Issue 159
June 3, 2020
“It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”
☛ James Baldwin
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Art by Nikkolas Smith.

✊ Because It. Must. End. ✊

The last 10 days in this country have been heartbreaking, horrifying, and enraging. Over the last few months, the country has struggled through a devastating pandemic, one that has disproportionately impacted the lives of Black and brown people, laying bare the deep inequalities in our public policy and institutions. And then, on top of that pain and loss, come the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd. Just hours before Floyd was killed, Amy Cooper was in Central Park calling the cops on Christian Cooper, a Black birdwatcher. This week, we’re discussing what you can do to support the #BlackLivesMatter movement and fight back against white supremacy and police brutality. Because It. Must. End.
On March 13, police in Louisville broke into Breonna Taylor’s home on a no-knock warrant looking for a man who didn’t live there. Police shot her eight times and killed her. Breonna was just 26 years old. She worked in an emergency room, with hopes of becoming an EMT. Three months later, on the same day a white womxn in Central Park attempted to weaponize the police against bird-watching Christian Cooper, an unarmed Black man named George Floyd was arrested in Minneapolis. Handcuffed and on the ground, Officer Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd down at the neck with his knee and did not budge for 8 minutes, even as Floyd begged to breathe. Three officers stood idly watching as terrified bystanders pleaded with the cops. Floyd died an hour later.
Floyd’s murder feels eerily similar to that of Eric Garner’s in NYC in 2014. Unlike Garner’s killer, who faced no criminal charges, Floyd’s killer was immediately fired and charged with murder. But this doesn’t come close to enough. It’s not about finding a “few bad apples”—it’s about fundamental reform and systematic accountability. There will be no justice for Floyd until these officers are found guilty and sentenced with the full force of the law. There'll be no justice till we defund the NYPD. There'll be no justice till we #SayHerName: Breonna Taylor was killed by the police—and the media is ignoring her. There'll be no justice till we all intentionally discuss and fight for Black womxn. And there'll be no justice till the Amy Coopers of the world do the hard, lifelong work of confronting their white privilege and fragility, and start working every day to dismantle white supremacy. If you're white, don’t be fooled into thinking you’re nothing like her.
1) Protest against police brutality. Scream, shout, make your voice heard. If you’re a non-Black broad, make space for Black organizers and protestors and keeping your eyes on the police. Here’s a resource for how to prepare.
2) Give to Black Visions Collective, Reclaim the Block, Emergency Release Fund.
3) Support Black businesses in your community. Check out Black-owned NYC restaurants here.
4) Read (and watch): How to Be An Antiracist, Monster, We Want to Do More Than Survive, The Urgency of Intersectionality—the list goes on.
5) Commit to Sustained Action. Our next training is "Mutual Aid 101" on June 15. RSVP.
6) Speak Up. Recognize your privilege and speak up, especially when it's uncomfortable.
7) Contact your legislators. Tweet at @NYCMayor to end the curfews, which are an excuse for the NYPD to continue to use extreme measures of force. Tell city officials to defund the NYPD. Tell your NY legislators to end police secrecy and repeal 50a.
8) Uplift.Center Black voices in your activism and organizing. Today. Tomorrow. Always.

To our Black broads, please take care of yourselves. Check out these mental health resources for Black folks. ❤️

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