Movement For Black Lives

Land is Power. Land is Liberation. Land is The Commons.
On Juneteenth 2017 (Monday, June 19th) Black people across the country will take back land and reclaim space, from vacant lots to empty school buildings. We are taking back land that should be used for the good of the people; land that has historically been denied to Black people. Through these actions we will confront the institutions and individuals that have been built off the extracted wealth of Black people and Black land.

Click here to join the call.


This is an open call, led by the Black Land & Liberation Initiative, to Black folks to launch actions in their own communities, or to join actions that are being planned.

Learn more about this initiative on the BLLI info call Wed, May 24th at 5pmPST/8pmEST.  For more info read the manifesto.

Register for the info call today.

Onward,


Movement For Black Lives

June 10 at the Howland Cultural Center

NYS NAACP call for justice

NEW YORK STATE NAACP CALLS FOR JUSTICE FOR MR. SAMUEL HARRELL, AN AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE INMATE BEATEN TO DEATH BY NEW YORK STATE CORRECTION OFFICERS AT FISHKILL PRISON ON APRIL 21, 2015

DR. HAZEL DUKES, PRESIDENT
LEROY GADSDEN, J.D., CHAIRMAN, CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE

FACTS:
1. On April 21, 2015, Mr. Samuel Harrell a non-violent African American Inmate (bi-polar) was involved in a confrontation with New York State Correction Officers at Fishkill Prison.  A confrontation that led to Mr. Harrell being beaten to death by numerous correction officers.  

2. Prior to the fatal beating by correction officers, Mr. Harrell was not charged or accused of any type of weapons related offense.

3. After the beat down, correction officers called for an ambulance, but according to medical records, the officers mentioned nothing about a physical encounter. Rather, the records showed, they told the ambulance crew that Mr. Harrell probably had an overdose of K2, synthetic marijuana.

4. An autopsy report by the Orange County medical examiner concluded that Mr. Harrell, 30, had cuts and bruises to the head and extremities and had no illicit drugs in his system, and died of cardiac arrhythmia, “following a physical altercation with corrections officers.”

5. The Orange County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide.

6. The New York State Correction Department has failed to take any type of appropriate disciplinary actions against the officers and supervisors who not only appeared to beat Mr. Samuel Harrell to death but lied in an attempt to conceal and or justify their actions.

NO CRIMINAL CHARGES HAS BEEN BROUGHT AGAINST THE OFFICERS INVOLVED IN THE FATAL BEATING
(18 months and counting)

Undoing Racism Training

Subject: Hudson Valley Leaders Organizing Training for Undoing Racism Challenged by How to Deal with Race Issues in Your Organization?  Concerned about the Impact of Race and Racism in our HV Communities? We invite you to take part in a half-day of organizing training led by Ron Chisom, co-founder of The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB). Ron will bring several PISAB  northeast organizing leaders to share insights and years of experience organizing to undo racism across the nation.   Date, Time and Place: Saturday, May 20th  10:00am – 3:00pm  The Sharpe Reservation 436 Van Wyck Lake Road, Fishkill, NY 12524 Cost: $10 includes lunch This is an invitation-only event for HV organizing leaders. Please RSVP by May 13, 2017 to:  Tracy Givens Hunter (thgivens@gmail.com)  or, Pete Heymann (heymann.peter@gmail.com) Session participants will engage in a comprehensive exploration of how we as anti-racist organizers and social justice activists can gain organizing skills, strategies and tactics to better lead the effort to bring Undoing Racism Workshops back to the HV. Undoing Racism Workshops are unique 2 1/2 day workshops offered by The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, a national, multiracial, anti-racist network from New Orleans dedicated to ending racism in our lifetime. Now in its 38th year, PISAB has provided training, consultation, and leadership development to more than 500,000 people in organizations nationally and internationally. The PISAB analysis moves beyond a focus on the symptoms of racism to an understanding of what Racism is, where it comes from, how it functions, why it still persists and how we can effectively organize to Undo Racism in our communities. Key areas of discussion will include: 1. Assessing where we are in our level of organizing skills 2. Hearing success stories strategies and tactics 3. Learning from History 4. Sharing organizing experience 5. Organizing to Undo Racism Let’s gather together to organize to Undo Racism.  Please RSVP now. Peace, Peter

Peter Heymann