Tag Archives: police brutality

Colin Kaepernick Teaches Kids Their Rights at his Oakland Camp

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Colin Kaepernick’s fight the power “Know Your Rights” day camp for kids was officially in session Saturday. No afros required.

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback schooled over 100 Oakland pre-teens on how to be a responsible adult in the real world. I think even grown ups can learn some lessons from this woke player.

First lesson: know your rights (hence the name of the camp) which in turn can lead to better interactions with police. Hopefully.

Other topics covered–college prep, financial independence and health and nutrition.

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Colin–with some help from friends– founded and organized the “Know Your Rights” camp, according to Theybf.

It isn’t shocking given Kaepernick’s silent protest to take a knee during the National Anthem for the country’s racial disparity problem.

So why not teach the kiddies to be just as fearless?

Kaepernick took a page out of the Black Panther Party’s play book; adopting their 10 Rights for his camp kids to follow. He printed them on a t-shirt lest the kids forget.

1. You have the right to be free.

2. You have the right to be healthy.

3. You have the right to be brilliant.

4. You have the right to be safe.

5. You have the right to be loved.

6. You have the right to be courageous

7. You have the right to be alive.

8. You have the right to be trusted.

9. You have the right to be educated.

10. You have the right to know your rights.

“We want to teach you today about financial literacy, how you can pursue higher education, how you can be physically fit and healthy,” said Colin. “We will talk about police brutality, and what to do about it, but we also have lawyers, professors, health and fitness experts, because we want you to be able to live the life of your dreams.”

Colin wants to take his camp beyond the Bay Area, so every kid knows their rights in the country. Assuring the campers:

“This is just the beginning man. What we’ve done here today in Oakland, we want to do all over the country, in cities all over this country, by bringing together local leaders, local activists and local youth, and not only giving them the skills and lessons they need, but we want to show them how much we love and value them.”

Sounds like a plan.

 

MCM | Michael Jordan Donates $2 Million to Highlight Racial Divide

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Michael Jordan heeded Carmelo Anthony’s call to step up and speak out against police brutality against unarmed Black men and women. Albeit it doesn’t have the unified flair as exihibited by Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James at the Espys, but given Big Mike’s vow of silence (rivaling that of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas) on Black matters, this is a giant step for the iconic Chicago Bull.

Michael Jordan released a statement to The Undefeated, check it out below.

As a proud American, a father, who lost his own dad in a senseless act of violence, and a black man, I have been deeply troubled by the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers. I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well.

 
“I was raised by parents who taught me to love and respect people regardless of their race or background, so I am saddened and frustrated by the divisive rhetoric and racial tensions that seem to be getting worse as of late. I know this country is better than that, and I can no longer stay silent. We need to find solutions that ensure people of color receive fair and equal treatment AND that police officers – who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all – are respected and supported.

Over the past three decades I have seen up close the dedication of the law enforcement officers who protect me and my family. I have the greatest respect for their sacrifice and service. I also recognize that for many people of color their experiences with law enforcement have been different than mine. I have decided to speak out in the hope that we can come together as Americans, and through peaceful dialogue and education, achieve constructive change.

 
“To support that effort, I am making contributions of $1 million each to two organizations, the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s newly established Institute for Community-Police Relations and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The Institute for Community-Police Relations’ policy and oversight work is focused on building trust and promoting best practices in community policing. My donation to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the nation’s oldest civil rights law organization, will support its ongoing work in support of reforms that will build trust and respect between communities and law enforcement.

Although I know these contributions alone are not enough to solve the problem, I hope the resources will help both organizations make a positive difference.
“We are privileged to live in the world’s greatest country – a country that has provided my family and me the greatest of opportunities. The problems we face didn’t happen overnight and they won’t be solved tomorrow, but if we all work together, we can foster greater understanding, positive change and create a more peaceful world for ourselves, our children, our families and our communities.”

Well said.

Issa Rae Raises $500G’s for Alton Sterling’s Kids

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So on a scale from one to 1000, this week ranked one millionth in terms of shittiest.

Amirite?

I’m still in a fragile state to recap what you already know. What I’m sure the whole world now knows. As if they didn’t already. Hell, the King of Pop dedicated a whole song about it in the ’90s. More recently, Grey’s Anatomy star Jesse Williams did a whole breakdown of our beef like an MC–with bars just as insightful as Nas, Common, Mos Def and Talib Kwali–freestylin’ about our appropriation and marginalization.

Actor and Activist Jesse Williams Drops Truth Bomb During BET Awards

Yet, two weeks later and one day after Independence Day (isn’t it ironic?) Alton Sterling becomes not only a hashtag but # 505 on this year’s list–so far– of fatal shootings by police. Not even a full 24 hours later did Philando Castile land # 506.

What’s scary is not only who will be # 507, but the near certainty another Black man or woman will fill the casket. It’s a hopeless reality but no doubt one that’s been contemplated now more than ever.

It makes you wonder if Alton Sterling’s 15-year-old son will live long enough to step foot on the college campus  filmmaker Issa Rae helped foot the tuition for. The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl took to GoFundMe page this week urging supporters to finance a better future for the slain Louisana man’s five offspring by donating up to $200K.

The star/creator of HBO’s new comedy Insecure surpassed her fundraising goal in 9 hours; garnering $567,056 for the Sterling family.

“If you feel helpless, but want to play a small part in easing the burden of #AltonSterling’s family, consider donating to this scholarship fund for his 15-year-old son (and his other kids).

*ALL* funds raised will go to Alton Sterling’s family,” writes Issa.

Following Issa’s lead Los Angeles director Xavier Burgin posted a Go Fund Me page for Philando Castile, which raised $96,040. To help support the Minneapolis man’s girlfriend and daughter, who both watched him get gunned down reaching for his license. The disturbing encounter was streamed live on Facebook.

Philando’s sister also started one to pay for his funeral.

It’s good to know people care enough to give, but Beyonce put it best: “we dont need sympathy. We need everyone to respect our lives.”

We’re still waiting.

We’re done waiting.

We’re woke and it’s time to start fighting.

Is This The New Normal?

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“It’s like he was shooting a deer in the woods,” Mr. Scott told the Today show when describing his son’s murder by a police officer Saturday.

Walter Scott was pulled over by Michael Slager for a broken brake light. Somehow a normal traffic stop turned into a scuffle, leading Scott to sprint away. Unfortunately the father of four didn’t get far before Slager blasts eight bullets in his back.

As he lay facedown on the grass, Slager handcuffs him, checks his pulse, but never calls for help. The officer used the I-feared-for-my-life excuse, and claims Scott took his taser.

Lets go to the videotape…

Nope. But cellphone video shows Slager picking up something (taser?) and dropping it by Scott’s lifeless body.

Soon after the South Carolina cop is arrested and charged with murder.

Question: Would the Scott family get this swift justice without the tape?

Hell to the no. It didn’t work for Eric Garner or Ramarley Grant whose shooter (also in blue) is officially scot free.

As depraved as it sounds, maybe it’s like a numbers game, eventually, out of all the frequent encounters of Black lives lost from Ferguson, Missouri to Staten Island, New York, the odds are finally in our favor.

It was bound to happen before the scales of justice tipped too far to the wrong side. However, it feels like, looks like and sounds like the new normal is they shoot, and so do we.

No Indictment from Grand Jury in Eric Garner Case

 

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I’m deeply disheartened (I literally gagged) that the grand jury found no cause to indict police officers that placed a choke hold on Eric Garner, which was determined his cause of death. Garner’s death was ruled a homicide. How could it not? It was the chokehold seen around the globe.

But it wasn’t enough for the jurors. I’m beginning to wonder what would be. How can lives (yes, LIVES) be so violently taken and the only outcome is a makeshift how to get away with murder fraternity among Zimmerman, Wilson, Oliver and Haste.

Yes, Mr. President, it is an American problem. A biggie that predates your existence and mine. The only thing that does change are the names. The faces and pleas for justice go unchanged.

If We Must Die (1919) by Claude McKay
If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, Making their mock at our accursed lot.
If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honourus through dead!
O kinsman! We must meet the common foe!
Though far outnumbered let us show us brave, And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow!
What though before us lies the open grave?
Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack,Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

Color Chart (2013) by Guy Farmer
Certain
Lives
Are
More
Expendable
According
To
An
Outdated
Color
Chart.

Spike Lee Shows Eric Garner Murder is Similar to Radio Raheem’s

Image Courtesy: Spike Lee Instagram

Image Courtesy: Spike Lee Instagram

I always say real life is stranger than fiction, but when certain scenarios are replicated it’s eerily emblematic of our society. And we’ve seen the police brutality theme–shoot, punch, strangle first and ask questions later–play out more through the smartphone lens than a movie camera.

This time Spike Lee captured how the two worlds collided. The famed filmmaker compared Radio Raheem, a gentle giant character murdered by police in his critically acclaimed “Do the Right Thing” film, to Eric Garner.

Eric Garner is on the minds and lips of many New Yorkers as the latest victim of police brutality. Not only for the cops overly excessive kneejerk reaction to selling loosies (illegal cigs) but their inability to get the asthmatic father and grandfather help when he needed it most.

This is where it gets fuzzy for me. Now that they got this man on the ground, now that he’s silent and stiff, wouldn’t you check his pulse? Not pick his pockets. If you’re wearing a badge that reads “protect and serve,” wouldn’t you utilize that training and perform CPR? Instead of slapping his non-responsive shoulder you CAN wave over the paramedics to revive him.

Or better yet listen when he says he can’t breathe.

I was hesitant to watch the disturbing video for obvious reasons, but when I finally got up the courage to view it. I instantly thought of my father. How he would break up fights between kids (something Eric was reportedly doing before the police approached him) from me and my sister’s school and talk some sense into them. How he’s a staple to the neighborhood like Eric was to his. And despite that he was still murdered right in front of the community’s eyes. No one helped.

Everyone watched him go silent. Now we have to be his voice.