There were eight police cars surrounding my house, guns drawn on September 11, 2020. They had come faster than thought. Faster than a white man’s tight pursed lips could put a period to his lie. This man with his posse of 4 had called 911 and said I had pulled a gun on him. Within minutes, sirens were blazing and a police officer called, ordering me to step outside. I do not own a gun. I have never even held a gun. I was teaching a writing class on Zoom. Bringing armed people to anyone’s doorstep will escalate a situation exponentially. But in a society where law enforcement has a long-standing history of violence towards Black people, calling 911 to settle a vendetta becomes more than a spectacle- it’s a recklessly aggressive act of endangerment. One that should hold consequences. Like millions of people in America I have been impacted financially by the pandemic. I’m a professional writer, and like artists and arts organizations, I’ve taken a major hit and was grateful for the rent moratorium offered in Los Angeles. He attempted to enter my home without proper notification. When I said no he decided to take my life into his hands. Governor Gavin Newsom has not yet signed AB1775, similar to the (Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies CAREN Act.) AB1775 would make it unlawful to make false emergency claims that are RACIALLY BIASED. That day, three beautiful black women saved my life. Tchaiko Omawale, an electric filmmaker and writer, hair black and neon cloud blue—a new mama to Flame, to whom we are all Zoom Aunties. Tonya Pinkins, in Seoul, Korea editing a film, a renaissance warrioress, Tony award-winning actress, writer, firebrand activist and Franki Cox my sister-friend, Godmother to my daughter, mama, writer with a vibrant soaring talent. They all watched on Zoom as I explained these men had come to my door. I considered calling the police. I heard a siren. They were watching…witnessing as the police officer called to tell me my home was surrounded. He told me my landlord had told them I had pulled a gun on him and the police “took that sort of thing seriously.” When they ordered me to go outside, all of my sisters on Zoom, a quilted patchwork of brown and tan women, terror in their eyes, mouths opens, heads shaking screamed at me, “Noooo! Noooo! Do not go outside!” The policeman asked sharply, “How many people are in there with you?” “Just me…and my class on Zoom.” Did that stop them? The idea of killing me with a screen filled with people watching. Was it being recorded they may have wondered? Walking back and forth, afraid any moment they would burst in the door. They asked to come in. I said, with the help of my sisters…NO! A black woman said no. I kept saying no. Guns around my house. I said no. They stayed. They stayed outside. They took a false police report as my girlfriend La Tina Jackson walked to my door and bravely entered. She walks with authority and grace. Their eyes on her. She was afraid I was dead. She was afraid I'd be shot. 5 black women against an ocean of blue and 4 white accusers. Eventually they left. In California as is true in the US as a whole, black people are more likely to have an encounter with police officers and are more likely to have firearms pointed at us by the police. We’re more likely to be detained, handcuffed and searched even though the police are less likely to find illegal drugs, weapons, or contraband on Black, Latinx and Indigenous people than when they search white people. We are only 9% of the population here, and yet we account for nearly a third of all police stops in Los Angeles, where I live. At any given moment someone could be calling 911 as an act of aggressive patrolling of Black lives and bodies. No one should ever have to be afraid in their own home. We shouldn’t have to be afraid to go birdwatching, sit out in the sun, play golf, go for a jog, teaching a writing class or any number of things that we may do to find joy or merely live everyday life. Why has Gavin Newsom not signed this Act that was already passed by the House and the Senate? Why has he not signed a piece of legislation that could curb the weaponizing of 911 community services? HE HAS UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30TH TO SIGN. DEMAND HE DO SO TODAY!

Thousands of Atlanta taxpayer dollars have funded the criminalization of Black musicians and culture. Eryk “Trapbone” Radical has been arrested over 20 times for playing his trombone in the public streets of the Atlanta metro area He has been harassed hundreds of times by police and interactions include physical assaults, K-9 searches, and irreparable damage to his 40-year-old trombone that’s an heirloom gift from his father. Trapboneis a husband, father, and professional street musician who has performed around the world and on stages with legends like Jay-z and Rakim. Yet the harassment and brutality from several police departments prevent him from freely playing in his own community. Trapbone has been making the city of Atlanta smile, laugh, reminisce, celebrate, commemorate, and reminding ourselves how valuable our past is for 10 years. Noone deserves the wrongful arrests, unlawful detainments, humiliation, aggravation, aggressive agitation, financial devistation, and family harm that has resulted from Trapbone simply playing his horn.

It’s happening again. Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is expanding in Detroit and has only agreed to commit $8.8 million in “community benefits” for a plant they are receiving a whopping $420 million in public tax abatements to expand. The worst part? This multi-billion-dollar company has failed to follow through on even the smallest commitments it has made thus far to the majority-Black community it claims to want to support. As part of the community benefits agreement it signed in April 2019 in order to receive the tax abatements, Chrysler agreed to renovate nearly 60 homes on Beniteau, the street closest to the project. Most of these homes are owned by Black, elderly, long-time residents. To date, they have renovated fewer than 5 of those houses. We must be clear about what this means. Not only does Chrysler think it’s acceptable to set aside less than 3% of the public funding it is receiving from the government for the benefit of the community, but it is refusing to be accountable to even the paltry promises its leadership has made to our people. Now, it is time for Chrysler to step up and work in cooperation with the people of Detroit to negotiate community protections that reflect the real health and environmental risks to Black Detroiters that Chrysler’s expansion has brought with it. We’ve long known that pollution takes its greatest toll on the health of Black communities, who are often left with few resources or recourse. That has never felt clearer than in the middle of a global pandemic, as politicians, corporations, and the healthcare system alike continue to make decisions that mean that Black people are contracting and dying of COVID-19 at higher rates than almost every other group in the country. Chrysler’s leadership, which has managed to find a way to offset increased emissions in its suburban plant, but has failed to provide a clear plan for how it will handle the increase in emissions in a neighborhood that is majority Black, is no exception. A national study links long-term exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 mortality. In the U.S., Black children suffer disproportionately from asthma, and are seven to eight times more likely to die of asthma than white children. Communities of color face nearly 40% more exposure to toxic air pollution than white communities. From Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ to the recently discovered cancer cluster in Houston’s Fifth Ward, we know why mega-companies like Chrysler feel comfortable making decisions that place Black people in close proximity to pollution and other environmental hazards. Chrysler is counting on environmental racism to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. We can’t let them. After George Floyd was murdered, Chrysler CEO, Michael Manley, sent an email to employees claiming that he “emphatically rejects the prejudice and hatred” Black Americans still face in this country. But the fact is, Chrysler bears a huge responsibility for the environmental violence, harm, and discrimination against Black people in Detroit, and is still actively profiting from that violence to this day. We deserve more than lip service from a company that has relied on us as both workers and funders for generations. We, the people, say NO to corporations and CEOs that claim Black lives matter in one breath while supporting our destruction in the next. Residents closest to the plant on Beniteau Street and others across the Eastside of the city, along with Detroit People's Platform have worked hard to bring these critical issues to the attention of local officials and Chrysler leadership with no success. Now, we need your voices to make sure Chrysler knows they must deal with the community in order to benefit from our public tax dollars. Sign our petition today and make sure Chrysler knows they must deal with the real Detroit if they want to keep building in our community.

The Village of Howard issued citations and a more than $7,000.00 fine to people protesting police brutality peacefully in the Green Bay suburb. The protestors are required to appear in court on September 29th. Freedom of speech should be free. Howard police should protect all people in the community, regardless of color, creed, income-level, or beliefs. Howard’s actions are a clear violation of the First Amendment and a deliberate effort to prevent any future protests in the suburb. At the Howard protests, which took place on July 28th, the group of 30 mostly young people received violent verbal assaults from homeowners. For most of the protest, the group was followed by a gang of counter-protestors waving Trump flags out their vehicle windows in an attempt to intimidate protestors. Howard, however, chose only to penalize the group protesting police brutality. Similar protests have taken place in other Green Bay suburbs. While De Pere and Bellevue welcomed protestors, the village of Ashwaubenon did not. It also invoiced the group $800.00. (Sign that petition here: https://campaigns.organizefor.org/petitions/no-fines-for-freedom-of-speech). Who to Contact: Burt McIntyre, Village of Howard President Phone: 920-434-0482 Email: [email protected] Ed Janke, Howard Public Safety Director Phone: 920-434-4640 Howard residents, contact your representative on the Board of Trustees: https://www.villageofhoward.com/Directory.aspx?DID=22

At DoSomething.org, the largest tech nonprofit for young people and social change, 24 current staffers walked out of work on September 8, pledging not to return to work until CEO, Aria Finger, resigns. In addition to halting work, staff members shared two letters outlining the failures of Finger’s leadership. Finger returned to DoSomething, after a leave of absence, despite stories of negligence, racial abuse, and discrimination perpetuated by her and her leadership. You can read the stories of trauma that staffers have shared and more updates on the walkout on Twitter or Instagram @DoSomethingEQ Aria and the Board of Directors have not recognized this group of staffers and the walkout. The staffers participating in the walkout comprise 100% of the fundraising and marketing teams and all but 1 member of the campaigns team -- the entire external facing staff that serves DoSomething’s mission. Staffers didn’t walk out on the mission, staffers walked out for the mission. Young people deserve a DoSomething that treats its employees with the same values and beliefs that they preach.

To educate the anti-abortion people that Planned Parenthood do more than abortions and offer Women and Men's health care, Birth Control, HIV services, Pregnancy testing and services , STD Testing, treatment and vaccines and why it is important to our society. A close friend of mine has been infected with an STD called gonorrhea when she paid a visit to get tested because she suspected that she had because of the symptoms and wanted to make sure about whether she has an STD or not, so when she got there she was already being harassed by 3 protestors and told me that she was very uncomfortable that she had to have me accompany her. We kindly told the protestors to leave us alone and that we are not interested in what they have to say even though we explained to them that she was just getting tested to see if she had an STD or not but they continued so we just continued to walk to the entrance and ignored them. They have every right to protest but they do not have the right to tell her or any other woman what she can and cannot do with her own body.

The same day a 17-year-old white extremist killed two Black Lives Matter protestors and injured another in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Green Bay Alderman Chris Wery called upon “all our patriots to defend our great city” of Green Bay. Alderman Wery’s words were a blatant invitation to bring domestic terrorists into our community. Wery’s Facebook post was disturbingly similar to the language used in a Facebook post by the Kenosha Guard, the white extremist group who invited 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse to Kenosha. The Kenosha Guard’s post called for: “Any patriots willing to take up arms and defend our city…?” Facebook has since removed the Kenosha Guard’s page for inciting violence—after Rittenhouse killed two people and injured a third. Alderman Wery’s dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric puts at risk the lives of Green Bay community members, especially Black, Indigenous, and people of color. As an elected official, we look to Alderman Wery to protect and represent all of us, no matter our race, color, creed, religion, or where we live. Wery’s dangerous and insensitive comments are the final straw in his long career of using his elected position to fan racism in Green Bay. Enough is enough. Language has consequences. We need to hold people accountable for the racist violence they promote. Language that incites violence has no place in our community. Please join the Greater Green Bay community in demanding Alderman Wery’s resignation. Contact: Green Bay Alderman Chris Wery 920-490-9282 [email protected]

UPDATE: On Tuesday, April 6th, the Manhattan Beach City Council voted against issuing a public apology to the Bruce Family for the unjust taking of their land in 1924 due to them being Black and bringing together Black patrons in Manhattan Beach. During a March 16th city council meeting, Mayor Suzanne Hadley said in response to the apology, “We do not want to ignore the past but we do not want it embroidered in a scarlet ‘R’ upon our chest,” later saying “I hear all of you who want an apology... I’m not litigious, I have not contributed to decades of case law around a single word. My hands are clean. But that word is a club that we can be handing to people to beat us with.” The majority of public comments and letters sent in during the council meeting showed support for a public apology. Still, the city council voted in favor of not apologizing, passing 4-1. Despite all of the voices who showed up to support the apology, despite the importance of an apology for reparative measures and true acknowledgment of harm done, the city of Manhattan Beach and its council members decided to recommit to racism and anti-Blackness with their own votes. When something as simple as an apology cannot be given, we have to ask ourselves “why?” And “who does this benefit?” We know that communities protect one another by voting in favor of repairing relationships and histories, yet Manhattan Beach refuses to condemn racism, to apologize for its racist past, or to acknowledge the ways in which racism and white supremacy continue to show up in Manhattan Beach today. Black joy, Black pain, Black experiences deserve a place in this community who has now, for almost 100 years, made intentional efforts to silence and erase us. We will stay put until the work is done. Until there is restitution for years of civil and human rights violations against the Bruce family, and restoration and return of their land. Original message: Manhattan Beach owes the Bruce family much more than an apology. Once the owners of one of the few thriving beach resorts that Black Angelenos were allowed to patronize in the early 1900s, Willa and Charles Bruce were not only subjected to escalating racist attacks from the city’s local Klu Klux Klan, but were eventually forced off their land by Manhattan Beach’s own Board of Trustees. Although the Board of Trustees claimed at the time that they needed the land to build a park, we know the real reason the Bruces lost their land. From Tulsa to Forsyth County, Black people’s attempts to build economic security for themselves in this country have been haunted by white terrorist violence. The land that the Bruces were forced off is no different, and represents just a tiny fraction of the nearly 11 million acres of land that Black people once had, but lost, due to fraud, deception and outright violence during the Jim Crow era. Now, after a recent acknowledgment from the Manhattan Beach City Council of the injustice the Bruce family has faced at the hands of the city for generations, some residents are proposing that a boutique hotel be constructed on the land as a form of restitution. That’s not right. That’s why Justice for Bruce's Beach is partnering with Black Lives Matter to let Manhattan Beach City Council know that if they want to rectify the harms of the past, they must meet the full demands of Manhattan Beach’s Black residents for restoration, restitution and reparations today. The Bruces’ land and business should have been the foundation of their family’s ability to build wealth, and to take care of themselves and each other. Instead, it became a source of riches for others. Not only did the city of Manhattan Beach take the Bruces’ land in order to preserve the neighborhood’s whiteness, but they vastly underpaid them and other Black property owners like them for the value of the land and the businesses that were taken from them. Today, with Manhattan Beach’s inflated and unaffordable housing, Black people make up just about 0.8% of the city’s population. That’s why the proposals for the construction of a boutique hotel that will likely remain out of the reach of most of its Black residents as a form of restitution for the city’s history of violence is a slap in the face. The fact is, Manhattan Beach won't be able to make amends for its racist past without restoring the land back to the Bruces, paying the Bruces restitution and paying reparations to its Black residents for blatantly discriminating against our community and making it impossible for us to own land in the area. Now more than ever, institutions like the Manhattan Beach City Council need to make good on their commitment to Black communities, and we’re starting by demanding that they meet our residents’ full demands for restoration restitution and reparations today. As protests against police violence continue, more and more institutions are coming out with statements to denounce racism. Many of those institutions are the exact same ones who have orchestrated the erosion of Black wealth and property for decades, if not centuries. Sign now to let Manhattan Beach City Council that fighting for racial justice is so much more than an anti-racism statement. It requires dedication and action behind those words. Declaring support of Black people isn’t enough and task forces and modified street signs won’t pacify us. If the city council truly believes Black lives matter, it must meet the full demands of its Black and Indigenous constituents for restoration, restitution and reparations in Manhattan Beach immediately. Thank you, Kavon Ward Founder, Justice for Bruce's Beach Chief Duane ‘Yellow Feather’ Spokesman and Historian for The Bruce Family Patrisse Cullors Co-Founder, Black Lives Matter Ronald Clinton Co- Founder, MBUSD Community Panel for Equity (MB4E)

The Village of Ashwaubenon mailed Hannah Lundin an invoice for nearly $800.00 for suggesting on social media that people gather on July 14th to show support for the Black Lives Matter (“BLM”) movement. Ashwaubenon compared the protest to the Cellcom Marathon and the Bellin Run and said someone had to pay for it. The protest was peaceful and no one was cited for anything. This action is a clear violation of the First Amendment and a deliberate effort to prevent any future BLM protests in the Village. The protest cost the city nothing, yet they singled out someone to pay. This was not an invoice – it was an illegal fine and a clear message to anyone else who may wish to take their political voices to Ashwaubenon. In the invoice letter, Ashwaubenon stated its commitment to First Amendment Rights and combatting racism. Let them know that charging citizens to express their views shows anything but a commitment to free speech and promoting racial equality. Who to contact: President Mary Kardoskee Village of Ashwaubenon 2410 South Ridge Road Green Bay, WI 54304 Phone: 920.492.2301 [email protected] Commander Nick Kozloski Department of Public Safety 2155 Holmgren Way Ashwaubenon, WI 54304 [email protected] Phone: 920.492.2995 Fax: 920.492.2986 Ashwaubenon residents! Also contact your village trustee here: https://ashwaubenon.com/government/departments/administration/boards-committees/village-board/

Greek life is beyond repair. Abolition is the only option for a system that was designed to exclude. As students, it is our responsibility to dismantle systemic injustice as it presents itself on the campus we call home. - Racism Greek life is inextricably tied to racism. Through a lack of diversity, exclusion, tokenism, and performative allyship, Greek life amplifies privilege and perpetuates disadvantages for marginalized people. As an institution with a history of racial exclusion, it is the epicenter of segregation and institutionalized racism on campus. - Exclusion Greek life is exclusionary. In the recruitment process in most chapters, legacies are asked back after the first day no matter what, giving them an upper hand. Legacies being boosted each cycle creates an environment that excludes everyone else. Historically, fraternities and sororities have been very white spaces, so most legacies tend to be white. Greek life lacks diversity. The exclusivity of greek life combined with the high retention rates of legacies create an environment that excludes new types of members. This is a problem because there has been a lack of support when issues are brought up by BIPOC members. - Tokenism Many WPA and IFC chapters tokenize BIPOCs. Using them on their promotional materials and social media, expecting them to speak for all marginalized people. Yet letting their expression of negative personal experiences fall on deaf ears. Placing the onus on a few marginalized members to speak for the group is especially problematic when they are used as tokens. - Performative Allyship Many efforts to reform Greek life have been performative. The recent activity surrounding Black Lives Matter is a good example. Part of the reason why reform is not possible is that most efforts will be used for optics instead of real systemic change. - Patriarchy Greek life is an institution that, by design, perpetuates the patriarchy and hinders our institution and society from being liberated from patriarchal ideals. Sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and rape culture are all facilitated and promoted within these social structures. - Sexism and Misogyny Greek life is sexist and misogynistic. Houses are only awarded to fraternities on campus and create an unbalanced social dynamic favoring cis-gendered men. Their space is dictated by their rules. The rules are not the same between fraternities and sororities, and they are reinforced by binary gender norms on both sides. In the past, sororities have tried to mix with each other, but because there aren’t houses for sororities, sorority members have had to depend on the spaces fraternities provide. - Heteronormativity and Transphobia Greek life is heteronormative and transphobic. Greek life isn’t always accepting of LGBTQIA+ people. Public displays of affection, whether at a mixer or a formal, that aren’t between heterosexual couples aren’t made to feel comfortable by many peers. Students often don’t feel like they are safe to simply show their affection when it is “normal” and accepted for heterosexual couples to do so. Transphobia is perpetuated through cissexism leading to harmful gender norms with the inherent exclusion of non-binary people. There isn’t a welcoming environment for trans folx to begin with. - Rape Culture Greek life promotes rape culture. Greek life is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence (against women) is normalized. Many efforts to prevent sexual violence haven’t led to any significant changes. The burden has been heavily placed on sororities to address this problem. For example, requiring sororities to have sober contacts to hold frat brothers accountable. Women have to monitor and keep track of which fraternities to avoid due to higher incidences of assault and/or violence. These issues are not new. These issues have been “addressed” time and time again. The problem has not changed because the existence of Greek life is the problem. No amount of reform or education can fix a system that was designed to benefit from these forms of discrimination. - Socioeconomic Exclusion Dues are how students maintain membership in their chapters. They are incredibly expensive (ranging from $400-$800 a semester). There aren’t nearly enough scholarships, opportunities, or payment plans put in place by fraternity and sorority chapters for students who can't afford dues to feel welcome. Having economic barriers for entry like this contributes to upholding classism within greek life. Part of sororities dues finances their chapters suites in the Women's building, which makes that building exclusionary. In addition to dues, many chapters require students to pay for miscellaneous items in large volumes that impact their experience in the chapter. Abolition isn’t about tearing something down. It’s about building something better to take its place. We want to see a new social system for our campus, one that reflects all of the students that are a part of our community. We want to assemble a team of students to reimagine social life after abolition. We want more funding and focus on clubs and other organizations that already struggle to get the support they need and deserve. We want to protect multicultural organizations due to marginalized groups being historically excluded. We want the university to stop encouraging student leaders to promote Greek life. There are other social systems in place that can be encouraged: ResColleges, other clubs/organizations, etc. We need statements of accountability from individual chapters after they disband or disaffiliate. If they are not able to disband or disaffiliate, they should mass deactivate to stand in solidarity with the Abolition movement. Washington University must hold the demands and wishes of students above the charters of individual chapters. Abolition is an example of the change we want to see in our larger society.

John Neville was murdered by five Forsyth County Sheriff's Deputies. He was brutally and inhumanely hog tied and restrained with a knee to the back. As Mr. Neville pleaded for his life and informed the staff that he could not breathe, they joked and laughed, but did not render help. Had the policies listed above been in place, Mr. Neville would be alive today. Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough has an obligation to manage a safe facility. He must make the reforms necessary to insure that all people in his custody are treated fairly, humanely and safely.

In 2001, Eugene Barber painted the mural that depicts many historical event in Baker county, from the civil war, all the way to civil rights. The problem is that it shows Three Klans men riding on horses. Not only is it disrespectful but its also contradictory considering we are all equal in the eyes of the law. The goal is to protect the artistic integrity while also compromising with conflicting beliefs, that’s why we believe that Heritage park or the local historical society would be a wonderful home for the Mural. Not only will the painting remain exact how Eugene Barber designed it, One of these sites would provide access for anyone who wishes to see it with arguably more ease. This isn’t the first petition to call for this mural to be taken care of, and hopefully it will be the last. How many more people need to come forward and say “this is hurtful” until James Croft and the other Commissioners realize that they them selves are holding back our county from being a great, strong, welcoming and loving county.