police violence – RI Future

July 7, 2016July 7, 2016

Video shows PVD police officer repeatedly punching woman

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Providence police are reviewing a video that shows an officer punching a woman in the face several times and dragging her down a flight of stairs by either her hair or the nape of her neck. The incident was first reported by NBC10.

“We are reviewing it,” said Providence Police Commissioner Steven Pare. Police believe the incident in question occurred on May 23, 2016.

Click here to read a redacted copy of a police report pertaining to an incident from that date that appears to coincide with the events seen in the video.

He said the police department will comment further on the incident after the officers involved are consulted.

Because only a “snippet” of the incident is depicted on video, he cautioned the public not to rush to judgment. “When anyone looks at police use of force it can appear somewhat shocking,” Pare said. “You don’t see what led up to that kind of interaction.”

He said punching a suspect, even repeatedly as is shown in the video, can be appropriate use of force for a police officer. “We suspect the officer was being assaulted in that video,” he said. In the video and the police report, the officer claims he was bitten. “If she is in fact biting him, then that could give justification.”

GoLocalProv, a tabloid-esque local news website, erroneously claims the video is an exclusive. “GoLocal came to us after channel 10,” Pare said. “Channel 10 first gave the video to us at about 2pm.”

July 7, 2016July 7, 2016

What can we do about police violence against black people?

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#AltonSterling and #PhilandoCastile are the latest trending hashtags, representing people of color killed by the police on video. If you’re like me, the outpouring of emotion on social media is both cathartic and frustrating. I clicked the “Sad” reaction on Facebook over and over, and then compiled this list for what else to do:

1. Learn the issue.

This is an emotional issue all around. But don’t be that guy who says “cooperate with cops and it’ll be fine,” or “for every suspect killed by police, there’s a police officer killed in the line of duty.” I saw that comment recently, and: NO, wrong! Check on which jobs in the USA are the most deadly, and police officer isn’t even in the top ten. (This is why “Blue Lives Matter” is nonsense.)

Check what the evidence shows, on MappingPoliceViolence.org and more: implicit bias leads police to kill black Americans disproportionately, and they’re only charged with a crime 3 percent of the time. (This disproportionality is why “Black Lives Matter” makes more sense than “All Lives Matter.”)

2. Learn allyship.

This one is mainly for my fellow white people! “Privilege” and “ally” are suddenly trendy buzzwords that I have mixed feelings about. There is a ton to read online, but here’s a handy reminder from Kayla Reed on twitter:

A- Always center the impacted
L- Listen & learn from those who live in the oppression
L- Leverage your privilege
Y- Yield the floor

One little way to Leverage white privilege is to speak up about race to fellow white people, like I’m doing with this blog post.

3. Join SURJ / White Noise Collective.

In addition to your conversations, learn how can white privilege be leveraged collectively. The people of Showing Up For Racial Justice have ideas! The SURJ chapter here in RI is coordinated by the White Noise Collective. Sign up to stay posted on local opportunities for involvement, and maybe I’ll see you at the next demonstration.

4. Join DARE

No, not D.A.R.E. that educates kids about drugs. Rhode Island is the proud home of DARE as in Direct Action for Rights & Equality, which includes a committee on policing and incarceration. If you’re an Eastsider like me, going to DARE might feel a bit odd, but do it anyway. DARE has a track record of real victories for RI social justice.

5. Back the Community Safety Act

First, consider this list of 15 Things Your City Can Do to End Police Brutality. It looks great, but even harder to accomplish than the average “Things You Can Do to Burn Fat” online list. The good news for Rhode Islanders is the pending Community Safety Act for Providence. DARE is part of the coalition promoting this bill. Learn about it so that you can mention it to your City Councilor when you see each other. Speaking of which: do you know who your elected officials are? (Level two: do your elected officials know who you are?) Electoral and legislative work has its limits, but it is absolutely worth paying attention to.

Some people want to be on campaigns and in hearings; some people want to be marching in the streets; both have their place and support each other. You can do some of each, or just find your lane and stay in it. There are lots of ways to do something. Don’t do nothing.

June 20, 2015June 22, 2015

Juneteenth vigil for Black women lost to police violence

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More than 100 people gathered in India Point Park in Providence Friday evening for a Juneteenth vigil “to pay respects, mourn, honor, and acknowledge our fallen Black Cis and Trans Sisters who have lost their lives and freedom at the hands of the Police State.” Participants cast flowers into the Bay to remember the lives lost, and to honor their memories.

The event was described by organizers as a “vigil for the lives that are too often forgotten or pushed aside. The names who do not get chants, the faces who do not get to be transformed into posters, the people who are not chosen for Million Marches.”

Organizer Monay McNeil opened the space by reading a poem by Lucille Clifton.

Organizer Andrea Sterling delivered a powerful opening statement, saying, “We will acknowledge the ways in which society has deputized those even without badges to police Black bodies, Black women, and we’ll speak against that kind of police violence and terror as well.”

Organizer Helen McDonald shared thoughts about the recent shooting in Charleston, that took nine lives, including six Black women. “…attacking the black church is more than an attack on a physical space. It is an attack on a people, on a culture, on a history and on a legacy. Importantly, an attack on the Black church is an attack on Black women…”

Organizer Dania Sanchez then asked participants to speak the names of women who lost their lives to police violence. There were too many names spoken, and the list was of course not complete. Many those named were commemorated on the beautiful signs and posters brought by members of the Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM).

Participants were then invited to cast flowers into the water, to symbolize and commemorate the lives of Black women who have lost their lives to police violence.

The event closed out with a powerful open letter from all the organizers, Andrea, Dania, Helen and Monay, to “those who claim to love Black womanhood — our collective passion, histories, political work, bodies, and victories — but do not love Black women.”

Their words hit close to home.