Can you hear us now!
Milwaukee showed out today to demand justice for victims of police violence.
#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #BlackLivesMatter — in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Photo: Joe Brusky
THIS was a fantastic show of solidarity. We are overwhelmed with support and gratitude. Thank you, community! Ilhan Omar Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation Education Minnesota @breakingbreadcafe TakeAction Minnesota CTUL and so many others!
It’s time we kick the police out of our schools.
Proudly standing in solidarity with Minneapolis teachers and looking forward to moving this in all of our school districts across MN.
This is a step toward ending the school to prison pipeline.
#ICantBreathe
#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd
Here is the UE Statement: https://www.ueunion.org/political-action/2020/bold-and-concrete-action-to-end-the-killing-of-black-people
UE’s officers released the following statement today on the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
It is with shock and horror that we watched the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minnesota this week. Along with the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, it serves as a reminder that Black lives simply do not matter to many of the people who run our society or the police forces who enforce their laws.
It is not surprising that protests over Floyd’s and Taylor’s killings have erupted into rage. It has been almost six years since the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, focused our nation’s attention on police violence against people of color and poor people, and especially against Black men. Black Lives Matter, the Movement for Black Lives and many others have offered concrete policy proposals to address this injustice, yet little has been done and the killings continue.
Floyd’s murder occurred in the midst of a pandemic that is disproportionately killing people of color and immigrant workers. The insistence by corporate bosses and politicians that workers in industries such as meatpacking continue to work and risk their lives, and their refusal to provide adequate safety measures for frontline essential workers, is yet another reminder of how little they value the lives of people of color and other working people.
Those calling for a “law and order” response to the protests in Minnesota and Kentucky are merely inflaming the situation. Violent suppression of protests against injustice has never worked, and should be of special concern to those of us in the labor movement, as the police and national guard have regularly been used to break strikes.
The only answer is to take bold and concrete steps to address the racial injustice that continues to plague our nation. We must not only ensure swift prosecution of police officers who murder people, but also eliminate the vast racial disparities in income, wealth, and access to healthcare and education.
As the UE Policy “Fight Racism” states, “Working-class unity can never be taken for granted. Winning depends upon our success in the fight against racism.” We call on the labor movement and all working people to stand in solidarity with our Black brothers, sisters and siblings, and to redouble our efforts to fight for racial justice.
Carl Rosen
General President
Andrew Dinkelaker
Secretary-Treasurer
Gene Elk
Director of Organization
—
Organize the South!
Build the Southern Workers Assembly
http://southernworker.org
SOA Watch stands in solidarity with the protests taking place across the country to demand justice for the state-sanctioned murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and overturn a racist system that murders and criminalizes Black people. This system is built on white supremacy that values property and white comfort over, and at the cost of, Black lives. We condemn the violent crackdown on demonstrators by militarized police and other state forces which use tear gas, rubber bullets, live bullets, arrests and mass incarceration, threats of deportation, and dangerously violent tactics against the legitimate uprising of oppressed Black folx and allies utterly exhausted from having the oppressive knee of the state figuratively and literally on their necks.
We remember and say the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Michael Lorenzo Dean, Atatiana Jefferson and so many others who should still be alive today.
The SOA Watch movement stands with our Black brothers and sisters demanding accountability and the defunding of the police, which originated as slave patrols to protect white property. We echo the calls for these funds to be redirected to support transformative justice initiatives addressing the root causes of harm, health care, schools, and other community-led initiatives that actually uphold the well-being of our communities. Firing the officers is not enough, police ‘reform’ programs are not enough — we must work to dismantle the systemic racism on which the United States is built and the culture of white supremacy and anti-Blackness on which state violence relies transnationally. SOA Watch denounces Trump’s dangerous threats to enact the Insurrection Act from 1807 to deploy active-duty US troops against protesters engaged in the critical resistance to defend Black lives throughout the US. We condemn the collaboration between police, National Guard, ICE, Border Patrol, and any other state “security” forces facilitating the repression, surveillance, and policing of the Black community and protestors.
As a movement that understands and strategically utilizes the power of direct action and civil disobedience, we invite you to support the protests by taking action and donating, if you have the means, to one or more of the bail funds that are supporting the protests. If you are looking for more information, you can start at this page shared by Black Lives Matter, this page shared by Black Visions and Reclaim the Block, and The Movement for Black Lives‘ page.
For white people, it is essential to educate yourselves and to take action that centers the grief, righteous rage, and leadership of our Black brothers and sisters – being silent is being complicit. If you are looking for additional information, please check out this online tool kit filled with anti-racism resources for white people.
We send love and solidarity to our Black brothers and sisters who are grieving and who are organizing for liberation. From the US, to Colombia, Honduras, Chile, Palestine and all over the world, Black liberation is our collective liberation – when we fight together, we win.
In solidarity,
SOA Watch
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The movement to close the SOA is a community, and all ideas are welcome.
SOA Watch, 225 E 26th St, Suite 7, Tucson, AZ 85713
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http://savinglives.us-cubanormalization.org/
The US based National Network on Cuba (www.nnoc.info) and the Canadian Network on Cuba (www.canadiannetworkoncuba.ca) and a number of other organizations have come together to launch this campaign for collaboration between the US, Cuba and Canada in fighting the COVID-19 virus. We are calling this the Saving Lives campaign.
We are seeking endorsement and support from individuals and organizations in all sectors of society in both countries, including, but not limited to, health and scientific professionals, elected officials, labor organizers, community organizers, actors and artists, faith communities. We are in the early stages of building this campaign. Here is our current list of endorsers, which will be regularly updated. We need you to endorse the campaign and to circulate the campaign letter far and wide.
Our website will be a growing repository of useful documents and videos that people can access and use in local and national campaigning in support of our demands.
We’ve created a memorial for our people to remind our Sheriff what happens to Black bodies! #FreeEmAll #DefundPolice #DefendBlackLives #CommunityControl
More photos and videos: Freedom Inc
Starz Barber & Beauty of Green Bay, 755 Mike McCarthy Way, Ashwaubenon, WI
7-8 P.M.
Things have been weighing heavy on our hearts and minds lately. With so much going on in the world we have to find common ground and #peace amongst our #community! There is no better day than today to start making change! We will be hosting our first community outreach summit this #Wednesday #June #3rd #7PM. This #summit will involve members of the community looking for ways to #innovate, #collaborate, and #grow with our neighbors! Open discussion forum! We’re asking anyone who feels they have positive insight and opportunities to come join the team! We want to keep things as positive as possible. Seeking a chance to make change within! Live broadcasting will also be available. If you or someone you know would like to participate please feel free to meet us at 755 Mike McCarthy
Join AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, AFSCME President Lee Saunders, AFT – American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, IBEW International Office President Lonnie Stephenson, UNITE HERE! President D. Taylor and International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 8 Southeast President Glenn Kelly for an address on Racial Justice.
