As grief and rage boiled over into mass protests in cities across the country in response to the police murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the violent assault of Sha’Teina Grady El, Prism has continued reporting on the communities most impacted by police brutality and other forms of state-sanctioned violence. In case you missed it, catch up with our recent coverage below:
Tamar Davis spoke with organizers on the ground in Minneapolis who are calling for the police department to be significantly defunded to help prevent more violence:
On a Facebook post published on Wednesday, May 27, Black Visions Collective (BLVC), a Minneapolis-based grassroots organization wrote, “We have spent hundreds of hours in the street and at City Hall, telling [Minneapolis Mayor Jacob] Frey and the Council that it’s time to move out money out of a murderous police department and into the resources that really keep our people safe. They have not had the courage to do it.”
Trans migrants have also been disproportionately affected by state-sanctioned violence, and recently Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement launched a week of action and the first Trans Immigrants Day to honor their lives. Tina Vasquez had the story:
Jennicet Gutiérrez, an organizer with Familia, told Prism that the organization’s main priority is demanding justice for trans immigrant women and holding federal immigration agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) accountable when trans women die in detention.
During the Democratic presidential primary, former housing secretary Julián Castro was among the most prominent voices calling out the scourge of police violence against Black and brown people. This week, Anoa Changa reported, he launched a new political action committee to support the election of like-minded progressives who share his people-centered approach to policy.
Reflecting on the intersecting traumas impacting Black and brown communities, Castro was the first candidate to raise police violence as a key issue during the 2020 presidential primary. Castro linked police violence to the larger issue of gun violence when lifting up the name of Atatiana Jefferson during an October 2019 debate, after Jefferson was killed by a Fort Worth police officer during a wellness check.
As events continue to unfold in Minneapolis and throughout the U.S., keep up with Prism for original journalism and commentary that centers the voices of the people most impacted. Send us a message to join the Prism group, and follow us on Daily Kos, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to make sure you never miss a story. Stay safe and well, and we’ll see you back here next week.
