"...we as a family has been slapped in the face by a system that has denied us a right to true justice. We truly do not blame the jury, but we blame the system."
- Cephus Johnson, Oscar Grant's uncle
In Memorial.
Oscar Grant
Duanna Johnson
Aiyana Stanley-Jones
Sean Bell
James Popkowski
Adolph Grimes
Patrick Lee
Corey Harris
Annette Garcia
Fong Lee
Robert Mitchell
Martin Anderson
Kathryn Johnston
Joseph Erin Hamley
Jessie Lee Williams Jr.
Juan Herrera
These are just the people who died from their mistreatment at police hands in the last few years (and I'm positive I did not get them all).
What about Christopher Harris, Angel L. Rosenthal, Kelly McAllister, Frederick Mason, Jeremy Burke, Jessica Asprilla, Derek Copp, Lori Penner, Ronnie Holloway, Brian Sterner, Angela Garbarino, Robin Kassner, Hope Steffey, Robert Davis, Cornell Greathouse, and so, so many others who haven't died, who have gone unnoticed or been silenced or kept their names out of the records for their own safety?
This has to stop. Police are supposed to exist to protect their communities, not terrorize them! And you know what, if that's not true, then fuck'em, we don't need them! And we don't need their fake justice. We'll keep each other safe!
Cuz you know what I see, looking through all these cases?
Every single person deviates from the kyriarchal standard in some way. Black, Native, physically or mentally disabled, trans*, Latin@, LGB, activist, Asian, poor, immigrant...they're all positioned in opposition to authority, as a threat to the system.
Do you think that's a coincidence?
I don't.
