BlackLivesMatter Printable Booklet

8/10/2019 BlackLivesMatter Printable Booklet

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BlackLivesMatter: A Zine

Intro

We dont know on which side you stand. Whether youre Black or White or Brown. Whether you

are protesting for Michael Brown or whether you think Officer Darren Wilson was just doinghis job or whether youre not really sure what the hell weretalking about. We hope this zinegives you a better understanding about why Black Lives Matter and why everybody is makingsuch a big deal about it.

Whats All this Ruckus about Mike Brown?

1.Mike Brown was an 18 year old black man who was killed by Police Officer Darren Wilson.

2.Mike Brown was shot dead, even though he was unarmed.

3.

Not just shot dead, but shot 6 times.

4.And then his body was left in the street for 4.5 hours.


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Followingis an excerpt from an interview with Mike Browns friend, Dorian Johnson, whowas with Mike Brown at the time of the incident. [1]

The two walked and talked. Thats when Johnson says they saw the police car rolling up to them.

The officer demanded that the two get the fk on the sidewalk,[]After telling the officer that they were almost at their destination, Johnsons house, the two continued walking. But as theydid,Johnson says the officer slammed his brakes and threw his truck in reverse, nearly hitting them.

[]Johnson says the officer attempted to thrust his door open but the door slammed into Brown and bounced closed. Johnsonsays the officer, with his left hand, grabbed Brown by the neck []

Hes [Mikes] pulling away, thats when I heard, Im gonna shoot you.

[] I seen the barrel of the gun pointed at my friend, he said. He had it pointed at him and said Ill shoot, one more time.

A second later Johnson said he heard the first shot go off.

Eyewitness reports are conflicted about what happened next, exactly.

Some say Mike Brown was shot while kneeling, his hands raised up in the air, pleadingDont Shoot. Another says his last words were I give up. Yet another says he wasnotkneeling, he was standing.

None of that changes the fact that Mike Brown, an unarmedblack man, was shot six times.

His body was then left in the street, uncovered, for4.5 hours

.

You can read a complete guide of every eyewitness account here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/31/1340611/-The-

complete-guide-to-every-public-eyewitness-interview-in-the-shooting-death-of-Mike-Brown
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/31/1340611/-The-complete-guide-to-every-public-eyewitness-interview-in-the-shooting-death-of-Mike-Brownhttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/31/1340611/-The-complete-guide-to-every-public-eyewitness-interview-in-the-shooting-death-of-Mike-Brownhttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/31/1340611/-The-complete-guide-to-every-public-eyewitness-interview-in-the-shooting-death-of-Mike-Brownhttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/31/1340611/-The-complete-guide-to-every-public-eyewitness-interview-in-the-shooting-death-of-Mike-Brown


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Whats the deal with Darren Wilsons Indictment?

After this horrific shooting, people called out for justice.

The next step was for Officer Darren Wilson to be indicted.

So what is an indictment anyways?

Basically its a way for someone to be formally chargedwith a crime in front of a grand jury. If the jury decides there is enough of a case, thedefendant is then put on trial.

Typically, its easy to convince a grand jury to indict a suspect.In 2010, U.S. attorneys

prosecuted 162,000 federal cases. Only 11 of those did notresult in an indictment. [2]

However, Wilsons case was thrown out based on conflicting evidence. This is absurd, but

not unexpected since police almost always get preferential treatment when faced with

indictment. [3]

This injustice pissed off a lot of people, who believe Darren Wilson should be tried in a

court of law, not let go under the assumption of innocence.

Darren Wilson has not really helped his own case since then. Not only does his version ofevents conflict with those of most eyewitnesses, but he is remorseless. He has refused to

apologize to Browns family, and bluntly stated that his conscious is clear and that hewould not have done anything differently. [4]

There is still a chance that Wilson may be brought before a grand jury again and indicted.National Bar Association President Pamela J. Meanes expresses her sincere disappointment

with the outcome of the Grand Jurys decision but has made it abundantly clearthat theNational Bar Association stands firm and will be calling on the U.S. Department of Justice

to pursue federal charges against Officer Darren Wilson. [5]


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But He Was Just Doing His Job

If a police officer grabbing you by your neck and choking youbefore so much as saying hands

in the air, and then shooting you dead in cold blood without any attempt to disable or stopyou in any other way, is just an example of a job done rightthen we need to seriously

question police officers jobs.Is the polices job to protect us? Or provoke & attack us?

Too often police have gotten away with murder with the excuse that they were just doing

their job Only 6.5% of cops are ever brought to trial after killing someone through

excessive use of force. [6]

According to the FBI, over 400 people have been killed by police just this year. However,this is based on incredibly incomplete data (only 4% of agencies actually report officer

shootings), so volunteer organizations have been researching and compiling more accuratestatistics. They report that upwards of 1,000 people are shot and killed by police each year.[7]

You can get a good visual of how many people are killed by cops each year by visitinghttp://www.fatalencounters.org/ .

All officers except one did not serve time for these deaths:

Full Infographic: colorlines.com
http://www.fatalencounters.org/http://www.fatalencounters.org/http://www.fatalencounters.org/


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Why Is This About Race? White People Get Shot, Too

This is true. White people are shot by cops. Police brutality should freak everybody out, no

matter their ethnicity or skin tone.

But, white communities are not targets for police violence and harassment.


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And studies show that police officers are more likely to shoot at unarmed black men.Here are some other statistics to think about [8]:

Black people are four times as likely to be killed while in custody or arrested thanwhites

Depending on the year, black people are anywhere from twice to eight times more likelyto die at the hands of law enforcement than whites.

If you still need more proof, just search racist cop on YouTube and youll get playlistsworth of disturbing footage of cops abusing people of color, from a gunned down 12 year old toa man holding a bebe gun ambushed & shot without warning at a Walmart.

How Could That Be For Real? Isnt Racism Over?

From the outside, it may appear to be that way. We no longer drink from separate waterfountains, and schools have officially been desegregated. We had the civil rights movement,and now all is good, right?

Not quite. There is still a lot of systemic racism in our society. That kind of stuff doesntgo away in a generation.

A lot of people dont even realize that they are thinking racist thoughts because seeing theworld through a racist lens has become so normalized.

The participantsplay a simulation where they press shootif

they think the white or black suspect holds a gun. Consistently,psychologists have found the students more likely to shoot the

unarmed black person over an unarmed white person.

[Police Officers Are More Likely to Shoot Black Men, Studies Suggesthttp://www.newrepublic.com/]
http://www.newrepublic.com/http://www.newrepublic.com/


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Just think how often black men are portrayed as thugs, gangstas, and criminals. We see thoseimages everywhere: pop music, movies, the news. This causes people to then have a very one-dimensional idea about the word black male.

For example, consider the image & language the media used to portray Mike Brown after his death:

Compare it to the language used to describe mass shooter James Eagan Holmes, who shot 12 peopledead and wounded 70 when he attacked a movie theater with an assault rifle.

Find more examples of this double standard on Huffington Post:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/media-black-victims_n_5673291.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/media-black-victims_n_5673291.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/media-black-victims_n_5673291.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/media-black-victims_n_5673291.html


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I Feel Really Uncomfortable Because Im White And I Dont Understand Why Black People Hate Me

When people get angry about white privilege or systemic inequality, its not about youpersonally. Its anger directed at the fact that there are certain advantages to being white

in the world that black people just do not have access to.

If you are white, no matter whether you are rich or poor, male or female, there is a goodchance you get to experience these benefits:

If I am in a university classroom, I am surrounded by other people of my own race whounderstand my point of view

If I curse, dress in thrift store clothes or sag my pants, it is not used as proof that I aman example of the bad morals, the poverty, or the illiteracy of my race

If I speak eloquently, people do not look at me in surprise, or congratulate me on actingwhite

My raceis overwhelmingly represented in all media, whether its books, movies, T.V., orpoliticians

I dont really spend time thinking about race because it doesnt impact my daily life

There are many more examples listed in Peggy McIntosh's essay, "White Privilege: Unpackingthe Invisible Knapsack." which can be easily found via google search.

These are issues that black people can never escape. Whether they are rich or poor, male orfemale, or how they are dressed, they must face racism in their life every day.

Sometimes, as was the case for Mike Brown and Trayvon Martin, this can even result in death.


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If you were black, would you feel like racism was over?

Or would you be really pissed off at all the racists who are harassing you, your community and your children?

I See Your Point But Violent Protests Dont Solve Anything

First of all, lets not get distracted from the real perpetrators of violence. The people whoare responsible for violence are cops like Darren Wilson and vigilante racists like GeorgeZimmerman. Not anti-racist, anti-police brutality protesters.

With that being said, these CRAZY violent protests are a myth. When people take over streetsand freeways, it is not an act of violence.


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Civil disobedience is a way for voiceless people to be heard. Sure it might inconvenienceyour commute. But do recognize that your life is not going to be ruined because you had to sit

in extra traffic.

Too often injustice in the world is allowed to continue, and other people continue to suffer,because we are too busy to pay attention.

Activists participating in these actions are using their bodies as a megaphone to communicateto the world. Use the moments stuck in traffic to allow yourself to think about and be aware ofwhat would cause people to be so passionate that that they would shut down a street over acause they believe in.

Also, lets remember cops in riot gear are pretty terrifying. Most people are not going tocharge at a man with a taser in one hand and a gun in the other.

Protesters may seem violent because they are loud, they are a large crowd, and they arespeaking out angrily about an injustice. But they are not hitting, punching, or shooting atpeople.

Do you know who is?


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But What About The Riots?

First, we encourage you to take another look at the photo on the previous page. If somebodywas beating the shit out of you, wouldnt you fight back?

Anyways. MLK spoke better than I could on this topic:

It is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that wi thout, at

the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society.

These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions toget attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard.

And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or

fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large

segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity.

Protesters Deserve What They Get: Theyre Breaking the Law

Protesters who occupy or take over streets are using the tactic of civil disobedience.

This is the same tactic that Martin Luther King Jr. not only advocated for, but activelyparticipated in.

Back when black people were occupying diners that shit was ILLEGAL.

The civil rights movement would not have succeeded if it wasnt for the brave men and womenmaking noise, causing a scene, and refusing to back down.


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Im Neither Racist Nor Radical Lets Find A Middle Ground

This is a historic moment. And when we eventually look back on moments in history, we canusually differentiate between the right and wrong and there are few moral grey areas.

During the Civil Rights movement there were people with all sorts of opinions about whetheror not black people should have equal rights to public/private spaces but now society for the

most part recognizes that there was only one right answer: yes.

Today a major question is: do black people have the right to be able to walk down the streetwithout getting harassed and shot at by police officers? Do Black Lives Matter?

There are people with all sorts of opinions on this topic, from the mind-blowingly overtlyracist to passionate human rights activists.

Choosing not to take sides is a choice to avoid difficult conversations in order to silentlyaccept things the way they are.

Which side of history do you choose to be on?

"Over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate.

I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negros great stumblingblock in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens Counciler or the Ku

Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to order than to

justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive

peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: I agree with you in the

goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action; who

paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another mans freedom; wholives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for

a more convenient season.

-Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail


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Epilogue: What Can I Do?

1.

Find Black rights groups in your area. A couple good places to startare the NAACP and black student unions.

2.If you are not Black, then ask how you can be an ally and then listen.Respect the voices of the people you are reaching out to; dontdominate the conversation.

3.Find protests near you and show up. Try typing Mike Brown intoFacebook search and we bet some events will pop up.

4.

Create an affinity group. That is a small group of people who youtrust. Plan your own actions and protests either independently or inconjunction with preexisting activist groups.

5.

Share this zine! Educate and inform people around you.

6.

Educate yourself. Be critical. Have an open mind. Be inspired byrevolutionary heroes like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Angela Y.

Davis.

7.Speak up!! Dont let your voice be silenced. There are so many infiniteways you can speak out against injustice: letters, music, street art,public speakingfind your strength and then DO IT DO IT DO IT!


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STEP 1. REALIZE RACISM STILL EXISTS.

STEP 2. SEE THAT POLICE BRUTALITY IS REAL.

STEP 3. END IT.

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BlackLivesMatter Printable Booklet