNotChaos and #OFAction.

You can review the entire online training by downloading a pdf of the powerpoint. If your member of Congress is not holding a town hall be sure to check out the Congressional Recess toolkit which includes best practices and sample agenda for requesting an office visit with your elected official.

Below are are some resources, tools, and next steps you can take as you prepare your town halls and visits with your members of Congress:

Track your member of Congress’ public events daily with the Town Hall Project.

If there are public events from your member of Congress that are not listed on the Town Hall Project site above, let us know about that event.

Download the Indivisible Guide.

Download OFA’s Congressional Recess Toolkit.

Publicize your events on social media using the hashtags #CareNotChaos and #OFAction.

The resistance starts here.

In case you needed some help or you wanted to help the community, here you go:

1.Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter is an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism toward black people. 

2.Black Alliance For Just Immigration

 The organization works to ensure social justice and equality for black immigrants.

3.Trans Women Of Color Collective

TWOC offers support and resources for trans women of color, a highly marginalized community.

4.Black Girls Code

Black Girls Code is on a mission to increase the number of black women working in computer programming. By hosting after school programs and workshops, the org plans to train one million young black women in the field by the year 2040.

5.NAACP

The NAACP is a long standing civil rights organization that works on a broad scale to achieve racial justice for citizens in urban communities.

6.Common Ground Foundation

Rapper Common founded this organization in the 1990s to provide greater opportunities for under-serviced children through mentorship, community service and the arts.

7.The Trayvon Martin Foundation

The Trayvon Martin Foundation aims to spread awareness of the consequences of gun crime and caters to families affected by gun violence.

8.The Pennsylvania Prison Society

The Pennsylvania Prison Society is a long-standing organization dedicated to reforming the criminal justice system. By providing prison bus services, offering reentry services and newsletter subscriptions for current and former offenders, the organization advocates for the rights of those affected by incarceration.

9.Blackout For Human Rights

Blackout curates a unique way to protest the repetitive inattention to the work of black artists by tuning out from events like the Academy Awards. The group played a significant role in Justice For Flint, a charity event which was held on the same night as the 2016 Oscars.

10.Incite!: Women of Color Against Violence

Incite works to end violence against women of color through organizing events, conferences, circulating newsletters and strategic political initiatives.

11.Audre Lorde Project

ALP is a New York-based organization that dedicates itself to achieving social and economic equality for LGBT communities of color.  

12.National Black Justice Coalition

NBJC’s work centers around HIV/AIDS, and makes employment and education opportunities more inclusive for black LGBT citizens.

13.We Are Here

We Are Here, founded by singer Alicia Keys, is a partnership of organizations working together to end poverty, oppression and homelessness.

14.Million Hoodies

The death of Trayvon Martin spurred the inspiration for Million Hoodies, a coalition of young people organizing to put an end to mass incarceration and the criminalization of young black men.

15.Color of Change

With over a million members, Color of Change works to end racial injustice manifested in the media, economy and criminal justice system.

16.Black Youth Project

BYP studies the attitudes and cultural norms of black millennials in an effort to maximize their life experiences.  

17.#Cut50

Cut50 is a project by The DreamCorps that aims to reduce the number of people incarcerated through awareness campaigns like #DayofEmpathy and #ClemencyNOW.

18.The Innocence Project

With multiple branches throughout the nation, The Innocence Project works to exonerate those who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes by providing free legal assistance.

19.My Brother’s Keeper

My Brother’s Keeper aims to unite and amplify the voices of black men through mentorship.

20.National Urban League

Founded in 1910, The National Urban League uses programs, research and advocacy to advance civil rights for people of color.

21.Black Women’s Blueprint

The Black Women’s Blueprint services black women affected by issues such as sexual violence, abuse and incarceration.

22.The Empowerment Program

The Empowerment Program offers resources like employment assistance and housing referrals for black women experiencing poverty, homelessness and incarceration.

23.Fierce NYC

Fierce is New York-based organization catering to the extremely underserved LGBT youth of color.

24.National Action Network

Founded by Reverend Al Sharpton, the National Action Network operates on the platforms of voter protection, corporate responsibility, anti-violence and criminal justice.

25.Black Organizers For Leaders And Dignity

BOLD is a national leadership training program that aims to equip black leaders with the skills needed to place themselves at the forefront of movements for social justice.

26.African-American Planning Commission

AAPC is New York-based organization focused on resolving issues of domestic violence, substance abuse, unemployment and HIV/AIDS in black communities.

27.Sister Love

Atlanta-based organization Sister Love commits itself to educating women of color about reproductive health, safe sex and HIV/AIDS.

28.National Black Women’s Justice Institute

Sponsored by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, NBWJI centers its mission on empowering black women and girls in the criminal justice system.

Watch: In a powerful Congresional speech, Sandra Bland’s mother called people who think they’re woke “the walking dead” because of how little we still know

The speech included a rousing call to action before the newly formed Congressional Caucus On Black Women & Girls. And her words were incredibly resonant, even if you think you know the whole story.

Gifs: Josh Begley

Americans are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Now is a good time to do so. Here are twenty lessons from the twentieth century, adapted to the circumstances of today:

1. Do not obey in advance.

Much of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then start to do it without being asked. You’ve already done this, haven’t you? Stop. Anticipatory obedience teaches authorities what is possible and accelerates unfreedom.

2. Defend an institution.

Defend an institution. Follow the courts or the media, or a court or a newspaper. Do not speak of “our institutions” unless you are making them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions don’t protect themselves. They go down like dominoes unless each is defended from the beginning.

3. Recall professional ethics.

When the leaders of state set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become much more important. It is hard to break a rule-of-law state without lawyers, and it is hard to have show trials without judges.

4. When listening to politicians, distinguish certain words.

Look out for the expansive use of “terrorism” and “extremism.” Be alive to the fatal notions of “exception” and “emergency.” Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.

5. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.

When the terrorist attack comes, remember that all authoritarians at all times either await or plan such events in order to consolidate power. Think of the Reichstag fire. The sudden disaster that requires the end of the balance of power, the end of opposition parties, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. Don’t fall for it.

6. Be kind to our language.

Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. (Don’t use the internet before bed. Charge your gadgets away from your bedroom, and read.) What to read? Perhaps The Power of the Powerless by Václav Havel, 1984 by George Orwell, The Captive Mind by Czesław Milosz, The Rebel by Albert Camus, The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt, or Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev.

7. Stand out.

Someone has to. It is easy, in words and deeds, to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom. And the moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow.

8. Believe in truth.

To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.

9. Investigate.

Figure things out for yourself. Spend more time with long articles. Subsidize investigative journalism by subscribing to print media. Realize that some of what is on your screen is there to harm you. Bookmark PropOrNot or other sites that investigate foreign propaganda pushes.

10. Practice corporeal politics.

Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.

11. Make eye contact and small talk.

This is not just polite. It is a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down unnecessary social barriers, and come to understand whom you should and should not trust. If we enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological landscape of your daily life.

12. Take responsibility for the face of the world.

Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate. Do not look away and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.

13. Hinder the one-party state.

The parties that took over states were once something else. They exploited a historical moment to make political life impossible for their rivals. Vote in local and state elections while you can.

14. Give regularly to good causes, if you can.

Pick a charity and set up autopay. Then you will know that you have made a free choice that is supporting civil society helping others doing something good.

15. Establish a private life.

Nastier rulers will use what they know about you to push you around. Scrub your computer of malware. Remember that email is skywriting. Consider using alternative forms of the internet, or simply using it less. Have personal exchanges in person. For the same reason, resolve any legal trouble. Authoritarianism works as a blackmail state, looking for the hook on which to hang you. Try not to have too many hooks.

16. Learn from others in other countries.

Keep up your friendships abroad, or make new friends abroad. The present difficulties here are an element of a general trend. And no country is going to find a solution by itself. Make sure you and your family have passports.

17. Watch out for the paramilitaries.

When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching around with torches and pictures of a Leader, the end is nigh. When the pro-Leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the game is over.

18. Be reflective if you must be armed.

If you carry a weapon in public service, God bless you and keep you. But know that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one day, doing irregular things. Be ready to say no. (If you do not know what this means, contact the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and ask about training in professional ethics.)

19. Be as courageous as you can.

If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die in unfreedom.

20. Be a patriot.

Watch: This video of Black parents talking to their kids about police brutality will break your heart

Though this shouldn’t have to be the case, teaching their children to deal with the police is often a lesson that Black parents have to instill in their children at an early age. A heartbreaking new video released on Monday shows just what those conversations can look like.