Story Archives 2015

Like many young men of color in America, Mario Woods was a young African American man who was fatally shot by the police. He was a young man who had many friends and family who loved him. He was murdered on December 2nd 2015 because the police thought he had a knife in his hand.

On December 7th my friends and I at Deecolonize Academy went to a vigil. The night was dark and we had to walk a couple of blocks to get there. They were holding the vigil at the place were Mario Woods was killed. It was near a municipal transport stop and grouped around the altar and fanning out all across the street, were about one hundred people.

They had an altar for Mario Woods and many people were there including his friends from the community and his mother. A couple of people were speaking at the vigil. “What happened to this brother yesterday was a direct product of Gentrification” said one supporter. After the vigil, everyone marched down to a town hall.

Mario Woods mother talked about the loss of her son and said that she did not want any other mothers to lose their sons like she did so we need to figure out a solution for these killings. My opinion about all of this is that it's another young man of color being killed and it needs to stop before anyone else gets killed.

On December 2, 2015 a young 26 year old African American named Mario Woods was shot dead by police in the Bay view district. It was a tragic day for the young man's family and community, but one thing I want to let you readers know is that this has been happening non stop all over the world.

A couple of days later approximately 100 people gathered on Gilman st where the killing took place at and we made an altar dedicated to Mario Woods. It was really unnecessary for 8 to 10 cops to fire 15 to 20 shots at Mario Woods. They could've made a different decision so Mario woods could be with his family.

A week after Mario Woods passed away there was a walk out in San Francisco by students of June Jordon High School. Deecolonize Academy was invited.  When we arrived at 16^thand mission in front of the Bart station there were young men and women there who were wearing backpacks and talking. There were approximately 80 people at first, then the other high school students arrived. It was a windy day. Then people start talking in front of the crowd. There were posters and organizers talking. A few of my classmates went up and told their opinion about how they felt about what happened.

After we started marching there were lots of cops waiting for us to start marching so they could see the truth and understand what they have done. We marched all the way to San Francisco City Hall. It was terrifying seeing all these cops trying to police us at the end of the protest. It was approximately 400 people when we left.

How I feel about this is that the cops who kill our black and brown people get away with it just because they are wearing a badge and the people's families who lost their children have to suffer and deal with that all of their lives while the cop killers are living their lives.

Editors Note: Mr. Jose Villarreal is one of several power-FUL PNNPlantation prison correspondents. As currently and formerly incarcerated poor and indigenous peoples in struggle and resistance with all plantation systems in Amerikkka, POOR Magazine stands in solidarity with all folks on the other side of the razor wire plantation.

Chicano Nations: the Hemispheric Origins of Mexican American Literature by Harissa K Lopex. New York University Press 2011. 208 Pgs.

This book seeks to identify and translate today’s chican@ literature and traces its history. Lopez takes a different approach to arly writing and the birth of chicanismo is literature. Not enough has been written about Chiano literature in a political context, yet this work is necessary in order to take Aztlan deeper in understanding todays Chicanismo, where we have been and our future in literary world.

As I read ‘Chicano Nations’ I wondered why such emphasis was layed on Sarimiento, Zavala and Perez and their tamed approach to Amerika, which I later found could not be thoroughly contrated except with the critiques of Vallejo’s views toward Amerika. 

Lopez explores a “post nationalism” for chican@s. What she overlooks is that in society everything is stamped with a nation Class and Gender character- including literature. Throughout history, there has always been some who in the comfortable confines of stability, view the Chicano Nation via integration lenses. This phenomenon is mirrored in the Black bourgeoisie who see the nomination of Obama as a sign of “post racial” Amerika or that the U.S. has entered the age of color blindness. This, of course, is absurd. So long as national oppression exists there will be a need for national liberation struggle. U.S. Imperialism continues to keep a boot on our necks and on poor people all around the world. This is reflected in the courts, prisons and particularly in the SHU’s where we are kept in solitary confinement, which has been defined as torture.

The most unity I have with Lopez is found in her description of Alurista where she says on pg 203: “Chicanas/os cannot be truly free until they recognize that the struggle in the United States is intricately bound with the anti-Imperialism struggle in other countries”.

Lopez alludes to the interconnection of the oppressed nations as a whole as up against our common oppressor. This is essentially the principal contradiction in the world today.  That is, the oppressed nations vs. the oppressor nations and, of course, the US today serves as the world Imperialist center. It is true that today’s Aztlan needs to clip the tethers of bourgeois nationalism and take on a revolutionary nationalism which, I think, cuts to the heart of our oppression or identifies the main source: Imperialism. Only in this way will we see national liberation for Chican@s as a step toward the liberation of all humanity. What I and my study group have come to understand is that we are for the self-determination of Chican@s and Internationalists at the same time. Indeed, we understand that true internationalism cannot be fully achieved until all nations are fully liberated as Lenin stated.

Where I find the most disagreement with Lopez is oddly on that same page (203), where she states: “The struggle against racism and injustice is a global, historical struggle, and we are all – Chicanas/os, Anglos, World citizens – imbricated in a global network within which we feel the tug and pull of these small battles that are more visible and pressing post 9/11”.

Such vague phrases promote the Amerikan apologist line where some feel we are all somehow at fault or responsible for causing such oppression. This of course downplays the oppressor’s role in national oppression. What’s more dangerous in this approach, is that it then gives birth to the idea of somehow the oppressor will come to understand we are all “imbricated” in this network and allow Aztlan to stand up or support our full liberation, rather than the more correct approach of understanding that the oppressor will never relinquish their power and privilege willingly and thus the need for Chican@s to do our own Nation building.

Ultimately Literature plays a huge part in what path the Chicano nation takes in the future, thus it is up to our Chican@ cultural workers to scratch out the path word by word and letter by letter so that this body of Chican@ literature serves as the bricks in our future road to a liberated Aztlan, a socialist Aztlan. This book is one of those bricks that add to the building this path. 

In The Photo:  In the background there is a white sign with Black letters saying: Hallf of all people killed by police have a disability end racist police terror!  Terrea Mitchell with eye glasses - holding Black Lives Matter /Jeremy McDole poster, People’s Power Assemblies..In the background there is a sign that reads Stop Attacking Disabled People with a red circle with Donald Trump’s face and a thick redline crossing his.  Beside Terrea is a Black man with a sign saying People with disabilities need decent jobs livable wage, quality home and health care and transportation.

Leroy Moore:  I was so excited to see the article of people with disabilities protesting the police killing of Jeremy McDole, a 28-year-old African-American paraplegic who was shot and killed by police in Wilmington, Del., on Sept. 23 while in his wheelchair.  Give us/me some background about the People’s Power Assemblies, the activists who called for this protest and the connection between police brutality and disability.

Terrea Mitchell of  Peoples Power Assemblies: The PPA is part of the Black Lives Matter movement collective. Well reading from our mission statement: Peoples Power Assemblies (PPA) organizes to empower workers and oppressed people to demand jobs, education and healthcare while fighting against racist police terror, sexism, LGBTQ and ableist oppression. PPA is a network of activists and organizations that are committed to a world free of oppression of any kind. These are values that we hold in our meetings as well as in the streets. I am an activist who was disabled. I thought about calling an action because half of the people killed by police have a disability. I didn't feel this was being highlighted, so I brought the idea to the group to do an action on the International Day of persons with disabilities to highlight police brutality, and killing of disabled people, as well as access to decent jobs with livable wages, quality,  affordable housing, and health care.  Issues that working, and/or poor people deal with, but that particularly affect the disabled community. Ezell Ford, Natasha McKenna, David Felix, Jeremy McDole, Shereese Francis are just a few of the many disabled people being murdered by police officers nationwide.

Leroy Moore: Tell us what goes on in your meetings and how are the assemblies organize.

Terrea Mitchell of  People’s Power Assemblies:  In our meetings, we usually do a report back on actions that may have taken place the following week or two. Actions we attended to show Solidarity, or ones that we organized, or helped organize. We usually have an agenda to discuss upcoming actions, some political discussion about a current event. Attendees and members can submit an idea for an action, or event. And we also have announcements so that people from other organizations can announce their upcoming actions. There are people's power assemblies chapters across the United States. From Baltimore, Maryland, to New York City, to Los Angeles, California.

Leroy Moore:   How did/do you make the protest and your meetings accessible?

Terrea Mitchell of  Peoples Power Assemblies:  We tried to make sure our action would be accessible to disabled people by choosing a location that had an elevator and an escalator, that was fairly free of obstacles, barring the people of course and had freedom of movement. Our meetings are in a building that has an elevator. Our materials are not so accessible, but I'm still working with my crew on to resolve that issue.  We do have  a spanish interpreter, and generally if someone needs a special accommodation let us know beforehand, and we will do our best to accommodate you. Just keep in mind we are a small grassroots organization with limited monies so our solutions will be low tech and inexpensive. And if we don't know something, or you think of something better, or we were amiss in providing an accommodation - let us know. We try to think of all contingencies but we are humans but we do forget and make mistakes.

Leroy Moore:  Give us some background of the activists who attend the protest and are they deeply involve in the assemblies.

Terrea Mitchell of  Peoples Power Assemblies:Our members come from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Approximately 95% of them work full time jobs, some as many as 50 hours plays a week but they still take time to organize, plan, coordinate, and carry out an action. i.e. protests, rally's, marches, speak outs, outreach, etc. Nate Chase, KaLisa Moore, and Kim Ortiz are just a few of the PPA members who have been targeted for arrest and harassment by NYPD. KaLisa Moore is a founding member of the NYC PPA since 2013.

Leroy Moore:  Knowing that over 50% of police shootings are people with disabilities but at the same time our voices are not heard in the media and in movements how can we change that not only locally but also nationally?

Terrea Mitchell of  Peoples Power Assemblies: We change the way we are doing now, by casting light on the issue of police brutality against disabled people. We do it by going to organizations that assist and service disabled people and demanding that they make this issue front and center. We do it but advocating for ourselves, become a part of the Black Lives Matter Movement, or any organization that fights for social justice and demand that they put these issues on the table. After all it's not us vs. them people, law enforcement and the criminal justice system overall, are hurting and killing all of us, disabled or not, they make no distinction. I say this with the caveat that if you are a disabled person you must be prepared to address accessibility challenges, and other issues that go with working with fully ableist bodied people, if that makes sense. After all, you are most likely working with people that have never encountered people with disabilities or they interactions with people who have hidden disabilities. I'm saying this to say that you may experience some level of frustration as they adjust and make accommodations for your particular 

disability.

Leroy Moore:  Is there going to be a follow up from the protest and is the assemblies going to continue to work on the issue of police brutality and people with disabilities?

Terrea Mitchell of  Peoples Power Assemblies: Yes. We plan to do this again next year for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2016, and as the need arises before then.  We're taking feedback and assessments of the last action to make this an even bigger and better one. We will be reaching out earlier and more often to organizations that work with, and/or are run by people with disabilities.

Leroy Moore:  What do you think is needed in our communities to keep people with disabilities “safe” from police brutality?

Terrea Mitchell of  Peoples Power Assemblies:  What is needed in the communities to keep people with disabilities safe: is Copwatch, someone monitoring and filming  cops, asking the person if they're alright during their interaction with officers; coming out to support a protest against police brutality and to demand justice for people murdered by police; if you are not able to physically join an action support by volunteering, we need bodies and capacity to do the background work- making signs, banners, flyers, phone calls, social media etc;  support grassroots organizations monetarily with donations. We need paper, ink flyers, banners, etc.

Leroy Moore:  What is next for Peoples Power Assemblies?

Terrea Mitchell of  Peoples Power Assemblies:  We are having an action Sunday December 20th, 2016. Say no to Trump and his racist megaphone, in New York City at Trump Towers 56th street and 5th Avenue. His dangerous and racist rhetoric has resulted in black lives matter activists being beaten and  assaulted at his rallies, and violent speech and acts perpetrated against Americans of the Muslim faith and mocking people with disabilities.

Leroy Moore:  How can people get in contact with you all and any last words?

Terrea Mitchell of  Peoples Power Assemblies:  You can reach people's power assemblies by: coming to our weekly Wednesday meetings from 7 to 9 p.m., 147 West 24th Street, New York NY. Take the For 1 train to 23rd st.  2nd Fl. Solidarity Center.   Visiting our website - peoplespower.net or http://peoplespowerassemblies.org/

emailing us at - info@peoplespowerassemblies.org phoning us (212)-633-6646. We won't be holding any meetings December 23rd or December 30th 2016.

As we see over and over police terror against our people in almost every major city in the USA, almost every time the activism, journalism and concerns of people with disabilities are left out.  If you know my journalism than you would know that I try to get the words, images, cultural expression and activism of Black disabled people who have been effected one way or another by police brutality.  Some journalist/activist swoop down into cities of the latest high profile police shooting  however very few even have the thought about the disabled community and having an activists, cultural worker or a local bloggers with a disability share how police brutality affects the disabled community.

I reached out to two Black disabled activists in Chicago to share what they feel what is going down there from the police shooting of Laquan McDonald to Spike Lee’s new film Chi-Raq and more.  Both  Candace Marie and Timotheus Gordon Jr. are in their mid twenties, are born and raised in Chicago and both are of course activists and involved with Access Living, an independent Living Center in Chicago.  

A while back I interviewed Timotheus Gordon Jr. aka Black Autist, a Black autistic activist/journalist about police brutality, journalism and activism when it comes the Black community and now today Gordon continues to says it straight out:

“Chicago is on fire right now, and as an autistic self-advocate and media junkie, I have a front row seat in the display of turmoil and newfound activism in the city. Part of me is enjoying the discussions that have been unfolding in the last four months. For starters, we have the great debate on Spike Lee's new film "Chi-Raq".  I am ecstatic that someone is attempting to educate the world about the bloodshed in Chicago. However, I doubt if I would actually spend money to watch it in theaters, because I don't endorse the underlying notion that the male and female genitalia are the reasons why Chicagoans are acting a fool. It is a copout; I don't think violence can be solved by celibacy alone and having (consensual) sex is not really why gangs are killing each other, innocent people are killed, police appearing to have the license to kill without sound reasoning.”

Candace Marie has a high profile online and a friend told me that she has a history of working with youth with disabilities and police brutality cases so I perked up and got in touch with her online.  She has been active in the budget battles of special education where the head of Special Ed stepped down in Chicago Public Schools, CPS, over the last few months cps has threatened to implement cuts in special education that is going in right now.  Candace called me after leaving a meeting on the budget cuts to special education where activist are seeing one story and CPS is telling a totally different story. She told me,

“A education newspaper in Chicago called Catalyst reported After a “thorough review” of planned cuts to special education services, Chicago Public Schools officials announced during Thanksgiving break that the district would restore dozens of positions and bring total staffing to a level higher than last year.”  Candace goes on to say  "That may be true for some but it's not the full picture.  The reality in the classes is another story and that everybody is scrambling to deal with lay offs of many teachers, clinicians, and paraprofessionals!”

The special education cuts in Chicago is linked to the bigger picture of the shooting of Laquan McDonald.  Candace told me that people in McDonald’s community and school knew he had a mental health disability and matter-of-fact its getting hard to track the history of his education in the media because some wants to keep it hidden.

As a young Black disabled advocate, Candace, has witnessed and saw discrimination because of disability for example, when she first joined the disability youth advocacy group they were advocating against a nursing home for children with disabilities. Come to find out that the nursing homes are still open after killing a large number of kids due to neglect. When she saw the power of speaking out. she became an activist.  

Candace Marie  and Timotheus Gordon Jr. both agree that the Disability Movement has a lot of successes and have a foundation of seeing people with disabilities stand up’ that says laws, polices, cultural, and history includes PWDS. Both have seen people with disabilities but most are not a-part of the disability rights movement at protests of the police killing of Laquan McDonald. 

We all know that Chicago has been on the news and activists are not settling until justice is done for the cover ups that the police department and government officials have done. Laquan McDonald, Stepson Watts, Rakia Boyd all Black and had disabilities and other should not die in vain in not only the city of Chicago but throughout the state of Illinois.  Gordon told me his thoughts of what is going on and what it means to him as a Black disabled young man.

“My Activism has been on the rise since November 2015. We have been fighting against the Illinois budget war, public housing inaccessibility, and a broken public school system since (at least) the beginning of Governor Rauner's term. But with the Fight for 15 and the release of the Laquan McDonald tape, I believe more people of Chicago are starting to fight for their rights and call for the end of the scandalous Mayor Rahm Emanuel era. The wide-scale protests rivals that of the string of Baltimore actions in the aftermath of Freddie Gray's murder.

Not so fast! Don't think Chicago is all of sudden turning into a complete, united place yet. The city still sweeps a group of important citizens under the rug: people with disabilities. How come we can mobilize and fight against the wrongful death of Laquan McDonald but not the dissolution of special education in public schools? I would go further: where is the Black community when it comes to issues among people with disabilities, such as the special education cuts? How come the Black community choose to holler when the police kill our own, but remain quiet as a mouse when people with disabilities yearn to participate in the same community? I do know why there's such a disconnect between the African-American community in Chicago at large and black people with disabilities. However, if they continue to ignore Black people with disabilities needs and exclude them, then surely the at-large community will remain split into factions: "cool" black people vs "those people over there". Inclusion of people with disabilities in movements and actions can help solve some of the major issues in the city and in ethnic communities within Chicago.

Especially now with Black Lives Matter and Say Her Name as a Black woman with a disability, Marie gives her perspective.

As a Black Women with a disability I think Say her Name is important. It’s a perfect movement for the time that we are in. All the elements from our past are blending in with tools of our present. Social Media has really put our stories on front Street. In our society Black women are devalued and expected to just get over stuff. The layers of misrepresentation through media and propaganda of only showing certain sides of women.  We as people have a lot of layers and identities which include disability and the Say Her Name campaign  sheds light that women of color deal with police brutality as well.  

Now the latest police shooting, Saturday,  December 26th/16 in Chicago of a Black young man with mental health disabilities, Quintonio LaGrier, 19 year old has once again uncover the usual conversation over the mental health police crisis training in Chicago and the need to fund it again.  I asked Marie is police training enough.

No its not enough. We as a community have to stop being in fear of one an other. We need to learn how to provide care for one another without relying solely on police. We barely have any mental health support. Those that do exist are at capacity.

Marie believe whole heartily that there should be youth programs across all areas for Black and Brown youth with disabilities. She goes on to say.

Our community (talking about my Black community) don’t embrace disability identity much. We need spaces to support our young people’s growth. When I discovered I wasn’t the only person in the city of Chicago with disability my confidence level boosted up tremendously. If we had more spaces for youth of color with disabilities in all youth development programs our futures would be so much brighter.    

Candace shared with me an recent report entitled 2013 Disability Status Report Illinois from Cornell University that have shed a picture of disability in that state and in almost every category Blacks make up a huge percentage of the disability community and therefore make up a  large percentage of people living in poverty and so on.  One of Candace’s 2016 goals is to reach out to Black organizations to put the issues of what Black disabled Chicagoans are facing including police brutality on their agenda and to create a bridge between Black organizations/leaders and the disability community in Chicago led by Black disabled activists. 

As we get ready for a new year, Candace, the organizer of Advance Youth Leadership Power, who has been mentoring  Timotheus Gordon Jr. both are planning a forum around police and people with disabilities sometime in the Spring of 2016.  Please stay intouch with Access Living, an Independent Living Center in Chicago, where Candace works at 

https://www.accessliving.org 

And follow Timotheus Gordon Jr. an his blog

http://blackautist.tumblr.com

By Leroy F Moore Jr.