Assata Shakur Interview in Havana, 1992
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Milwaukee, June 7, 2020: Protest First Aid 101
2319 E Kenwood Blvd., Zao MKE Church
Learn the basics of protest first aid from members Milwaukee’s own street medic collective.
Topics covered include:
Wound care
Heat exhaustion
Tear gas, pepper spray
Gunshot Wounds
We have capacity for up to 50 participants. If more than 50 people register, priority will be given to POC and LGBTQIA individuals.
Please register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQOmed7L2wjGCdsm81qqCnsvOuXhHQFx7B-aVoY71pUtxG7w/viewform
Fidel Castro Speech in Harlem (1995)
The Late President Fidel Castro spoke about the spiritual and emotional ties between his movement in Cuba and the civil rights movement in the United States. He also spoke about Cuba’s accomplishments in several areas, including having sufficient doctors for all citizens and free education.
ALT-RIGHT GROUP THREATENS TO ASSASSINATE MILWAUKEE ACTIVIST FRANK NITTY IN EFFORT TO STOP PEACE MARCHES
Protests over the officer-involved killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis continued on June 3 for the sixth day in Milwaukee, with several concurrent marches held and a dangerous development that threatened the life of a prominent community organizer.
According to information shared across social media, a plot was discovered that a White Supremacy group had targeted peace activist and Milwaukee-native Frank Nitty. They planned to track the June 3 march and murder him publicly in front of the other protesters. Nitty said the threat had been verified, and city leaders were aware that it was credible.
The information was shared by Nitty during one of his livestreams late in the day. In the video message, he appeared visibly upset about the threat on his life, yet determined to continue is work to ensure that people of color had equal justice under the law – as a matter of reality.
Nitty has been livestreaming his participation in the daily protest marches, sharing his thoughts with people watching on social media and documenting his encounters with law enforcement. During one portion of his broadcast, when he revealed the death treat to the public, his usual words of reflection and defiance were more somber, using the opportunity to say goodbye to his friends, family, and followers in case he was killed.
“The word has been put out that they want to shoot me down here at the protest, they want to assassinate me in front of everybody,” said Nitty on Facebook. “They made an announcement, and named me, and let everybody know that they were going to kill me down here today. And they are down here now, some of the AltRight groups they’ve been located with automatic weapons.”
While usually marching with the crowd, Nitty instead spent the time riding in a vehicle so that he would be less vulnerable to an attack. A group of people were positioned around the car, driven by Maria Hamilton – another noted Milwaukee activist, for his security. In his livestream, Nitty wanted his supporters to know how much he loved and appreciated them.
“I don’t care who wants to kill me, I just want to march with my people,” added Nitty. “This just shows I’m doing the right thing, and it’s worth it.”
Hundreds of people on social media expressed their deep concern for Nitty’s safety and outrage over the threat, especially in light of the upcoming and tragic anniversary for Medgar Evers. The civil rights activist was assassinated on June 12, 1963 by a member of a White Supremacy group, because of the work Evers did to remove school segregation in Mississippi.
With security precautions in place, Nitty continued to lead the June 3 protest from safety. The march had swollen into thousands of participants, when two groups of protesters combined. As a credit to the movement that peacefully demanded accountability for police actions, the crowd was comprised of a diverse mixture of racial ethnicities.
One protest group had started walking from Humboldt Park on Milwaukee’s south side, the other began at Gordon Park in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood on the north side. The route for both groups intersected near 6th Street and Wisconsin Avenue.
With MCTS bus routes suspended or redirected to give the marchers a clear path, the protestors proceeded East to the Lakefront, along Veterans Park, to the Brady Street footbridge over Lincoln Memorial Drive. A military helicopter, what appeared to be a UH-60 Black Hawk, circled the crowd for the duration of the protest. The rotor blades echoed in the sky above downtown, and military appearance elicited many unfavorable comments from members of the crowd.
Eventually the marchers gathered in a circle across from Bradford Beach as the sun set over the Lake Michigan horizon. Some participants spoke to those gathered, before the demonstration made its way up Lake Drive and west on North Avenue. The City of Milwaukee did not issue a curfew for June 3, and the protest remained completely peaceful over several hours and across many miles.
A handful of armed men had been spotted, and were approached near North and Oakland Avenues. The small group were members of an organization called Boojahideen, who wanted to attend the protest in support of George Floyd and the demands for racial equality. But the weapons they carried created confusion about their identity and purpose, and if they were affiliated with the White Supremacists.
Nitty’s social activism started in 2016, after the Sherman Park unrest. He then took part in the protests of fatal police shootings, becoming a popular and vocal advocate for peaceful marching. His social media livestreams also brought public attention to incidents of civil unrest and injustices. Nitty has spoken out about gun violence, and is seen as a trusted voice in Milwaukee’s African American community because of his efforts to make conditions better for people of color.
With plans to continue protesting in the days ahead, Nitty remains under grave threat from the unidentified Alt-Right group – which is using terrorist tactics commonly deployed in the South during the Jim Crow era. Nitty has also been recently intimidated by law enforcement members in Milwaukee.
“These will continue to be peaceful protests,” added Nitty. “We’re not trying to interact with the police, but are asking them to come out and help us keep safe while protesting.”
Milwaukee, June 7, 2020: Justice for George Floyd & Justice For All
Justice for George Floyd & Justice For All
1531 W Vliet Street, Milwaukee, 2-6 P.M.
An accessible march to support Black Lives Matter, end police brutality, and elevate justice for all.
This route is 4 miles start to finish. The route has been planned to avoid hills and is flat and downhill for those using wheelchairs or mobility aides. We will have ASL Interpreters throughout the route and available through live feed during the march. The march route incorporates 4 rest stops: staffed with medics, water, spray bottles, supplies, and ear plugs for those that need a break from the noise.
We will have multiple stops for moments of silence to remember our Black and brown family lost to police brutality. These moments will also allow us to hold space for individuals who may be experiencing heightened anxiety due participation in group settings.
Many people with disabilities are immune compromised, we request EVERYONE wear a mask properly and maintain 6 feet of distance. For those not comfortable in a group, there will be a vehicle caravan option.
***BRING SIGNS*** , hand sanitizer, and remember to wash your hands.
SHARE. SHARE. SHARE. SHARE. SHARE.
March Route will be posted soon.
Artwork by Tasha Fierce
Anyone willing to donate for accessibility supports and aide supplies, we accept through CashApp: $EstherLeaAnder30, please note J4GF (Justice for George Floyd)
Any left over funds will be donated to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund!
Milwaukee, June 7, 2020: Unite Chalk the Sidewalk
700 N Art Museum Dr. (Milwaukee Art Museum), 9 A.M. – 12 NOON
This event is being planned to bring Milwaukee protestors together to unite and show how beautiful this movement is by creating a large chalk “mural”. Whatever your artistic ability come out and help create an awesome art piece for the city to see. This should not be an issue with the museum as it is closed temporarily due to COVID 19. Be respectful and please clean up any mess you create. There will be garbage bags for cleanup.
Bring your own chalk if possible, we will be buying a ton of chalk for everyone to use but extras are welcomed. Please wear masks, bring any other supplies, music and your friends. Not sure what we might do to bring cohesion to this piece but I am open to suggestions.
This event is family and kid friendly!
Share the hell out of this! Tag an artist
Milwaukee, June 6, 2020: Plants 4 Protest Aid Fundraiser
Plants 4 Protest Aid Fundraiser
** MORE DETAILS COMING**
First and foremost, WEAR A MASK.
Plant sale going on this Saturday, June 6th. We will be selling plants in exchange for donations for medical aid for protesters during our peaceful protests in the coming days. We will be stationed on the corner of HOWELL AND MONTANA. If you are interested in donating plants, shoot us a message!
100% of proceeds will be going to the purchase of medical supplies and anything left over will go to local Black and Brown led organizations doing the work and leading this movement in the MKE community.
PAYMENT:
Onsite: Cash, Venmo, Paypal.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED:
– Donate Medical Supplies
– Donate Plants
– Donate to BLM or other local Black and/or Brown Organizations (linked below – MUST SHOW PROOF/RECEIPT TO RECEIVE PLANTS)
– Purchase plants onsite the day of the plant sale
– Donate reusable bags we can wash and use as first aid kits for protest medics on the ground.
MEDICAL SUPPLIES NEEDED:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aNC8dQeY3W91P23waE6_4YGkTWBGrwTEpqlV5G5hQtQ/edit?usp=sharing
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS YOU CAN DONATE TO:
– Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC)
www.blocbybloc.org
– Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT)
www.litmke.org
Hundreds March in Rockford, IL to Demand Justice for George Floyd and All Those Killed by the Police; Black Lives Matter!
Rockford, IL June 4, 2020
Milwaukee, June 7, 2020: March with PRIDE for #BLACKLIVESMATTER
March with PRIDE for #BLACKLIVESMATTER
Are you apart of the LGBTQA+ 🌈 community here in Milwaukee or the surrounding areas and want to show your SUPPORT for the #BlackLivesMatter movement? ….. do you want to show YOUR SUPPORT for a community so effected by systematic racism and oppression??…. have you wanted to STAND UP for what’s right as a unified community ???
IF the answer is YES, join myself and MANY OTHERS are we STAND UP and WALK for what’s right … which are BLACK LIVES …. there’s many ways to celebrate pride BUT this would not only show how you support but also how YOUR PRIDE guides u to things unlimited !!!!
THIS SUNDAY, June 7th, at HENRY MEIR Festival grounds (main gate that is used for general admission for PRIDEFESTMKE ) at 1pm …. we will walk for PROGRESS OF OUR BLACK QUEER, TRANS, and gender non-conforming LIVES… because THEY MATTER!!!
Come dressed in your rainbow gear or something FABULOUS like we are 😊..signs of hope love and support, bring your kids or WHOEVER … and let’s unify like NO OTHER in this peaceful protest demonstration !!!
Ms. Bernadette BJ Lark: Roanoke, VA Police Violently Attacked the #Saytheirnames-Stop the Killing March For Justice May 30, 2020 / ‘RACISM Is a Real Invisible Threat to My Life That I Face Daily’
June 03, 2020
Re: FORMAL COMPLAINT – May 30, 2020 violent attack by police in Roanoke City Virginia
Attention:
Roanoke City Chief of Police Roman
Roanoke City Manager Cowell
Members of City Council
Sherman Lea Sr.
William Bestpitch
Anita Price
Michelle Davis
Joseph Cobb
Patricia White-Boyd
Joseph Cobb
Djuna Osborne
(Please see attachments as supporting documentation of my formal complaints)
I am Bernadette BJ Lark, a Black American female. I live in Roanoke Virginia with 15+ years serving my community in arts, and education. I am a mother of 3. I have a MBA, and minor master in education. I was previously employed as a teacher in Roanoke City Public Schools for 8+ years. I am currently employed as an educator at Jefferson Center Music Lab for 5+years. I have been recognized as a Roanoke Citizen of the Year for Arts and NAACP youth Impactor’s recipient. I have been violently attacked by Roanoke City Police and law enforcement officers. Memorializing this trauma is extremely tasking, and I’ll do my best documenting this formal complaint.
My delay in submitting this communication memorializing my experiences and eye-witness accounts is because I’m still trying to process the trauma of being violently attacked and violated by law enforcement. I’m memorializing my experiences and witnessed accounts during my walk from Washington Park to Roanoke City, VA police department on Saturday May 30, 2020.
My experience has been that Roanoke City Virginia leaders behave as if they need to see the reprehensible behavior of law enforcement, to acknowledge it. It shouldn’t have to be this way, but it is. We need to see it to acknowledge the truth that it exists.
The history that Roanoke VA leaders have taught me is the need to actually see injustice before leaders will fully accept it. Morally, and ethically, that is not a good thing, but a disturbing truth to my trauma.
Kionte Spencer and George Floyd are not the first Black Americans to be murdered by police. We all know the horrific actions of the Minneapolis police would have been covered up if it wasn’t for the videos being exposed to the public. Kionte Spencer’s and George Floyd’s inexcusable deaths might have gone unnoticed by most of the country.
Rodney King, along with myself, were not the first Black Americans attacked by police. But King’s beating caught on video by Los Angeles cops in the early 1990s was where many Americans had no choice but to acknowledge this reprehensible behavior.
Roanoke City Police and other law enforcement have been videoed on Saturday May 30, 2020 using (what I believe to have been) tear gas, pepper spray, paint and rubber bullets. These violent, and harmful things came raining down on me, and numerous other unarmed individuals.
I watched as police were putting on armored gear, and ballistic-like hardware with snipers targeting me, and unarmed civilians including children in non-violent protests.
This militarization of Roanoke’s police department was on full display during my walk, as many would describe as “a simple march.” The response was unwarranted and extremely violent.
I witnessed an armed white man confront law enforcement and appeared to flaunt his rights without suffering bodily harm on Saturday May 30, 2020. My experience was totally different; as an unarmed Black female I was violently attacked by law enforcement.
Saturday’s violent attack vividly reminded me that not long ago angry armed White men destroyed property and murdered Blacks when James Meredith attempted to integrate “Ole Miss” before 3,000 federal troops quelled the riot in 1962.
I remember how angry armed white men beat down and attempted to burn and murder the bodies of Freedom Riders in Birmingham and Anniston, Alabama. I remember the video of angry armed White law enforcement in Selma, Alabama trampling and beating unarmed nonviolent Black protesters on the Edmund Pettis Bridge in 1965.
I also remember in all of these hate-filled instances police/law enforcement stood by and watched without impeding. Birmingham Police Commissioner Bull Connor made it clear to the hate-filled racist mobsters that, “when the bus arrives at the terminal, the mob will have 15 minutes to burn, bomb, kill and maim without police intervention or arrests.” This violence was unleashed on Freedom Riders. The FBI was aware and knowledgeable of the attack in Birmingham way ahead of time and decided not to intervene.
More recently, I’m reliving the trauma of Roof murdering nine black members of the Mother Emmanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina. This emboldened avowed white supremacist Dylann Roof was treated with more care and respect than I received. Law enforcement provided a meal from Burger King during his interrogation by police.
The way I was attacked Saturday, coupled with all of these examples of law and disorder are singed in my collective memory and many other Black people. When I see our community being devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic and institutional racism, it is a blatantly clear reminder that white people can arm themselves in so-called peaceful demonstrations while no alarm bells go off among most of their white peers.
The hypocrisy is plain as day, undeniable. Dr. King was celebrated because he took a non-violent stand against violent mobs of white citizens and law enforcement agencies.
Investigate the sources of any false claims that informed non-violent individuals made “premeditated, retaliatory lethal” attacks on police, and/or government buildings May 30. I can assure you this will be proven to be not only highly inaccurate and inflammatory, but incited opposition to the Black Lives Matter actions and protests in and around Roanoke City Virginia.
Why were the white people freely permitted to carry assault weapons and not be attacked by Roanoke City Police and law enforcement on Saturday?
Roanoke has a clear double standard for armed whites versus me. I don’t even care if there is a law that allows open carry in place because I know that this would never be allowed if the people with military grade assault rifles were not white. And don’t try to convince me that these were simply Americans taking advantage of their Second Amendment rights.
I know that none of these individuals who walked from Washington Park May 30 included assault weapons carried by someone other than the heavily armed police and white men. Can you imagine what the news coverage would have said if just one Black man showed up at one of these Black Lives Matter protests with a weapon? All hell would have broken lose; you know this is truth.
I’m struggling to continue processing in words what I experienced, but I’m hopeful you will communicate with me as soon as possible to begin the healing process for me, and possibly others.
Submitted,
Bernadette BJ Lark (BJ Brown)
Community ARTS-reach Founder, Artistic Director
——————————–
P.S.: Here is what I shared with concerned community members on social media for review:
For those who told me to stay at home where it is safe don’t protest……for those who told me covid19 is an invisible disease……racism is an invisible evil deadly disease.
Breonna Taylor. Shot to death AT HOME. The suspect they claimed they were looking for was already in police custody.
Aiyana Mo’Nay Stanley-Jones (July 20, 2002 – May 16, 2010), was a seven-year-old African-American girl from Detroit who was shot in the head and killed by Officer Joseph Weekley during a raid – AT HOME – conducted by the Detroit Police Department’s Special Response Team on May 16, 2010.
Atatiana Jefferson was shot to death in her Fort Worth, Texas, AT HOME in front of her 8-year-old nephew by a white police officer who opened fire through her bedroom window.
Botham Shem Jean at the Greenville Avenue Church of Christ in Richardson, Texas, Sept. 13, 2018. Jean was shot and killed by Dallas police officer Amber Guyger in his apartment in Dallas – AT HOME.
Williams, an Air Force veteran and mailman, called police during an armed robbery at his house, but was shot by police when they arrived – AT HOME.
The list goes on and on and on: Racism is so bad that police would come to BLACK AMERICAN homes, pull individuals out of their homes, and lynch us.
Government/RACISTS set fires to HUMAN FLESH, homes, businesses, and churches in Black communities. FACTS. Don’t bark Jim Crow law of unlawful assembly at me. Covid-19 is a real invisible threat to my health. RACISM is a real invisible threat to my life that I face daily.
I didn’t plan to watch George Floyd’s murder, just like I didn’t plan for the Covid-19 pandemic. I respond how I choose about what matters to me. You do what your heart/soul instructs you to do and I’ll continue to do what I can, while I can, when I can, for who I can.
I did not protest any constitutional rights yesterday, I protested for the UNBEARABLE recognized grief of Black American Mothers! Mothers of Black Americans!
Thank you for loving me and caring for me. I love you all so very much too. 📢❤️in this TOGETHER
Attached photos:
One photo #JusticeForKionte 2016 -myself and 2 individuals…..photo from yesterday’s protest 2020! IT’S REAL TO ME…….look at Roanoke City put snipers on the roof top – where are those snipers, pepper spray, paint guns, rubber bullets, mace, batons, tasers, during my time of protest with a much larger protest group Woman’s March 🤔😠🤔???…… systemic racism is evil. I was at the front TALKING PEACEFULLY WITH THE POLICE and after their countdown to PEACEFUL protesters they implemented their VIOLENT BRUTAL TACTICS… completely unprovoked …if you were not there then your reports could be flawed! I’m wearing my purple Dashiki..the same one I spoke to the protesters in at Washington Park yesterday before the March against police brutality. If gathering and marching is dangerous, then parades should be cancelled…..WE TOLD THE POLICE WE WOULD NEVER BURN THE JAILHOUSE! (as they ludicrously informed)….OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS ARE IN THOSE CAGES!!!
Ms. Bernadette Brown, top left; Armed open carry white man, top right; Police sniper on roof, bottom right; Police launching canister at unarmed non-violent protesters, bottom left; #Saytheirnames-Stop the Killing March For Justice in Roanoke, VA.
All photos May 30, 2020 Roanoke, Virginia
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Roanoke, VA May 30, 2020 / Photos: Sana Baban
