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In Solidarity with Ferguson
One Billion Rising Revolution stands in solidarity with the people of
Ferguson and their demands for justice. We stand in solidarity with
the African American Policy Forum and share their statement below.
AAPF Co-founder Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw is a V-Day Board
Member.
The African American Policy Forum
The stunning announcement that Darren Wilson will not face any charges
in the shooting death of Michael Brown is a bitter disappointment not
only to the immediate family of Michael Brown, but to all of those who
value justice, police accountability and human rights. We are
particularly disturbed by the actions of Robert McCulloch whose
prosecutorial performance failed to instill confidence that the grand
jury decision was fair. Indeed, the tenor and substance of the
announcement revealed a process that functioned more as an indictment
of Michael Brown than a determination of whether there was probable
cause to try Darren Wilson for any crime. This defendant-friendly
grand jury process underscores concerns that the criminal justice
system poses insurmountable obstacles to real police accountability,
while setting very low entry points that funnel so many people of
color into prison.
We have been reminded that we are governed by the rule of law, yet the
painful reality of Ferguson, and the longer history of white supremacy
that proceeded it, is that legality does not necessarily guarantee
justice. As Martin Luther King, Jr. observed, “law and order exist for
the purpose of establishing justice [but] when they fail in this
purpose they [can] become the dangerously structured dams that block
the flow of social progress.” In the pursuit of a just order, we must
be frank in addressing how racism has shaped the law and the
day-to-day lives of those who must live in fear under its shadow. If
the national conversation that many are calling for is to move us
toward justice, then the widespread tolerance and support for policies
and practices that endanger the lives of Black people must be
unequivocally condemned.
As the body count of men
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, women
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and children
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killed by police continues to mount
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, we know that justice requires more than an indictment in this case
and in all the other tragedies that are unfolding. Our fight must be
for a comprehensive racial justice agenda that ensures full systems
reform. In addition to supporting actions in multiple arenas to ensure
that this critical moment will not pass, please join the coalition of
national civil rights organizations and individuals in demanding
http://action.vday.org/site/R?i=JWwW7cEHqm18kW_psOgcCw
concrete reforms to reign in state violence.
About the African American Policy Forum
AAPF is an innovative think tank that connects academics, activists
and policy-makers to promote efforts to dismantle structural
inequality. We utilize new ideas and innovative perspectives to
transform public discourse and policy. We promote frameworks and
strategies that address a vision of racial justice that embraces the
intersections of race, gender, class, and the array of barriers that
disempower those who are marginalized in society.
Website: www.aapf.org
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Email Address: afampolicyforum@gmail.com
Phone Number: (212) 854-8041
Mailing Address:
African American Policy Forum, Inc.
435 West 116th Street, Rm. 827
New York, NY 10025
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