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I dream of Asian America #JusticeForAkaiGurley

This February, a grand jury indicted rookie NYPD Officer Peter Liang on charges related to the fatal shooting last November of 28-year-old Akai Gurley. Gurley, an unarmed African American man, was killed when he stepped into the stairwell of the public housing building where his girlfriend lived with their two-year-old daughter. At the time, Liang and another officer were conducting a vertical patrol, a routine tactic in which police officers sweep public housing buildings in search of criminal activity. Liang drew his gun and fired a bullet that hit Gurley in the torso, killing him.

Liang’s indictment has sparked protests … Read more “I dream of Asian America #JusticeForAkaiGurley”

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What Does The Indictment in the Madison, Alabama Excessive Force Case Mean?

On March 27th, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that a federal grand jury had indicted a Madison Alabama police officer for using unreasonable force against Sureshbhai Patel, a 57-year-old Indian grandfather. Police had followed upon a 9/11 call that a suspicious-looking “skinny black guy” was walking around a residential neighborhood. Mr. Patel happened to live in that neighborhood with his son. After questioning Mr. Patel, it became clear that he had limited English ability and was from India. Still, Officer Eric Parker assaulted him – video available here. The assault left Mr. Patel partially paralyzed.

Mr. Patel’s case … Read more “What Does The Indictment in the Madison, Alabama Excessive Force Case Mean?”

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Why We Can’t Trust the US State

A version of this talk was delivered originally at a teach-in on “Ferguson and Beyond: Race, State Violence, and Activist Agendas in the 21st Century” at the University of Washington on January 23, 2015. Video of the teach in can be viewed here.

Let me begin by pointing out some obvious, but oftentimes overlooked, points. We live in a society where we can’t escape the US state and its insistence on allegiance and loyalty. But, for many of us, the US state—and I use that term to refer to all levels of government, be it local, state, or federal—has … Read more “Why We Can’t Trust the US State”

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Practicing #Asians4BlackLives Solidarity: 5 Lessons from #shutdownOPD

The following is a reflection written by Christine Cordero, one of the participants in the #Asians4BlackLives solidarity action on Monday, December 15, 2014. Christine is a Filipina-American born and raised in the Bay Area, CA. She is an organizer, trainer, and public speaker with over 15 years of experience working and organizing for social justice.

On Monday morning, a multi-racial group of us shut down the headquarters of the Oakland Police Department for four hours and twenty eight minutes in response to a call from national and local Black leadership to end the war on black people. White, Asian, and … Read more “Practicing #Asians4BlackLives Solidarity: 5 Lessons from #shutdownOPD”

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Be The Change: A Call for Tolerance

A discussion of race such as we’ve not heard for decades is being inspired by the mass mobilization against police shootings of Black people, and in particular the remarkable determination of activists in Ferguson, now in their 133rd consecutive day of protest over the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown. More and more of us are talking, and the passion behind these conversations is rising.

I’ve been following some of these discussions, a few of which have been taking place in my inbox. Many of them center around arguments over racial theory and analysis. Questions like, who’s the most … Read more “Be The Change: A Call for Tolerance”

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This Is What Solidarity Looks Like: #Asians4BlackLives

New video captures Black-led, multiracial shut down at Oakland Police Department

For interviews with arrestees and members of #Asians4BlackLives, contact: Marie Choi, 510-239-7891, or Chinyere Tutashinda,  216-849-7172

On Monday, Dec 15th 2014, members of newly organized all-Black groups, including The Blackout Collective, #BlackBrunch and #BlackLivesMatter, joined with Asian allies in #Asians4BlackLives group and white allies in the Bay Area Solidarity Action Team to lead an occupation of the Oakland Police Department and demand an end to the war on Black people in Oakland and everywhere. Approximately 50 people participated in the action and were joined by a crowd of around … Read more “This Is What Solidarity Looks Like: #Asians4BlackLives”

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Five Things You Can Do Right Now!

 

Show up. There are protests continuing everywhere to interrupt business as usual, and put the focus squarely on demands to value Black life. Street heat is part of how we all get free. Show up. Speak up. Here are resources on actions taking place in different parts of the country. Please share any links that are missing in the comments below. #ThisStopsToday Ferguson solidarity actions Donate. ChangeLab has just given $2,000 to bail funds to support those who are putting their bodies on the line for BlackLivesMatter. Join us. Dig deep. This is our liberation, and we must invest… Read more “Five Things You Can Do Right Now!”
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Bringing the Model Minority Mutiny Home

This fall, in the wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown, and in the face of the mounting Black body count at the hands of law enforcement, ChangeLab put out a call for a Model Minority Mutiny. We called on Asian Americans to stand up against the model minority myth as an act of self-liberation from a humiliating, trivializing, and dehumanizing stereotype that has, for too long, been used as a justification for labeling Black communities as “problem” minorities, and excluding and criminalizing Black people.

Many Asian Americans were already part of the mobilization. Many more are … Read more “Bringing the Model Minority Mutiny Home”

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We Can’t Breathe: Why We Need to Give Racism a Chance

In the wake of the Mike Brown and Eric Garner decisions, of the excessive additional unarmed youth who have been killed in the short weeks following the injustice, and in the face of vast disparities facing our country at every level, I believe that there is an important discussion that we need to be having, but one being generally avoided. 

In our society, we’ve demonized the “R Word” so much so, that people pretend it doesn’t exist in our communities, and certainly not in our government, legal system, or other public spaces. That word, and problem, is racism.

A recent … Read more “We Can’t Breathe: Why We Need to Give Racism a Chance”

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What Does Model Minority Mutiny Demand?

A new generation of young Black leaders have ignited a movement. They have awakened the nation and the world to the longstanding, daily brutality of state violence against Black lives. There have been daily protests against police brutality in U.S. cities for over four months now, disrupting business as usual, shutting down intersections, bridges, tunnels, transit stations, and highways with clear demands for justice and accountability. And they won’t stop soon.

Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors are experienced organizers who created Black Lives Matter as an ideological and political container not only for the demands to end the … Read more “What Does Model Minority Mutiny Demand?”