police violence

The police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has sparked a new round of Black Lives Matter protests, writes Peter Boyle.

Socialist councillor in Seattle Kshama Sawant addressed protesters on June 10, in the wake of their takeover of Seattle’s Eighth Precinct, from which police have been driven out. 

Geoff Mirelowitz has marched and demonstrated for civil rights and against racism for more than 50 years. But the daily protests in greater Seattle have been some of the most inspiring that he has ever participated in.

The rebellion against police violence and murder continues to expand in the United States. New demands are being raised concerning issues of institutional racism by Black and Brown people and in opposition to the symbols of white genocide by Native American nations, writes Malik Miah.

The defunding and dismantling of the standing police is the first step to creating a “safety force” under community control, with the ability to prosecute bad cops and those who are rarely thrown in prison, writes Malik Miah.

In the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, recent polls suggest US President Donald Trump may lose the November 2020 election, writes Barry Sheppard. Consequently, the Republicans are ramping up attempts to curtail African Americans’ right to vote.

Since protests erupted across the United States in response to the police murder of George Floyd, it has come to light that inaction by former Minnesota prosecutor, Democrat Amy Klobuchar meant killer cops were free to roam the streets, writes Emma Clancy.

In response to the murder of George Floyd by white police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, protests have erupted across the United States. Protesters took to the streets of New York City on May 31. These images were captured by Edward Leavy.

Blood and destruction are on the hands of the cops and the criminal justice system, writes Malik Miah, as an emboldened civil protest movement sweeps the United States.

Victoria Police are being used by the state Labor government to threaten and harass protesters who have been organising in support of asylum seekers on Manus Island. Activists described the behaviour of the police at a recent rally as state sanctioned violence.

On November 24, a neo-Nazi grabbed the rally microphone and began screaming into it that refugees were rapists and that they should not be bought to Australia.

A new investigation by In These Times has revealed that, by percentage of population, Native Americans are more likely to be killed by police than any other sector — including African Americans.

It also found that while cases of African-American police deaths tend to dominate headlines, killings of Native people go almost entirely unreported by mainstream US media.

The systematic police repression of African Americans that Black Lives Matter (BLM) has exposed has prompted Black athletes to express their solidarity. The latest has been the silent protests at sporting events initiated by Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for NFL team, the San Francisco 49ers.

His protest is simple. He kneels when the national anthem is played before games. In spite of attacks against him, other professional athletes have emulated his protest. Perhaps most significant has been the many high school players across the country who have joined in.

At 5pm on September 23 anti-racism activist Jafri was attacked, pepper sprayed and detained without provocation by Victoria police while holding up his "Stop Racism Now" sign — as he has done for years at Flinders St Station. During the arrest Jafri was not given access to legal or medical support. 

In a show of support, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Flinders St intersection on September 24, demanding accountability from Victoria Police and protesting police violence.

From January 15 to 26, five Resistance: Young Socialist Alliance members participated in an exposure tour of Malaysia, hosted by the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM). Day 1: Arriving in Kuala Lumpur and Bersih rallies We arrived in Kuala Lumpur late on Friday evening and stayed in dormitories that served as a training facility for the Catholic Church. That night, PSM members told us about the Bersih rallies, which have been among the largest demonstrations to have taken place in Malaysia.
I had no intention of going to Ferguson, the flashpoint of the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality. It was the United States’ dirty problem, not Australia’s. Then I read a piece about Black Lives Matter activists taking the mic from Bernie Sanders while he campaigned for Democratic presidential candidacy. Parts of the crowd booed.
The white police officer who shot two unarmed Black youths in May in Thurston County, Washington state, will not face criminal charges, the Thurston County Prosecutor announced on September 2, because the youths’ skateboards were said to be “threatening” the officer. Prosecutor Jon Tunheim said that rather than charging the cop, whose bullets left one of the young men paralysed from the waist down, assault charges would be filed against the two men, Bryson Chaplin, 21, and Andre Thompson, 24.

Pages

Subscribe to police violence