Mass march against Stop and Frisk this Sunday!
Join the 'Justice for Ramarley' feeder march!
- 'Justice for Ramarley' Vigil
Thursday, 7pm at 749 E. 229th St
- Harlem Street Meeting and Outreach
Sat., 1-3pm, 125th St. and Lenox Ave (Facebook)
- Ramarley Graham feeder march
at Stop-and-Frisk mass march
Sunday, June 17, 1:30 (Assemble at 1pm)
125th St. and Adam Clayton Powell (Facebook)
Contact ANSWER at 212-694-8720 to volunteer.
The
largest demonstrations yet against the NYPD's racist Stop-and-Frisk
policy will take place this Sunday, June 17 in Harlem. Thousands -- and
potentially tens of thousands -- will take to the streets for a Silent
March initiated by 1199SEIU and the National Action Network.
The ANSWER Coalition is building for a feeder march alongside the
friends and family of Ramarley Graham, as well as other organizations
that have been protesting weekly to demand justice. We will be gathering
at 1pm at the State Office Building at 125th St and Adam Clayton Powell
at 1pm, for a 1:30pm march to the main event. (The Silent March begins
at 3pm at 110th St. and Lenox Ave.)
There was a breakthrough in the Ramarley Graham case this week, as
Officer Richard Haste was charged with manslaughter for the fatal
shooting. That criminal charges were brought against Haste at all reflects the
consistent outrage, action and pressure from Ramarley's family and
community. In the vast majority of such cases, killer cops never face
charges. Over the last four months, there have been weekly community
vigils and marches, citywide days of outreach, as well as petitions and
letters demanding justice for Ramarley.
But a manslaughter charge is a far cry from justice. Ramarley was murdered. That is the charge his killers should be facing.
The criminal injustice system
The
norm across the country is for the criminal "justice" system, from the
judges to the prosecutors, to protect their front-line enforcers. Sean
Bell's killers also faced manslaughter, only to be acquitted of all
charges by a bench ruling from a judge. Officer Johannes Mehserle in
Oakland, who was caught on video shooting Oscar Grant in his back while
Grant laid handcuffed on the floor, served less than a year.
Time and
again, we see the double standard -- heavy sentencing and mass
incarceration for African Americans, Latinos and poor people in general,
while those who serve the system get slaps on the wrist.
The ANSWER Coalition is determined to help Ramarley's family win
justice, and keep the struggle going. They need all of our support. With
their son already murdered, the local mass media has been waging a
vicious campaign to assassinate his character.
In addition to the mass march on Sunday, there will be the weekly
vigil for Ramarley in the Bronx this Thursday at 749 East 229th St (near
White Plains Rd.) On Saturday, we will be holding another street
meeting in Harlem at 125th St. and Lenox Ave. to let the community know
about Ramarley's case and the mass march against Stop and Frisk the
following day.
In other words, there's a whole week of activity for you to support
the growing movement against racist police brutality and profiling,
culminating in the Sunday mass march. Join us and get involved!
Contact us at 212-694-8720 to volunteer.
