Calling Chauvin a “Bad Apple” Denies Systemic Nature of Racist Police Violence
"Even the best training in the world cannot teach police, who are licensed to kill and deployed to enforce a racist system, not to be racist."
Mobalaji Olambiwonnu: The Price of Ignoring the Ferguson Uprising
"According to Scheer, who has watched a rough cut of the film, one of the most remarkable elements in 'Ferguson Rises' is the portrayal of white liberals who remained ignorant of the plight of the Black members of their own communities. "
Footage in Documentary Prompts New Questions About Shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson (Video)
The footage shows Mr. Brown entering the store, Ferguson Market and Liquor, shortly after 1 a.m. on the day he died.
FAIR: To LA Times, Meth in Skid Row Victim’s Blood More Important Than Gun in His Flesh
From the article: Captured on cellphone video, the incident received attention because we are living in a moment when many people have decided that the state-sanctioned killing of black people by law enforcement is worth our attention—and that’s very uncomfortable for those who want to believe that every police killing must be in some way justified, if we could only see how.
Glen Ford: ‘No Justice, No Peace’: Clarity Of Purpose, Warning To Ruling Class
Ford: The logic of the emerging movement is Black self-determination – the principle that Black people have the inherent human right to determine their own destiny – which, in the immediate sense, means control over how they should be policed, and by whom. The venerable slogan “No Justice – No Peace” has served as a workhorse of the current protest, and would be an ideal organizing principle if the implications of the slogan were fully understood, rather than simply mouthed.
Sonali Kolhatkar: Cutting Through Police Propaganda in Baltimore
Kolhatkar: Such police responses to the burgeoning anti-brutality movement are part of a concerted campaign to maintain support for the status quo. That status quo has been in place since the end of slavery: Poor communities, especially communities of color, are expected to submit to the authority of the police state.
Sonali Kolhatkar: Black Lives Matter … and Black Jobs Matter, Too
Kolhatkar: As a recent Time magazine cover story illustrates, the Black Lives Matter movement has successfully shaped the mainstream narrative of the reality of police violence against African-Americans. But most of the discussion of the fixes that are needed have focused primarily on police accountability such as civilian oversight and requiring officers to wear body cameras. Few analysts have made the crucial link between police brutality and economic injustice. Now, grassroots activists are not only pointing out that black lives matter, but by extension, black jobs matter, too.
Kate Abbey-Lambertz: These 15 Black Women Were Killed During Police Encounters. Their Lives Matter, Too
From the article: “We wanted to make sure [Anderson’s death] didn’t get swept under the rug,” Rachelle Smith told The Huffington Post. She and others protested at Cleveland's Justice Center this week over the lack of information in Anderson's case. “We hear a lot about Tamir Rice and Eric Garner … There’s no hierarchy in these tragedies, but she was unarmed, and the police were called to help her -- there’s this intersectionality of oppression there, and innocence.”
#ReclaimMLK: Bringing the Long View Into Contemporary Racial Politics
Martin Luther King Jr.‘s legacy isn’t like a stone statue with fixed significance and predictable contours—it takes on different meanings depending on the American cultural climate at a given moment. truthdig.com January 19, 2015 Twitter/#ReclaimMLK This year’s observations of Martin Luther King Day around the country carried the charge of galvanizing events in the latter More
Nicholas Powers: Take the Chains Off The Struggle for Racial Justice Continues
A great collision is coming, driven by a question that has been asked repeatedly for nearly four centuries. It was asked by 19 Africans, enslaved in the English colony of Jamestown in 1619, and is being asked again by the protesters across the nation. Can Black life be valued in America?
The Nation: Why #BlackLivesMatter Actions Aren’t Stopping
“There are so many people out protesting police violence who are then met with police violence,” Nelson said. “If they didn’t understand how a Mike Brown or an Eric Garner could happen, they understand after a night of protest how a police interaction can become very violent and even deadly.” Dani McClain TheNation.com December 16, More
▶ “I Cant Breathe” by PEACE POETS
[youtube=http://youtu.be/ul3prFteA68] Published on Dec 12, 2014 Song written by Luke Nephew, Peace Poets Video edited by Frank Lopez, Peace Poets Subscribe or “Follow” us on RiseUpTimes.org. Rise Up Times is also on Facebook! Check the Rise Up Times page for posts from this blog and more! “Like” our page today. Rise Up Times is also on Pinterest, Google+ and Tumblr. Find us More