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Protest to Stop Police Brutality
For more info: (323) 446-7459 / October22nd_LA@Yahoo.com / Myspace.com/October22nd_LA
14th Annual National Day of Protest to
Stop Police Brutality, Repression & the Criminalization of a Generation!
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Thursday OCT. 22, 2009
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GATHER - 12 Noon
Florence & Crenshaw
S.C. Los Angeles
MARCH to Leimert Park – 2pm
RALLY - 4pm
VIGIL - 6pm
New Years 2009. Oscar Grant in Oakland, Saul Soriano in the San Fernando Valley and Adolph Grimes in New Orleans, all murdered by police in the first minutes of the year. 16 year old Avery Cody in Compton. 17 year old Carlos Rivera in South Central. 18 year old Salvador Zepeda Alarcón in East LA. Dontaze Storey was killed by LAPD while protecting his girlfriend from an attacker. Marcus Smith, killed in front of a family party, was Inglewood PD’s 5th victim in the last year. Jonathan Pinkerton in Chicago. Sean Bell in New York. All shot down, murdered by law enforcement, their lives stolen, victims of a nationwide epidemic of police brutality.
Two women, Annette Garcia and Susie Young Kim, were killed in front of their children. Young husband and father Julian Alexander was killed at his home in Anaheim. The LAPD gave its highest honor this year to the cops who killed baby Susie Peña in Watts when they were supposedly trying to “save” her. When did killing parents and babies become a heroic action?
The racist arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates this summer, in his own home, showed that any Black man or woman, no matter their stature, education, or accomplishments, can be targeted for brutality, even murder, at any moment.
So-called “illegal” undocumented immigrants are forced into a constant state of fear through racist ICE checkpoints and raids that rip apart families in a heart beat.
Meanwhile, a whole generation of youth is treated as guilty until proven innocent, locked away for years for petty offenses like graffiti, with no hope for the future. Oppressive gang injunctions keep young folks, affiliated or not, living under severe harassment by police, who treat youth as criminals for simply associating with family members.
Police across the nation attack those of us who stand up against this brutality, but they’ve failed to silence our voices. In New York, police recently raided the home of outspoken activist and mother of Malcolm Ferguson (killed by NYPD), Juanita Young, beating up several guests at a family gathering. But she refuses to suffer in silence and relentlessly fights for justice. Here in LA, founder of Homies Unidos Alex Sanchez has been locked up on outrageous charges meant to silence his voice. A community of support is growing around him though, and Homies continues to speak out for immigrant rights and peace. In the Bay, 100 were arrested for protesting Oscar Grant’s murder and several are still facing bogus felonies. But thanks to their determined actions, Officer Meserhles is now awaiting trial for murder!
Oct 22nd, 2009 is the 14th annual national day of protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation. On that day in cities across the country many different people will take to the streets against police brutality and murder, against the criminalization of youth, and against the targeting of immigrants. It’s more important now than ever for EVERYONE to step forward; whether as a 1st timer or as a veteran continuing the struggle for justice.
The time for sitting back and accepting this injustice has passed, it’s time to organize together and rid our communities of this brutality! We need to put a stop to this and drag the truth about the nationwide epidemic of police violence and repression into the light of day for all to see. It’s up to US!
No More Stolen Lives!
Fight Back! Wear Black!
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The October 22nd Coalition meets
Every Sunday @ 5:00pm
@ Chuco’s Justice Center
1137 E. Redondo Blvd
Inglewood, CA 90302
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