Ronald “RonnieMan” Johnson was unarmed when he was shot and killed by Chicago Police 3 years ago today. He was a father of five. Although this was 3 years ago, we still have not seen any justice.
Please join Black Lives Matter Chicago and UMedics for the #MarcieJGerald #SayHerName September suicide prevention month event at the A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum. We have been asked by the Gerald family to assist in their efforts to raise money. As a result, we are amplifying Marcie's story in order to support her grieving family in their time of need.
We are organizing this event to honor Marcie and to raise $2,500 for her headstone. Please donate to place a headstone on the grave of beloved Marcie J. Gerald. We want to create a loving safe space in her name and have a panel discussion with therapist and psychologist around depression, suicide prevention, mental health care in the black community, toxic masculinity/misogyny, access to mental health care resources, trauma and healing.
Joining us to hold this space and share their expertise will be Dominica McBride Chaka Holley Dr. Obari Adéye Cartman Erika J. Kendrick.
There will also be a workshop around communal healing, effective therapy and self care by Olivia Blocker .
"It is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and we will be hosting an event to honor the life of #MarcieJGerald on September 30th.
I will be facilitating an interactive workshop to bring awareness and support to those struggling with the effects of trauma and depression in the aftermath of an event that triggers suicidal ideation. We want to support our fellow brothers and sisters who continue to fight for their lives and raise our collective knowledge about how we can heal and uplift. Please join us and support this family as they continue to work to empower those impacted by suicide. Let us remember those who are grieving and support actions that heal and restore."
Marcie J. Gerald was raped at the age of 14. Most cases of sexual assault (98%) are never brought to trial. Based on DNA recovered from the rape kit Marcie underwent after the sexual assault, the rapist was able to be identified and consequently brought to trial. As is a very common consequence of sexual assault trials, Marcie was severely triggered. Her rapist winked at her in the court room and repeatedly made comments about how pretty she was. As a result, during the trial, Marcie would come home and cut herself after hearing her attacker’s testimony. As a result of Marcie's increased self-harm and further traumatization, her family moved to quickly end the trial. On July 19, 2015 Marcie succumbed to suicide."
Marcie's mother wrote, "Since Marcie’s death, I’ve experienced an array of emotions from angry to sad. It’s something I will never get over. My baby was only 15, but my reality is that she will never graduate from high school, she will never go to college, and she will never get married. I think about it every day."
As September is suicide prevention month, we share this important information:
As Marcie experienced sexual assault, please also reference these important statistics:
Please share Marcie's story and please donate if you are financially able.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicide or sexual assault, please call the hotlines listed below and seek help.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline National Sexual Assault Hotline
Available 24 hours everyday Available 24 hours everyday
Call 1-800-273-8255 Call 1-800-656-4673
If you are in the Chicago area, please feel free to come to a fundraising event that we are holding with Marcie's family on September 30th.
Friday, September 3oth (6-10pm)
National Adolph Phillip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum
10406 S. Maryland Ave
(Entrance on 104th Street Between Corliss & Maryland Ave)
Dogged by allegations of abuse, members of the group have been named in more than 20 federal lawsuits – yet have won repeated praise from department.
When Ebony Buggs followed the noise of commotion to a vacant unit below her apartment on Chicago’s West Side, she found a group of men beating teens from the neighborhood.
“I’m like, ‘Who the eff is you?’” she said of the February 2012 incident.
One man grabbed her and punched her in the face, according to Buggs, now 26.
Buggs’ mother, seeing her daughter lying on the ground, threatened to call the police.
“We are the police,” one of the men responded, as he grabbed her phone and threw it, Buggs’ mother recounted.
The man who Buggs alleges beat her is Edwin Utreras. He was part of a group of five officers that city residents dubbed the “Skullcap Crew”, who patrolled the city’s South Side public housing communities until they were torn down in the city’s redevelopment efforts, marked by forced relocation.
The members of this crew – Edwin Utreras, Robert Stegmiller, Christ Savickas, Andrew Schoeff and Joe Seinitz – have together faced at least 128 known official allegations from more than 60 citizen-filed complaints over almost a decade and a half. They have also been named in more than 20 federal lawsuits.
Citizens have repeatedly accused these men of acts of brutality, intimidation and harassment – costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal settlements. Yet over the course of their careers, these officers have received little discipline – a two-day suspension, a five-day suspension, a reprimand – according to city data. Instead, they have won praise from the department, accruing more than 180 commendations.
All of them remain on the force except Seinitz, who resigned in 2007.
On July 24, 2016, Black Lives Matter Chicago will host an event called Ronnie Man Day, after the late Ronald "Ronnie Man" Johnson who was killed by Detective George Hernandez on October 12, 2014. This event will be held at Washington Park on 53rd and King Drive, where the murder took place. On this day, we will rename the park to "Ronald Johnson" park, celebrate the young life of Ronnie Man, honor his family and all impacted by police violence as well as honor the 2,500 young people who have been victims of gun violence between 2007 and 2014. Ronnie Man Day will intentionally draw together the families and community members who have been impacted by both state violence as well as intracommunal violence in order to honor the humanity of all who have been taken too soon and stand in unity under the demand to end all violence. We will provide the community with food from neighboring vendors; provide activities for children which will include face painting and story telling; and provide a platform for young artists to perform poetry, spoken word, song, rap and dance. We have been in communication with the Alderman's office to rename this section of Washington Park after Ronald Johnson in order to provide a permanent memorial to his life and legacy as well as permanently honor all who have been victims to state violence. Lastly, we will honor all of the fallen with a memorial ceremony, identifying each individual who has passed in effort to assert and proclaim that all of their lives matter. Together will stand in unity to mourn, celebrate and build allegiance and community with each other as we move forward to end the violence that has affected so many.
Check out this short video we made to bring light to the ways organizers are being criminalized today by highlighting the fight to demand that all charges be dropped against Jasmine Abdullah as well as bring to light the fight to free Joshua who is serving an 8 year sentence for protesting in Ferguson.
We ask that you share this with your community & take the following action steps:
1. Sign the petition to have Governor Jerry Brown of California, immediately pardon Jasmine here: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/tell-gov-jerry-brown-pardon-jasmine-abdullah-richards-sentence/
2. Write to Joshua: Joshua Williams #1292002 Eastern Reception Diagnostic Correctional Center 2727 Highway K Bonne Terre, MO 63628
3. Donate to Jasmine's legal fund (note Jasmin in your contribution):www.crowdrise.com/blmla
4. Join the movement and advocate for the release of all political prisoners!
Today, the Independent Police Review Authority, under the leadership of Sharon Fairley, released investigative documents of 101 cases of officer-involved shootings and other instances of police violence and brutality against civilians. Chicago remains a City whose police department exists within extreme secrecy, routinely resisting all avenues of transparency to the public despite being a publicly funded institution.
The release of these documents and video reflect years of mounting public pressure waged by the people of Chicago who have demanded access to information that is both our legal and moral right to obtain. Panzy Edwards, the mother of Dakota Bright, a 15 year old child who was shot and killed by CPD and left in the street for 5 hours on November 8, 2012 to this day has still not received the police report, autopsy report or the name of the officer(s) involved in the killing of her son. This is an atrocity.
Dorothy Holmes, the mother of Ronald Johnson who was killed by Officer George Hernandez October 12, 2014, a mere eight days before Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by Jason Van Dyke, waited for over a year for the dash cam video to be released, including file suit, and which was only released after a judge mandated the video of Laquan McDonald’s execution be released by court order. Dorothy was then sanctioned by the City’s attorney on December 22nd via a legal motion against her. The city's lawyers argued that Dorothy threatened Officer George Hernandez when she said to media that as a mother she was not backing down after the announcement that State's Attorney Anita Alvarez would not press charges against the officer. The City’s attorneys immediately withdrew the sanctions on December 23rd after a public protest was immediately mounted.
The people of Chicago continue to demand not only transparency from the Chicago Police, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, IPRA, City Council and all departments within government, but most importantly, and the one area where the City has made zero movement: we demand accountability for police who murder, brutalize and terrorize our communities.
Pastor Catherine Brown was beaten, pepper sprayed and had a gun pointed to her head by Officers Michelle Murphy and Jose Lopez while her children sat in the car on May 2013. Collectively, officers Murphy and Lopez have over 40 complaints filed against them. Why are they still on the force?
Dante Servin, the cop who killed Rekia Boyd March 21, 2012, resigned two days before the final steps in the evidentiary hearing to fire him, which alone took four years to occur. He made $97,044 as of December 31, 2015 and will be eligible to receive his pension in June 2018. Why are we as the public beholden to use our hard earned money to pay the pension of cop who Judge Dennis Porter found not guilty involuntary manslaughter, instead stating that he should have been charged with first-degree murder and cannot be tried again due to double jeopardy? Yes, you read that right. The state's decision to undercharge Servin for his crime at the outset means that he cannot be convicted of a higher charge at the discretion of the court since double jeopardy attached the moment a jury was impaneled. Therefore, Servin cannot be retried for the murder of Rekia Boyd and walks free, having literally gotten away with murder.
We, the people of Chicago, refuse to continue to accept the status quo. Our Mayor and governor do not represent our interests or our needs and continue to enact policies that further disenfranchise our communities increasing intra-communal violence. After conducting the largest public school closing in US history, further destabilizing already underserved communities, due to a state government budget stalemate, CPS chief Forrest Claypool announced last week that Chicago Public Schools may not have enough money to open in the fall.
The conditions for people who are not rich in Chicago are deplorable. We continue to be sold out by government officials to big business and their rich cronies. Chicago has the largest employment racial gap of young adult males in the country. Chicago has the most police per 100,000 in the country. Chicago is the false confession capital of the country. Chicago has also paid out over half a billion dollars to victims of police violence. Chicago pays out $4million a day to policing, the largest line item in the City’s operating budget. The trend here is obvious to everyone but City government. If there is an economic crisis, it is certainly partially the result of over-policing, and the economic consequences of a culture of refusing to hold police accountable for brutality, violence and murder at all costs - to make no mention of the many tax breaks rich corporations receive at expense of our public services.
We have no illusions that the conditions in Chicago exist within a vacuum. Two days ago, our sister Jasmine Abdullah (Richards) was charged with “felony attempted lynching” in Pasadena, CA for nonviolent actions taken during last year’s Peace March at La Pintoresca Park. A law that was originally intended to protect Black people from domestic terror by white supremacist violence has been manipulated to criminalize a young woman who has organized against injustices within her community.The irony here is sickening especially when actual murderers like Dante Servin and George Zimmerman walk free. We demand that Jasmine be freed and all charges be overturned.
Join us on Saturday, June 4th at 4421 S. State Street from 10am to 4pm to discuss the needs of our community, public safety, creating justice and how to stop the violence. We will have workshops on all of these items and will provide free food to the community.
Join us on June 22nd at City Hall at 8:30 am to demand that City government represent the needs of the people of Chicago and not the rich. We have suffered enough. A new Chicago is needed now!
From Democracy Now June 2, 2016- In Pasadena, California, Black Lives Matter organizer Jasmine Richards is facing four years in state prison after she was convicted of a rarely used statute in California law originally known as "felony lynching." Under California’s penal code, "felony lynching" was defined as attempting to take a person out of police custody. Jasmine was arrested and charged with felony lynching last September, after police accused her of trying to de-arrest someone during a peace march at La Pintoresca Park in Pasadena on August 29, 2015. The arrest and jailing of a young black female activist on charges of felony lynching sparked a firestorm of controversy. Historically, the crime of lynching refers to when a white lynch mob takes a black person out of the custody of the police for the purpose of extrajudicially hanging them. In fact, the law’s name was so controversial that less than two months before Jasmine was arrested, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law legislation removing the word "lynching" from the penal code. Democracy Now spoke with Richards’ lawyer, Nana Gyamfi, and Black Lives Matter organizer Melina Abdullah. "Her conviction is not only about punishing Jasmine Richards, but also is the lynching," Abdullah says. "So it’s really disgusting and ironic that she’s charged and convicted with felony lynching, when the real lynching that’s carried out is done in the same way it was carried out in the late 19th, early 20th century, where it’s supposed to punish those who dare to rise up against a system."
What YOU can do:
1. Sign & share the petition http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/freejasmine-no-jail-time-black-lives-matter-activist-accused-lynching/ …
2. Donate https://www.crowdrise.com/blmla
3. Amplify by sharing information, creating memes/art/writing, organizing in your area.
Thursday, May 26th, at approximately 7:08 PM, Chicago Police Officer Rodarte, with badge number 19762, assaulted an autistic Black young man by the name of Brandon Bragg, who was rolling skating in front of his home on the 5300 block of Lowe. Officer Rodarte came around the block of 53rd and Lowe several times and on the final time, jumped out of his vehicle and ran up to Brandon with his gun pointed at him. He then grabbed Brandon and placed the gun against Brandon's head. Officer Rodarte gave no warning, issued no questions and made no attempt to calmly engage Brandon who offered no threat to Officer Rodarte or anyone else. Brandon, who is severely autistic, routinely roller skates back and forth on the sidewalk in front of his house for a distance of approximately 50 feet. When witnessing Officer Rodarte pull his gun on Brandon, community members, including a former police officer, immediately responded by running out of their homes to stop Officer Rodarte from pulling the trigger and killing or severely harming Brandon who was posing no threat to anyone and was merely roller skating in front of his home. The strength of this very close knit community who all know each other and take care of each other prevented a potentially deadly situation from occurring. The community of 53rd and Lowe saved Brandon's life from what is an endemic crisis in Chicago and across the country, that of unrestrained police violence. There is irony in the fact that Brandon was wearing a "Stop the Violence" t-shirt while this violence was enacted upon him. The community of 53rd & Lowe responded with courage, bravery and love against an unjustified potentially deadly situation enacted by Chicago Police Officer Rodarte. The community's response was life saving in contrast to a City government which continues to condone vicious acts of police violence, terror and killing by refusing to hold accountable officers who commit these heinous acts. More and more we are witnessing that it is our very selves who organize to save our lives against the police terror which continues unrestrained in Chicago. We give love and respect to the community of 53rd and Lowe and we demand that Officer Rodarte be stripped of his right to carry a gun after endangering Brandon's life and that of the community at large. These types of instances create terror within our communities because we know that police officers can and do use deadly force without provocation and will not be held accountable for such acts. We refuse to accept this violence as normal and demand that Officer Rodarte be held accountable. Approximately half of all fatal police interactions involve persons with psychiatric disabilities. Until severe changes occur in consequences to police officers who use excessive force become real, these types of fatal and near fatal incidents will continue. We demand that Officer Rodarte be stripped of the right to carry a gun. In Solidarity, Black Lives Matter Chicago
For four years, the people of Chicago led by Rekia’s family have marched, protested, held teach-ins and attended Chicago Police Board meetings demanding that Dante Servin be held accountable for taking Rekia’s young life. May 19, 2016 would have begun the start of the termination hearing for Dante Servin, the Chicago police officer who murdered 22 year old Rekia Boyd on March 22, 2012. Instead, Servin resigned Tuesday, May 17, 2016, two days before an evidentiary hearing was scheduled to begin as the last stage in his firing process. Every step of the way, Rekia’s family and supporters have been met with bureaucratic red tape preventing justice. From unnecessary prolonged review periods, to the three years it took for the criminal case to face trial, to the technicality which enabled Servin to walk scot free while the presiding judge stated that he should have been charged with first degree murder, each step was met with government failure to the people of Chicago illustrating City government’s culture of complicity and “blue wall of silence”.
Facebook | Alvarez Must Go PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2/17/2016 – Republican backed Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez is up for re-election on March 15th. Chicagoans Against Anita Alvarez organized to protest the discussion with the State’s Attorney on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics citing Alvarez’s complicity in state violence against Black and brown people in the City of Chicago; corruption in covering up videos of police killings including withholding video evidence for over 400 days regarding the murders of LaQuan McDonald and Ronald Johnson; and failing to appropriately charge officers in the killing deaths of unarmed civilians as she did with CPD officer Dante Servin who murdered Rekia Boyd. In addition to the above infractions, Anita Alvarez has punished prosecutors who pursue justice over conviction. Anita Alvarez suspended and demoted former Assistant State’s Attorney Sonia Antolec who dropped charges in a high profile case. Eight young African American women were wrongfully charged with mugging a person on a CTA train by CPD on the basis of a faulty identification procedure that failed to comport with CPD’s own police policies. Anita Alvarez prosecuted domestic violence victims who sought to report police officer misconduct. Tiawanda Moore was criminally prosecuted for criminal wiretapping for recording a conversation with an internal affairs officer when she was filing a complaint for sexual harassment. Ms. Moore was acquitted by a jury. Anita Alvarez prosecuted attorneys who sought to assist their clients at police stations as she did with Sladjana Vuckovic, a FDLA attorney. Anita Alvarez failed to properly investigate and charge police officers responsible for murder, torture and other police misconduct. In 1996, Alvarez was promoted to Supervisor of the Public Integrity Unit, the unit responsible for prosecuting municipal and state employees who have committed felonies and violate the public trust. In this position, where she was empowered to take decisive action, she never initiated a single criminal investigation or prosecution of Burge or detectives working under his command despite credible findings made in the Goldston Report made publicly available in 1992 or the well-publicized Chicago Police Board hearings that demonstrated that Burge and others tortured and physically coerced scores of African American men into confessing to crimes resulting in Burge’s termination from the Chicago Police Department in 1993. Ms. Alvarez also did not conduct any investigations into the torture allegations raised by individuals on Illinois’ death row (otherwise known as the Death Row 10) in 1996 or for several years thereafter, including those of Madison Hobley, Stanley Howard, Ronald Kitchen, Leroy Orange and Aaron Patterson, all of whom have now been exonerated on the basis of their innocence. Anita Alvarez rules over an office known for defending wrongful convictions involving false confessions, in a City dubbed the false conviction capital of the world. Anita Alvarez prosecutes activists with ridiculous and overblown terrorism charges in an attempt to stifle and intimidate other activists. Anita Alvarez has contributed to the hyper incarceration of Black people. As Chicagoans Against Anita Alvarez, we assert that Alvarez should NOT be re-elected to a third term on March 15th, 2016. Instead, Alvarez should be investigated for criminal negligence and dereliction of duty for the many infractions she has taken against the people of Chicago. The Cook County justice system is corrupt and racist. In order to make substantive changes we demand the end to cash bail. We demand an investigation of the State's Attorneys office for extensive cover-ups of police crimes. We demand an end to all mandatory minimum sentencing in Cook County. We demand the defunding and ultimate closing of the Cook County juvenile detention center and Cook County jail. We want a redirection of funds saved to support mental health clinics; housing for youth, homeless and nearly homeless; jobs for young people and the unemployed; fully funded schools and crisis centers.
THIS ACTION WAS SUPPORTED BY:
Project NIA - http://www.project-nia.org/ Assata’s Daughters - http://www.assatasdaughters.org/ Let Us Breathe Collective - http://www.letusbreathecollective.com/ For the People Artist Collective - www.facebook.com/forthepeoplecollective/ BLMChi - http://www.blacklivesmatterchicago.com/ BYP100 - http://byp100.org/ Lifted Voices- http://liftedvoices.org/ Arab American Action Network - http://www.aaan.org/
Black Lives Matter Chicago | Website | Facebook MEDIA ALERT
For Immediate Release
Contact: Chapter Coordinator, (872) 395-8048, BlackLivesMatterChicago@gmail.com
When: Tuesday, February 2, 2016 - 1:00PM
Where: Richard J. Daley Center - 50 West Washington, Chicago, IL - First Floor East lobby near Dearborn
What: BLMChi Sues IPRA for Records of Cop Who Killed Rekia Boyd
2/02/2016 – Join Black Lives Matter Chicago at 1PM at Daley Center for a press conference to announce a lawsuit filed against the Independent Police Review Authority. Despite the city's paper thin promises of new transparency and accountability in policing, this morning a Black Lives Matter Chicago organizer had to resort to filing suit, to force release of FOIA'd information from the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA), the City body charged with investigating alleged misconduct by police. In November, BLMChi organizer Jason Tompkins filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA), for investigative records relating to Detective Dante Servin, the Chicago Police officer who killed Rekia Boyd in March 2012. Under arguments that this request was too broad and “unduly burdensome,” the request was denied. Amazed, Tompkins believes that this is grounds to file suit. Under the misleadership of Anita Alvarez, the Cook County State’s Attorney's office possessed full access of IPRA’s investigative records into the shooting, when they brought charges of involuntary manslaughter to Servin’s criminal trial in April 2015. Cook County Judge Dennis Porter acquitted Servin in that bench trial, via a directed verdict, arguing that Rekia’s killing was intentional. In September 2015, three and a half years after the shooting took place, and several months after the criminal trial ended, IPRA finally recommended Servin’s termination. Yet, Servin is currently still on the force, and taxpayers continue to pay his salary of over $90,000 per year. To be clear: it is due to the political courage of Rekia’s family that we, alongside BYP100, the Women’s Allpoints Bulletin, Assata’s Daughters, #LetUsBreathe Collective, the Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and many other allied projects and organizations, have uplifted the demand to #FireServinNOW and revoke his pension at monthly Police Board meetings, marches, rallies and actions. It is the political courage of Rekia’s family that has ultimately precipitated the resignation of former IPRA Chief Scott Ando, and the appointment of Sharon Fairley in December 2015. As the suit notes, "There is a tremendous public interest in knowing whether IPRA should have previously disciplined Servin.” It is likely that the legal defense funds the city has recently allocated fighting other FOIA cases far exceeds the labor costs necessary for IPRA to comply with this request. IPRA is literally arguing that this information isn't important enough to justify two weeks of work. Mr. Tompkins is represented by Matt Topic, of Loevy & Loevy Attorneys at Law. Recently, Loevy & Loevy successfully obtained the release of the dashcam video of Laquan McDonald’s shooting death at the hands of Chicago police.
View the Complaint Filing Here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/n0v82ne7ru6cwy4/Filing.pdf?dl=0
MEDIA ALERT For Immediate Release Contact: Chapter Coordinator -
(872) 395-8048, BlackLivesMatterChicago@gmail.com When: Friday, January 20, 2016 Where: Chicago What: BLMChi Statement on #CancelPinkwashing
BLMChi Statement on #CancelPinkwashing 1/20/16 - In the midst of recent escalations, we must offer clarity: Black Lives Matter Chicago fully honors and endorses the #cancelpinkwashing demands upon the National LGBTQ Task Force, brought by Tarab NYC and co-resisting collectives and organizations, to divest from the violence, ignorance and false “inclusion” of settler colonial pinkwashing in the name of a “wider” bridge. To avert our eyes, to choose silence, would come at too great an expense. We understand such silence to be a bringer of death. And under no circumstances can we corroborate the material and social death of Palestinian Lives, Afro-Palestinian Lives - of all gender identities, sexualities and faith practices - within Gaza, the West Bank, occupied Jerusalem, historic 1948 Palestine and throughout the diaspora. They/We navigate heavily surveilled and detained realities on tightropes. They/We are expected to be grateful to those that itemize their/our pain to strengthen existing norms. As is routine for too many souls across the globe, They/We must negotiate oppressions as a provision of harm reduction and triage. As They/We all struggle to achieve healing, safety and autonomy in our own lives, families and communities, let us commit to mobilize ourselves and honor the self-determined struggles of Palestine so as to divest from the violence of the Occupation. Black & Palestinian Lives depend on it.” THIS IS A CRITICAL STANCE, NOT JUST A “CRITIQUE”. PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING RESOURCES:
With Power and Love, BLMChi
MEDIA ALERT
For Immediate Release
Contact: Chapter Coordinator, (872) 395-8048, BlackLivesMatterChicago@gmail.com
When: Friday and Saturday - January 15-16, 2016
Where: Chicago (See addresses at bottom)
What: Cedric Chatman, Bettie Jones, LaQuan McDonald, Ronnieman, Quintonio & Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
1/14/16 -Today the video showing the murder of Cedrick Chatman by Officer Kevin Fry, was ordered to be released by U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman against the wishes of the City of Chicago. With this video, once again, the footage disproves the official police account of the death of a young Black man that the City of Chicago fought tooth and nail to keep hidden. This is the third video release in as little as two months that reflect years of criminal obstruction committed by City government to cover up a murder of a civilian committed by a police officer. The videos of Laquan McDonald, Ronald Johnson and Cedric Chatman were all released only after months and years of struggle including multiple FOIA requests and lawsuits. There is no true system of police accountability in the City of Chicago; what exists is a system of deep entrenched conspiracy to protect police at all costs, even after criminal acts of violence and murder are committed. Officer Kevin Fry who murdered Chatman, has never faced consequences, even despite over 30 complaints of misconduct filed against him. Officer George Hernandez, who murdered Ronald Johnson, has also never been held accountable despite 10 complaints filed against him. Officer Dante Servin who murdered Rekia Boyd, still has not been fired, despite recommendations to fire him by IPRA and the former police superintendent Gary McCarthy. The system of police abuse and government complicity must end. Rahm Emanuel and the entire system of corrupt complicit participation by City government must go.
FRIDAY - Join protesters from 9am to 2pm, Friday, January, 15, 2016, for City-Wide Student March for Educational Equality at the James R. Thompson Center, located at 100 W Randolph St, Chicago, Illinois 60601. SATURDAY - Join us, along with BYP100, Assata's Daughters, Chicago Students Union, International Socialist Organization, Chicago League of Abolitionist Whites, Lifted Voices, Students for Justice In Palestine, Arab American Action Network, Chicago Light Brigade, Lifted Voices, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Saturday, January 16th 2040 west Adams st. at 9:45 am for a march and rally in remembrance of MLK’s work and continue Chicago’s fight to police Brutality, Inequality, and City corruption that has engulfed this city for too long.
MEDIA ALERT
For Immediate Release
Contact: Chapter Coordinator, (872) 395-8048, BlackLivesMatterChicago@gmail.com
When: Friday, January 1, 2016 at 11:00 am
Where: Lakeview & Wicker Park
What: New Year’s Day Protest Against Police Violence!
New Year’s Day Protest Against Police Violence
1/1/16 - BLMChi, Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), Assata’s Daughters, and youth organizers with Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP) are taking action today, bringing #BlackBrunchChi to one of the busiest northside dining districts, to intervene on the “celebration” of consumerism, corrupt property zoning/displacement practices, and the retail and service industries’ routine collusion with police and state violence. urgency for a fundamental shift in the way this country invests in our most valuable resources – our people.
Together, we’re organized to demand that our lives, our communities and our futures be made a priority. The “safety”, economy, property value and social resources across Lakeview are made possible by a disastrous tradition of depleting, displacing, economically deserting and aggressively surveilling Black communities across the South and West sides of this city.
We are very clear that Black low wage workers, students, renters, as well as the homeless and home-free struggle to survive within this neighborhood, as an effect of the “zoning” and hoarding of public services and resources. It is overwhelmingly underwaged Black labor that facilitates the economic prosperity “celebrated” here, while these same Black bodies are continually policed and held in suspicion.
We demand immediate disinvestment in CPD and a reallocation of the operating funds currently allotted toward policing, which represent 40% of the City’s operating budget and result in $4 million a day spent on policing. We reject the mayor’s proposal to equip all CPD officers with tasers which will cost between $13.3-20.8 million. Between 2009 and 2011 92% of tasers were used against Black and Latino targets. Despite CPD having purchased 600 tasers, police shootings have not gone down. The city continues to give CPD more money and more weapons that disproportionately harm Black and Brown lives and refuses to invest in the futures of Black communities in Chicago. We demand these proposed funds be re-invested in our communities through increased funding to our schools, reopening of the 50 schools closed, reopening of the mental health centers that were closed, housing for the homeless and a jobs program for our most underserved communities.
From Chicago to Oakland, New Orleans to New York City, Black people live under police occupation everyday. Black folks who are poor, women, formerly incarcerated, working class, LGBTQ and gender non-conforming, differently abled, and/or undocumented are particularly vulnerable to police violence and hyper-surveillance. As a people living in Black bodies, state-sanctioned violence is always a clear and present danger. This must end.
Among the many measures we believe are needed:
Black people deserve to live with human dignity. We are building a movement rooted in people who understand why we must fight.
With Power and Love,
BLMChi, BYP100, Assata’s Daughters, STOP
Copyright © 2016 Black Lives Matter Chicago, All rights reserved.
Join We Charge Genocide (WCG), Assata’s Daughters (AD), Black Youth Project100 (BYP100), and us Black Lives Matter Chicago, on December 22nd from 6-8pm at St. James Evangelical for a panel and community discussion where we will dialogue with community asking where we go from here, and address the possibilities for the real sustainable change we need.
The cries of outrage over the shooting death of Laquan McDonald have turned into justified demands for the State's Attorney Alvarez and Mayor Rahm Emanuel to resign. The Department of Justice has announced an investigation into the Chicago Police Department. The Mayor and the State's Attorney can fire all the top cops they want however the problem with the CPD remains systemic and the solutions for our communities must be structural.
The DOJ will not force the Mayor to stop allocating 40% of the city budget to CPD, and to reopen our neighborhood schools. The DOJ will not force the Mayor to raise the minimum wage to a livable wage. The DOJ won’t force Anita Alvarez to pass legislation to stop the decriminalization of youth, or to prosecute police that destroy our families and communities with their violent acts.
Everyday people fed up with the systematic racism, disinvestment and brutality targeting our communities from the Police and City officials have gotten us this far. How do we continue to move further?
The recent recommendations by the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) to fire Dante Servin, and (the now former) Superintendent Gary McCarthy - are merely the first and second steps of a three step process that are necessary to actually get Servin fired. Servin continues to receive his full paycheck to this day, three years after he murdered Rekia. We must keep up the pressure and continue to demand #Justice4Rekia.
At this police board hearing, we will be also lifting up the names of Ronald "Ronnieman" Johnson and Laquan McDonald. Join us in demanding that Officers George Hernandez, who murdered Ronnieman, and Jason Van Dyke, who murdered Laquan McDonald, are immediately fired from the police force.
Chicago Police board president Lori Lightfoot has been appointed to Mayor Rahm Emanue's new accountability "task force," just in time for the DOJ investigation into CPD's "patterns and practices"investigation that will look at widespread, systemic civil rights violations.
We have to show them: IT AINT OVAH! Turn Up with us for the final police board meeting of the year!
Along with BLM Chicago, this action is supported by:
▪ BYP 100 ▪ We Charge Genocide ▪ Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression ▪ Gay Liberation Network and many more.
MEDIA ALERT
For Immediate Release
Contact: Aislinn Sol, Chapter Coordinator, (872) 395-8048, BlackLivesMatterChicago@gmail.com
On November 24, 2015, the Chicago Police Department violated protesters’ freedom to peaceful assembly as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Black Lives Matter Chicago is honored to stand with Fearless Leading by the Youth, Black Youth Project 100, Assata's Daughters, #LetUsBreathe Collective and We Charge Genocide - grassroots organizations led by autonomous Young Black Chicagoans, yet veterans on the front lines in this Movement for Black Lives.
Upon the release of video footage capturing the horrendous murder of Laquan McDonald, by CPD officer Jason Van Dyke, we - as organized Black Chicagoans - took to our streets last night committed to holding public space for all Black Lives: our bodies, our voices, our hearts, our grief, our joy, our healing, our rage. The violence, derailments and arrests we endured in the process illustrate what we are up against, and why we must continue to love and protect each other in this work.
The demonstration was specifically designed to demonstrate our Constitutional right to peaceably assemble. Despite this, CPD targeted and harassed this peaceful and lawful assembly. This represents an ominous trend that threatens the democratic rights of everyone and is an attempt to stifle dissent. All defenders of democratic rights should join together to denounce these draconian acts by the Chicago Police Department.
We understand the recent judicial and City announcements - the 1st degree murder indictment of Officer Van Dyke, and the discharge recommendation for Detective Dante Servin - do not represent remedies for rare instances of "police misconduct", but reflect hard-won gains against the status quo, day-to-day, reality of policing; one that routinely results in abuse, brutality and death to us, and then works to protect officers who commit these unjustified acts of violence.
BLMChi continues to demand: •The immediate discharge and pension revocation, and prosecution of Dante Servin, George Hernandez and Jason Van Dyke. • The identification of Dakota Bright’s murderer. • The immediate closing of Homan Square and all other unknown “black sites”.
• The upholding of our Constitutional right to peaceably assemble.
We Demand CPD immediately drop the charges of all arrested. #LaquanMcDonald #16at17 #StopTheCops #FundBlackFutures
