january 11, 2013 in valdosta, georgia, united states. seventeen year old kendrick was last seen walking his school hallways, heading towards the gym. school surveillance videos show very little, as four relevant cameras glitched at the same time, resulting in an hour to two hours of footage being lost. fellow students discovered kendrick’s body in the late afternoon of january 11. kendrick had been rolled up inside of a gym mat, then vertically stacked with other mats. several students reported that kendrick was one of many students who would remove their shoes and throw them inside of the mats, forcing students to climb into the mats in order to retrieve their shoes. kendrick was not wearing shoes at the time of discovery - though a pair of shoes were thrown in on top of him. a state autopsy concluded that kendrick had been accidentally asphyxiated. though kendrick’s organs had been destroyed after the first autopsy, two independent autopsies were subsequently performed. both concluded that kendrick had died of blunt force trauma to the right side of his neck, one doctor going so far as to state that his injuries could not have been accidental. after extensive litigation, the department of justice ruled in 2016 that there is insufficient evidence to prove that kendrick was murdered. kendrick’s family is still fighting this ruling.
These are just a few posts I’ve saved to my phone. I haven’t posted about BLM on here because I rarely post anything, but this important. We need to stand up and fight for our brothers and sisters. We need to create equality so we can live in a country where POC aren’t constantly looking over their shoulders and fearing for their lives. Nothing I could post could stress the importance of this movement. But I do want to say to my POC; I am not black, but I hear you I am not black, but I see you I am not black, but I will FIGHT for you I am not black, but I will STAND with you I was born into privilege, and thankfully my parents taught me to recognize that. They taught me that our hearts are all the same, that nothing a person can’t change about themselves should EVER be used against them, and that because I am white, I can use that privilege to help the voiceless. You are crying in the streets over your loved ones and I HEAR YOU. I am crying with you. My heart hurts for you. And I will not stop fighting until we have nothing left to fight for. You are VALID. You are LOVED. And I am with you. #blacklivesmatter #nojusticenopeace #fightforwhatsright https://www.instagram.com/p/CBGltmYhXn0_ceDgn8RGx6miLXxbwExSxbz8Rc0/?igshid=jponmvj304a6
What an honor to have the opportunity to be apart of something so monumental! Hearing all the speakers and @real_sharpton give their messages and their demands for change was such an inspiring feeling. Listening to the families speak about their loved ones who’s lives were taken at the hands of those officers really makes you think about the changes we need to see in America. . . . #nanmow2020 #nojusticenopeace #blm #blacklivesmatter #melanin #washingtondc #saytheirnames #commitmentmarch2020 #jacobblake #breonnataylor #marchonwashington #history #georgefloyd #mikebrown #demandchange #inspired (at Washington D.C.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEcl8vBnF9Z/?igshid=1fyzl974f0307
Happy #juneteenth !!! before COVID, I had the amazing opportunity to work with Alabama Public Television and interview Alabama house representative Terri Sewell; THE FIRST Black woman to be elected congress in Alabama! was such an inspiration to hear about her experience as a young Black girl with the passion for change. Terri Sewell advocates for voting rights—well known for sponsoring the Voting Rights Advancement act: which would update the Voting Rights Act of 1965, by providing increased oversight over voting changes, updating the pre-clearance formula to oversee contemporary discrimination patterns, and expanding the power of the Attorney General to send federal observers to jurisdictions in areas at risk for discrimination during voting. (WE TOTALLY NEED THAT ATLANTA!). We discussed how to get your voice heard through voting even when you’re young (). We also got to (personally) weigh in on a vote she had to do after our meeting about whether or not to pass a bill against teen vaping. We need more Black faces in legislature . . . #blacklivesmatter #houseofrepresentatives #congress #terrisewell #alabama #politics #blackpolitics #blackpoliticians #juneteenth #blm #vote #vote2020 #voteforchange #atl #protests #nojusticenopeace (at Atlanta, Georgia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBobYXCA0Y0/?igshid=g8qp598ztxq2
If you can’t protest, please continue to donate to Campaign Zero, @reclaimtheblock, the George Floyd Memorial Fund, and other great organizations to fund for racial justice. The time is now:
Scenes from a quick stroll after work on June 1st 2020. P.s. I think the last pic was already there . . . . #justiceforgeorgefloyd #nojusticenopeace #blacklivesmatter #BLM #georgefloyd #ripgeorgefloyd #sonycybershot (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CA_WZ6KF2q2/?igshid=1495htanc0rb7
Fourth in a series I of comics about protesting safety tips I made with @this.is.ysabel . This one is about the dangers of police surveillance and how to avoid it if possible. Keep being safe when you go out. Don’t get snatched!
Second in a series of comics i did with @this.is.ysabel to add to your Street Medic resources. This one’s about teargas. Feel free to share as you deem helpful. Happy early Juneteenth. Happy Pride. Black Lives Matter. Black Trans Lives Matter.
6/30/20 The People March Against Police Brutality CHAZ NYC @occupycityhall @justiceforgeorgenyc . . . . #occupycityhall #defundthepolice #motd #nyc #nojusticenopeace #powertothepeople #blackandwhite #goth #protest # (at City Hall Park, Lower Manhattan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCL-fT6hDRp/?igshid=l7lfdfnu4zhv
NY come and get ittttt Stay loud and keep it up! And keep wearing those masks babies!!! Be loud and make them hear us! Vis your voice, boots on the ground, or with your paper If you’re gonna be on the ground let me know for buddying up or if anyone needs tips and resources, here to help! Stay safe out there fam. Don’t forget to have numbers of legal counsel ready. See anyone arrested, get their names! No pics of faces!! To my friends in other states doing the damn thing, I see y’all. Make this Sunday count PS: Defund the police, FUCK DE BLASIO, and let’s get babashook . . . . Heads up @justiceforgeorgenyc @justiceforgeorgequeens #blm #nyc #nypd #curfew #queens #weheartastoria #blacklivesmatter #justiceforgeorgefloyd #goth #brooklyn #bronx #statenisland #america #trump #maga #justicefortonymcdade #motd #keepamericagreat #backtheblue #ootd #justiceforbreonnataylor #sundayfunday #astoria #nojusticenopeace #nycprotest #queensprotest (at Astoria (Astoria, New York)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBIl1UYBVYD/?igshid=1cw5p074g70l3
Updated bio with action, resources, places to donate, and references coming in hot! All info in the link in bio . . . . #queens #nyc #openyourlobby #justiceforgeorgefloyd #motd #astoria #ootd #justiceforbreonnataylor #goth #nypd #sheriffdeputy #serveandprotect #womenfortrump #weheartastoria #queensprotest #protest #trump #backtheblue #policefamily #kag #blacksfortrump #nojusticenopeace #keepamericagreat #america #maga https://www.instagram.com/p/CA-qKhUB0Do/?igshid=1r3jsokoooxxp
I was so apprehensive to watch the #whentheyseeus limited series because of how painful this social injustice was as well as how this could literally happen to anyone. But, I finally gained the courage to watch the limited series and chile it hurt, made me cry, pissed me off, and lit a fire inside me all at the same time. What went on THEN is still going on NOW and it’s up to US to help change the narrative, DISMANTLE the system that was made to oppress us,and to protect each other. Arm yourselves and your loved ones with knowledge loves. Make sure you know your rights and most importantly know the best answer is complete silence. Thank you @ava for doing your thing, shinning a big bright light on what is going on in this country and giving these men and so many others a voice. #socialinjustice #whentheyseeus #nojusticenopeace #blacklivesmatter #justice #centralpark5 #avaduvernay #takeaction #standupforsomething #netflix #makeachange https://www.instagram.com/p/ByooIEyASQB/?igshid=1s49ggd0cdlcz
1) The logic isn’t that race doesn’t matter, the logic is that individuals can be racist, and systems can be racist and all they require are complicit operators.
2) Unfortunately, the entirety of American history is a race issue. The concept of race in its modern form was born here. It began with the extermination and subjugation of the indigenous people (celebrated in Cowboy and Indian movies) and the violence against the African populations stolen in the Atlantic Slave Trade and plantation life.
3) Policing did not begin with Civil Rights, slavery existed in the North, and racial discrimination was the law of much our country until 1964-65 when it was forcibly removed by the Federal Government. For example:
And so policing (especially on the local level) existed to maintain the status quo, that status quo was slavery, later that status quo became Jim Crow, and today that status quo is racist and class-based oppression.
In the contemporary American context, police officers can be of many ethnic or cultural backgrounds. The POC police officer need not be racist for their actions and the system to be racist, they need only be complicit with racist orders– and by being complicit they become part of the racist structure.
Today is International Day of Peace #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatter #nojusticenopeace #Fuck12 #Racialjustice #internationaldayofpeace
To those we have lost to police brutality: Eleanor Bumpurs, Tyisha Miller, LaTanya Haggerty, Tanesha Anderson, Aura Rosser, Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin …
And those we have lost to the communal violence justified by the policing of our bodies: Sakia Gunn, Tiffany Edwards, Zoraida Reyes, Mia Henderson, Kandy Hall, Yaz'Min, Shancez, Terrell Anderson, Islan Nettles…
To the Falsely Accused, Detained and Abused: Venice Brown, Terrain Dandridge, Renata Hill and Patreese Johnson (The Jersey Four), Marichuy, CeCe McDonald and for all the names we do not know.
In the telling of our names, what is most apparent is that our lives are seen as disposable and undervalued.
We are clear as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans and Gender Non Conforming People of Color that our safety is contingent on the preservation of all Black and People of Color bodies. We have been righteous in fighting against anti-Black racism & anti-immigrant oppression, that allows for state controlled white supremacy to exist and justify the murder of our people. The murders of Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Akai Gurley and Eric Garner prove that Black lives are seen as dangerous and expendable. For those of us that are Queer, Trans, Black and People of Color, our bodies, our gender expression and who we love puts us further away from the “norms” and has falsely perceived us as the most threatening, less than human, and even more dangerous of all bodies.
In New York City, where our organizations live and organize, we have seen the impact of racist, classist and capitalist policing on our communities for decades. In the early 1990’s, former Mayor Guiliani promoted the now infamous “Quality of life” policing practices based on broken windows policing. There are camps on both sides arguing for and against the effectiveness of such policing practices. As organizations that work with Queer and Trans people of color communities, we know these policies disproportionately impact our communities through racist/gender policing. Our communities are the most targeted by discriminatory practices of policing and Stop & Frisk that lead to Black and Latino men being incarcerated and Black women being the fastest growing prison population. The United States is a country built on white supremacy, colonialism, slavery and genocide, it has attained wealth, power and privilege from the massive removal and displacement of our communities through deportation, criminalization, and policing.
The fact that Eric Garner was killed due to suspicion that he was selling “loosies” (single cigarettes) is an atrocity in itself. Based on broken windows policing theory and practice, Eric became a target due to the irrational fear that communities of color, that Black people will only continue to break the law, to escalate, and be out of control. Whether or not he was selling “loosies” is irrelevant when we compare these quality of life crimes to more heinous crimes that are constantly overlooked or justified. This includes: when banks are allowed to engage in predatory practices that target communities of color and force groups to remain in poverty; when Detroit can declare bankruptcy on a city of mostly black communities and then take away basic rights such as water; when corporations are allowed to abuse other countries and depress US economies; when the US Military continues to back and support Israel’s oppression of Palestinian people and land.
While our work is important and has made critical change, it’s not enough. We need to wake up, we need to rise up. In the words of Audre Lorde - “We were never meant to survive.” We need to be prepared for this hyper level of policing; we need to develop safety strategies for ourselves and our communities that uplift’s our survival and existence. We’ve been resilient in our movement strategies & in our organizing traditions. We’ve been at the center of this work for decades. It’s the legacy of our ancestors, the legacy of the civil rights movement, the legacy of the uprising of Stonewall, the legacy of the migrant farmworkers movement and many others. We have been here and we will continue to be here. In this moment, what are we willing to do to be free?
~Written by Cara Page, Executive Director of The Audre Lorde Project & Krystal Portalatin, Co-Director of FIERCE
In Solidarity, The Memberships, Staff and Board of The Audre Lorde Project and FIERCE
FIERCE will mobilize tomorrow (Thursday, 12/4) at Foley Square at 5:30PM to demand justice for Eric Garner. If you want to Join FIERCE contact Fred [email protected].
We will be demanding:
An end to discriminatory Broken Windows policing abuses
A DOJ Investigation into the use of force policies and practices of the NYPD
Full accountability for all officers responsible for Eric’s death, and all officers who brutalize and abuse their power in our communities
Nearest trains to Foley Square: Foley Square (J/Z to Chambers, 4/5/6 to Brooklyn Bridge City Hall)
Housing is a human right, Land was never meant for private consumption or profit.
“The inconvenience we’re causing is temporary. The real inconvenience will take place for Black and Asian Eastlake residents if the City sells the land to the luxury condo developer. These residents won’t be able to call this neighborhood home anymore. Black people in this neighborhood won’t be able to leave their homes without being subject to even more police surveillance, if this luxury tower is built.” -Xan West
