July 1, 2021 Issue
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Police Misconduct at Black Lives Matter Plaza
July 2, 2020 Honorable Muriel Bowser John E. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20004 Re: Police Misconduct at Black Lives Matter Plaza Dear Mayor Bowser: With the utmost urgency, we call on you to require the Metropolitan Police Department to immediately cease all activity to remove protesters from Black Lives Matter Plaza and the adjacent sidewalks. We are alarmed by the daily excessive force and abusive conduct by MPD officers against people who have gathered at the Plaza to demand an end to the killing of people of color and to other police misconduct. The First Amendment’s protection of free speech is one of the most profound rights in the United States Constitution. When people seek to exercise that right, the role of MPD should be to facilitate the First Amendment activity and protect the ability of protestors to have their voices heard. Instead, the people who have gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza have met with police violence; including: The unjustified and excessive use of batons and chemical irritants causing significant physical injuries; Unjustified arrests and detentions; The destruction of tents and supplies set up for the purposes of supporting the health and safety needs of the people protesting; The destruction of protest signs and cultural material; and The destruction of equipment for the preparation of food. The conduct of MPD is not only a violation of the First Amendment, but of the District’s own laws and policies. District law recognizes the sanctity of protest and the importance of people “to engage in First Amendment assembly near the object of their protest so they may be seen and heard.” First Amendment Assemblies Act of 2004, 5- 331.01, et. -
Rise Above XR App Press Release
ARTECHOUSE @artechouse FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS CONTACT: Blake Zidell and Ron Gaskill [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] ARTECHOUSE Presents Vince Fraser’s We Rise Above, an Augmented Reality Experience in Black Lives Matter Plazas Across the U.S. Timely Work Premieres at 34 Black Lives Matter Plazas Before Becoming Available Nationwide WASHINGTON, DC - ARTECHOUSE debuts “We Rise Above,” a nationwide collaboration with Afrosurrealist artist, Vince Fraser, for the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington on August 28. Through the ARTECHOUSE extended reality (XR) mobile app, audiences can experience Fraser’s visual art rise above the Black Lives Matter Plazas as a special preview across the 34 Black Lives Matter Plaza locations on August 24th, and nationwide on the 28th. 1 We Rise Above builds upon other recent efforts to draw attention to systemic racism through murals in Black Lives Matter Plaza nationwide, from Sacramento to New York—34 separate spaces where this message is now imprinted onto city streets. The experience offers people across North America a new way to experience these spaces, and to create virtual Black Lives Matter experiences wherever they are. The project aims to both uplift and educate, as well as empower and amplify the presence of Black artists working at the intersection of art and technology. “We’re truly honored to collaborate with Vince Fraser, one of the brightest and most innovative minds in the digital art-for-social change space, to bring We Rise Above to life across America on this historic occasion,” shared Sandro Kereselidze, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of ARTECHOUSE. -
Resources on Racial Justice June 8, 2020
Resources on Racial Justice June 8, 2020 1 7 Anti-Racist Books Recommended by Educators and Activists from the New York Magazine https://nymag.com/strategist/article/anti-racist-reading- list.html?utm_source=insta&utm_medium=s1&utm_campaign=strategist By The Editors of NY Magazine With protests across the country calling for systemic change and justice for the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade, many people are asking themselves what they can do to help. Joining protests and making donations to organizations like Know Your Rights Camp, the ACLU, or the National Bail Fund Network are good steps, but many anti-racist educators and activists say that to truly be anti-racist, we have to commit ourselves to the ongoing fight against racism — in the world and in us. To help you get started, we’ve compiled the following list of books suggested by anti-racist organizations, educators, and black- owned bookstores (which we recommend visiting online to purchase these books). They cover the history of racism in America, identifying white privilege, and looking at the intersection of racism and misogyny. We’ve also collected a list of recommended books to help parents raise anti-racist children here. Hard Conversations: Intro to Racism - Patti Digh's Strong Offer This is a month-long online seminar program hosted by authors, speakers, and social justice activists Patti Digh and Victor Lee Lewis, who was featured in the documentary film, The Color of Fear, with help from a community of people who want and are willing to help us understand the reality of racism by telling their stories and sharing their resources. -
Final List George Floyd
The below collection of data is one of three key elements in Mapping a Moment, a project created by the Cleveland based musical duo the Baker’s Basement. Mapping a Moment was crafted after a long journey across America and beyond in the weeks immediately following the murder of George Floyd. The full presentation includes these 3 parts: 1. A written reflection on the response of Americans in public spaces during a time of crisis 2. A five and a half minute video illustrating this reflection through song, image, and an animated map displaying the occurrence of demonstrations across America 3. The below spreadsheet containing data on over 1600 public demonstrations that occurred from May 25, 2020 to June 13, 2020 in the United States and throughout the international community. To see all three parts of Mapping a Moment, go here: www.thebakersbasement.com/mapping-a-moment To see the full video of the murder of George Floyd, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaGmz4DPlJw&app=desktop&bpctr=1596415559 Summary of Data: The spreadsheet below contains data on a large portion of the public demonstrations held in response to the murder of George Floyd in the weeks immediately following his death (From May 25, 2020 to June 13, 2020). It was collected to help provide a wider understanding of how people in the United States and the international community initially reacted through a variety of public demonstrations. This data was used to construct the animated map presented in the video & song portion of Mapping a Moment - Youtube. This is not to be considered a complete list of the demonstrations that occurred during that time period, but an effort to create a fuller picture of how the USA and the international community reacted in public spaces. -
Race, Surveillance, Resistance
Race, Surveillance, Resistance CHAZ ARNETT The increasing capability of surveillance technology in the hands of law enforcement is radically changing the power, size, and depth of the surveillance state. More daily activities are being captured and scrutinized, larger quantities of personal and biometric data are being extracted and analyzed, in what is becoming a deeply intensified and pervasive surveillance society. This reality is particularly troubling for Black communities, as they shoulder a disproportionate share of the burden and harm associated with these powerful surveillance measures, at a time when traditional mechanisms for accountability have grown weaker. These harms include the maintenance of legacies of state sponsored, racialized surveillance that uphold systemic criminalization, dispossession, and exploitation of Black communities. This Article highlights Baltimore City, Maryland as an example of an urban area facing extraordinary challenges posed by an expanding police surveillance apparatus, fueled in part by corruption and limited channels of formal constraint. As Black residents experience the creep of total surveillance and its attendant aims of control and subordination, the need for avenues of effective resistance becomes apparent. This Article argues that these communities may draw hope and inspiration from another period in American history where Black people were subjected to seemingly complete surveillance with limited legal recourse: chattel slavery. People enslaved in or passing through Maryland used a variety of means to resist surveillance practices, demonstrating creativity, bravery, and resourcefulness as they escaped to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Internalizing and building upon these lessons of agency and resistance will be critical for Black communities in Baltimore and other similarly situated places across America that are seeking relief from the repressive effects of pervasive police surveillance. -
Facebook As a Reflection of Race- and Gender-Based Narratives Following the Death of George Floyd
social sciences $€ £ ¥ Article Exceptional Injustice: Facebook as a Reflection of Race- and Gender-Based Narratives Following the Death of George Floyd Patricia J Dixon and Lauren Dundes * Department of Sociology, McDaniel College, 2 College Hill, Westminster, MD 21157, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 16 November 2020; Accepted: 8 December 2020; Published: 15 December 2020 Abstract: Following the death of George Floyd, Facebook posts about the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) surged, creating the opportunity to examine reactions by race and sex. This study employed a two-part mixed methods approach beginning with an analysis of posts from a single college student’s Facebook newsfeed over a 12-week period, commencing on the date of George Floyd’s death (25 May 2020). A triangulation protocol enhanced exploratory observational–archival Facebook posts with qualitative data from 24 Black and White college students queried about their views of BLM and policing. The Facebook data revealed that White males, who were the least active in posting about BLM, were most likely to criticize BLM protests. They also believed incidents of police brutality were exceptions that tainted an otherwise commendable profession. In contrast, Black individuals commonly saw the case of George Floyd as consistent with a longstanding pattern of injustice that takes an emotional toll, and as an egregious exemplification of racism that calls for indictment of the status quo. The exploratory data in this article also illustrate how even for a cause célèbre, attention on Facebook ebbs over time. This phenomenon obscures the urgency of effecting change, especially for persons whose understanding of racism is influenced by its coverage on social media. -
VOL 36, ISSUE 3 on Race and Colonialism WELCOME to THIS EDITION of ANVIL
ANVIL Journal of Theology and Mission Faultlines in Mission: Reflections VOL 36, ISSUE 3 on Race and Colonialism WELCOME TO THIS EDITION OF ANVIL ANVIL: Journal of Theology and Mission Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy VOL 36, ISSUE 3 2 ANVIL: JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY AND MISSION – VOLUME 36: ISSUE 3 THE EDITORIAL While it is premature to assess the legacy of this year in history, we can certainly agree that 2020 has brought to the fore the imperative need to revisit the past, paying particular attention to societal and systemic fractures adversely impacting the lives of many around the globe. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, millions of people took to the streets of our cities demanding radical change, and calling for the toppling of an old order and its symbols of power, objectification and commodification. This issue of Anvil is inspired by a willingness to Harvey Kwiyani’s article offers us a crystal-clear view of offer an introspective response to this global wave how white privilege and white supremacy have provided of protest calling for racial justice and asking with the buttresses for empire and have made mission in insistence whether black lives do indeed matter in our their own image. To illustrate this, he movingly weaves societies and institutions. It felt imperative to ask the his own story from his childhood in Malawi to living in question of Church Mission Society and its particular George Floyd’s city of Minneapolis to now forming part contribution to the subject both in its distant and more of the tiny minority of black and brown people who contemporary history. -
Research Evaluation of the City of Columbus' Response to the 2020
Research Evaluation of the City of Columbus’ Response to the 2020 Summer Protests Trevor L. Brown, Ph.D. Carter M. Stewart, J.D. John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University Table of Contents 1 Overview 5 Executive Summary of Findings and Recommendations 11 Context: Systemic Racism, Policing and Protests 17 Columbus Context and Timeline of Key Events 25 Chapter 1: Citizen-Police Relations and the Protests; Community Member Trauma 32 Chapter 2: City and Columbus Division of Police Leadership and Incident Command 41 Chapter 3: Policy and Training 52 Chapter 4: Officer Wellness and Morale 57 Chapter 5: Mutual Aid 61 Chapter 6: Transparency, Accountability, Public Communication, and Social Media 67 Conclusion 69 Works Cited 80 Appendix A: Recommendations and Findings 92 Appendix B: Research Design, Methods, and Data 99 Appendix C: Columbus Police After Action Review Team 109 Appendix D: List of Acronyms Acknowledgements The research presented in this report benefitted from a diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, disciplinary expertise, and professional experience. In particular, the lead researchers are indebted to the National Police Foundation, the primary subcontractor on this project. The National Police Foundation’s staff, notably Frank Straub and Ben Gorban, harnessed their expertise of policing across the United States and around the globe to ensure that the findings and recommendations aligned with the evolving knowledge base of policing best practice. We are grateful to the array of investigators and interviewers who volunteered their time, energy and expertise to conduct over 170 interviews in the midst of a global pandemic. Our Advisory Board also volunteered their time to guide the research and offer insights from a variety of disciplines that inform the as- sessment of protest behavior and police response. -
Minecraft: Education Edition Lesson Template Lesson Overview
Minecraft: Education Edition Lesson Template Please use the following template as a workspace for your Minecraft: Education Edition lesson plan. When you are ready, you can submit your lesson to the community site by heading to education.minecraft.net/create-lesson and don’t forget to create your educator profile. Thank you for your contribution to Minecraft for learning. Lesson Overview Lesson Photo (accepted file types are JPG or PNG. Minimum dimensions are 750px by 368px. Title: Say Their Names: Black Lives Matter Short Description Lesson in Good Trouble: The Black Lives Matter Movement Introduction- Join the activists on Black Lives Matter Plaza as they stand together as catalysts for Good Trouble, seeking racial justice for the Black Community. Your upload of any lesson plan is licensed under the terms of the Microsoft Services Agreement https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/servicesagreement Student Ages 8-10, 11-13, 14-18 Subjects Politics & Civics, Service Learning & Social Good, Leadership Skills Character, Citizenship, Critical Thinking Lesson Plan This is the second lesson in the series about “Good Trouble,” based on the life and teachings of Civil Rights activist and U.S. Congressman John Lewis. In this lesson, students will learn about the Black Lives Matter Movement and its impact on the fight for social justice in the United States. Learning Objectives SIGNIFICANT CONTEXT: Students will develop an analytical understanding of the Black Lives Matter Movement. HEROIC CONTEXT: Students will identify important people/events of the BLM movement and their role within this movement. HISTORICAL/POLITICAL AWARENESS: Students will develop a better understanding of racial injustices and their impact on the black community. -
George Floyd Postmortem Protest As a Popular Attack Against a Metanarrative of “Dominating”
RESEARCH AFRICA REVIEWS Volume 4 (2020) Page 17 Research Africa Reviews Vol. 4 No. 2, August 2020 These reviews may be found on the RA Reviews website at: https://sites.duke.edu/researchafrica/ra-reviews/volume-2-issue-2-aug-2020/. George Floyd Postmortem Protest as a Popular Attack against a Metanarrative of “Dominating” A Literature Review by Samba Camara, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. El-Hajj Malik Shabazz, widely known as Malcolm X, once said, “there will ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those that do the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the systems of exploitation.” The sweeping demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s brutal murder by Minneapolis officer, Derek Chauvin, attest to the veracity of Shabazz’s statement. The protest movement that erupted on the fatal day of May 25th was multiracial, and it charged a heavy attack on a centuries-old metanarrative of White supremacism. Over the past three weeks, many protest slogans were reiterated among large protest coalitions urging for serious action against racist policing: “I CAN’T BREATHE,”“POLICE MUST PROTECT NOT KILL,” “HANDS UP DON’T SHOOT,” and “SILENCE IS VIOLENCE.” These slogans bring an American history of anti-Black brutality in the spotlight. From the 1965 beating and fatal shooting of Civil Rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson to the recent shooting of Breonna Taylor (March 13, 2020), the fatal chokeholds of Eric Garner (July 17, 2014), Javier Ambler (March 28, 2019), Manuel Ellis (March 3, 2020), George Floyd, and anything in between, Black America has endured a history of police violence gone unpunished, as most prosecutions against police end in non-indictment. -
Vernon Dahmer to Be Honored
Damaged democracy Poll: Americans, braced for violence at inauguration, see country headed wrong way Story, Page 3A MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021 | CLARIONLEDGER.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Vernon SCHOLARS SAY KING’S MESSAGE Dahmer WAS ABOUT MORE THAN to be ENDING RACISM honored Slain civil rights leader among 9 nationwide in ‘Courageous Class’ Lici Beveridge Mississippi Clarion Ledger USA TODAY NETWORK Fifty-five years after Vernon Dahm- er’s home in the Kelly Settlement just outside Hattiesburg was firebombed by members of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, the civil rights leader on Monday will be one of nine people across the country honored for show- ing courage in the face of hate. The Museum of the Courageous chose Dahmer for its inaugural Coura- geous Class because his message still resonates today, said Teresa Vazquez, the museum’s executive director and founding trustee. “What these stories tell us is that even the smallest acts of courage can change history,” she said. “Now, Ver- non Dahmer’s act of courage changed history, and it was not small. It was a huge act.” Dahmer’s mantra, “If you don’t vote, you don’t count,” was especially PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KAYLA FILION/USA TODAY NETWORK; GETTY NETWORK; IMAGES TODAY FILION/USA KAYLA BY ILLUSTRATION PHOTO relevant during the presidential elec- tion amid accusations of voter fraud and challenges to the electoral proc- ess. “I couldn’t think of a better story to tell than Vernon Dahmer’s story,” Vaz- quez said. “We are perhaps seeing some of the biggest voter suppression Melissa Erickson USA TODAY NETWORK See DAHMER, Page 7A There’s more to learn about Martin Luther King Jr., a towering figure in American history and an icon of social justice. -
Order and Memorandum Opinion Granting State's Motion for Trial Joinder
STATE OF MINNESOTA DISTRICT COURT COUNTY OF HENNEPIN FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT STATE OF MINNESOTA, ORDER AND MEMORANDUM OPINION Plaintiff, GRANTING STATE’S MOTION FOR TRIAL JOINDER vs. DEREK MICHAEL CHAUVIN, Court File No. 27-CR-20-12646 TOU THAO, Court File No. 27-CR-20-12949 THOMAS KIERNAN LANE, Court File No. 27-CR-20-12951 J. ALEXANDER KUENG, Court File No. 27-CR-20-12953 Defendants. These matters are before the Court on the State’s motion to join all four Defendants -- Derek Michael Chauvin (Chauvin), Tou Thao (Thao), Thomas Kiernan Lane (Lane), and J. Alexander Kueng (Kueng) -- for trial in a single trial proceeding. A hearing was held on various motions filed by all parties in all four of these cases on September 11, 2020 (Hearing), including the State’s trial joinder motion. Matthew Frank and Neal Katyal appeared on behalf of the State of Minnesota. Eric Nelson appeared on behalf of Chauvin. Robert Paule and Natalie Paule appeared on behalf of Thao. Earl Gray appeared on behalf of Lane. Thomas Plunkett appeared on behalf of Kueng. All four Defendants were also present at the Hearing. Based upon all the files, records, and proceedings herein, and the parties’ written submissions as well as the oral arguments at the Hearing, the Court enters the following Order. ORDER 1. The State’s motion for trial joinder is GRANTED. 1 2. A joint trial of all four Defendants shall be held beginning March 8, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom 1856 at the Hennepin County Government Center. 3. The attached Memorandum Opinion is incorporated herein.