1. Raise them to understand that war games foster ignorance, and that true warriors have a passion to protect all beings from harm

2. Raise them to recognize and respect the absolute sovereignty of all women

3. Raise them to not rape

4. Raise them to not be cops

“But, I do think that what it comes down to is the cultural technology of insurgent practice. There are always, everywhere, in every social space, in every moment, strong and large institutional contradictions. There are always social divisions, whether they’re class divisions, relations of exploitation, whether they’re racial subordination, whether they’re patriarchy, whether they’re gendered divisions or cultural divisions or religious ones: human society ubiquitously generates relations of domination, subordination and division. And in doing so, it ubiquitously generates institutionalized divisions. And those divisions are always a resource for insurgency. Now, the divisions are not the same and the constituencies are not the same. The targets or tactics cannot be the same. The claims can’t be the same. But it’s my strong belief that there’s always the capacity for people to tap the power of disruption, and find ways to leverage those broader institutionalized cleavages in order to sustain disruption as a source of power from below.”

Where

Michigan Department of Corrections, 206 E. Michigan Avenue, Lansing, MI.

When

Monday, November 2, 2015, at 12 Noon.

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https://vimeo.com/143147528

His gun was just a toy.

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FreedomTuesdayz, Michigan Ave. The sun sets early. The streetlights are surprisingly good, though. D, J, and J on the island between lanes on the east side of the intersection. J, L, and S by city hall, SE corner of Huron and Michigan. Our signs say “Honk If You Don’t Trust Police,” and “Protect Black Life,” and “Justice for Aura Rosser.” D’s drumming and horns honking ring through the night.

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Alicia Garza

[One year ago today]

I created #BlackLivesMatter with Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, two of my sisters, as a call to action for Black people after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was posthumously placed on trial for his own murder and the killer, George Zimmerman, was not held accountable for the crime he committed. It was a response to the anti-Black racism that permeates our society and also, unfortunately, our movements.

Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.

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October 14, 2015
Michigan Theater
7:00 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. doors

Currently there are over 2,500 juveniles serving a sentence of life without the possibility of parole (LWOP) in which roughly 60% of those youths were first time offenders. In recognition of Conflict Resolution Day, the Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) is shining the light on this issue and how alternatives forms of conflict resolution may be able to combat the pitfalls of the school to prison pipeline.

By providing an opportunity to view and discuss this film together, we hope to 
engender community concern for the issue and stimulate action to move the needle toward reform in how juveniles are sentenced under Michigan law.

At this event, the DRC hopes to educate the community about the juvenile justice system and promote a community conversation about change. After the film, Washtenaw County Circuit Judge Timothy Connors will moderate a panel of experts on the legal and social issues surrounding juvenile lifers.

For more information, check this out.

And the bitter irony, demonstrative of why the law appears humane to most white people: the husband was sitting in his car, blocking traffic the entire time his wife was abusing us, and kept sitting there while telling the police that D was impeding traffic. I don’t think the cop even noticed.