Grand Jury Decision on Murder of Mike Brown November 25, 2014

Yesterday, the jury decision was released on whether or not to indict Darren Wilson. Indictment is the bringing of a criminal or suspect into trial. This does not mean arrest or incarceration- all it is, is a trial.

Before I deliver to you the verdict, I’d like to tell you a few things about America.

There’s this law called, oh I don’t know, something like, “If you murder someone, you go to jail.”

There’s also a law regarding manslaughter, the unintentional murder of another human being. You can be tried for manslaughter for something as simple as building a house in which someone died (and they have reasonable doubt that the house was involved, such as: they died of a collapse or toxic building materials).

If you shoot an unarmed person, even if you (untruthfully) claim self-defense, you should, at the very least, be tried in court. 

I think you can all see where this is going: Darren Wilson will not be indicted for the murder of Mike Brown.

It is purely common sense  to try a man in court for the murder of an unarmed man.

However, this decision is not final: the Double Jeopardy terms do not apply to indictment. (Double Jeopardy prevents a suspected criminal, or in Wilson’s case, a known criminal, from being tried twice for the same crime. However, as Darren Wilson has not been tried, there may be another discussion as to whether or not he should be indicted.)  So there is still a chance to try and capture the criminal.

You can help

This petition calls to hold Darren Wilson accountable for murder.// <![CDATA[
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http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/justicemikebrownforward/

Anytime you hear someone claim that Darren Wilson or the Grand Jury was justified, call them out on their misinformation and educate them. You can find some information and evidence here.

Please remember:

Do not share photos of Michael Brown’s dead body: It is disrespectful and his parents have asked everyone not to.

Do not make this about “but not all white people are racist”. We know, please focus on the ones that are and how to stop them.

Please do not change “Black Lives Matter” to “All Lives Matter” on websites or posters. Of course all lives matter, again: We know. Black lives are the ones in danger here, so it’s important to tell the world they do matter. Saying “All Lives Matter” takes away from the real danger of the issue and how black people are oppressed in this world.

Do not call this an issue for “people of color.” This is specifically about the police force being anti-black.

Please do not spread misinformation. If you are unsure, you can look something up on Google or at least tell people you’re not certain.

Remind everyone who tries to support Darren Wilson that the Ku Klux Klan is on his side. If they side with him, they side with the KKK.

I’m sorry for the angry post. Mostly, I’m just so sad that this is happening.

How You Can Help the People of Ferguson September 21, 2014

Donate to Keep the Children Fed

Schools closing in Ferguson due to rioting and violence means many children go without lunch, which may be their only meal of the day.

Donate here.

Donate to the Family of Mike Brown

Mike Brown, the young man whose murder prompted the protests, is a victim of police brutality. Donating to his family will help pay for his funeral and burial expenses, as well as the legal and travel costs of the family’s search to bring justice to their son and punishment to his killer, Darren Wilson.

Donate here.

Sign the petition for the Mike Brown Law.

This law will require all state, county, and local police to wear a camera. In a Californian city, this law has been enacted (this happened before Mike Brown was killed.). Crime has dropped by 60% and complaints have dropped by 80%.

If you can’t sign this petition, get your parents or family members to. Don’t just promote it online- take someone to the computer, sit them down, and show them how important this is.

Sign the petition here.

Advocate for the removal of the Pentagon’s “1033 Program.”

This provides local police departments with ‘billions of dollars worth of surplus military weapons at no charge’ (quoted from The Huffington Post). Without such military weapons as tear gas, tanks, and rubber bullets, police wouldn’t have been able to inflict the incredible amounts of violence upon the people of Ferguson as they did. By lobbying for its program’s removal, we can ensure that police brutality the likes of which went on in Ferguson will not happen again.

Sign a petition asking for its removal here.

Sign the Amnesty International Petition requiring federal law officials to be held accountable for violence here.

Send messages of support to Mike Brown’s family here.

Donate to the Ferguson Municipal Public Library and their efforts to support peaceful learning. Learn more here.

Donate to looted businesses in Ferguson. Donations can be made to North County Regional Development Association, 350B Village Square Drive, Hazelwood, MO 63042.

Support Wellspring Church, who are giving Ferguson’s children a safe place to learn, here.

Get involved with the St. Louis Food Bank here.

Get involved with the Ferguson Fund, counseling for affected residents of Ferguson, here and here.

Tweet @STLCountyPD to demand #JusticeforMikeBrown.

Public pressure needs to be put on the Ferguson Police Department to bring Officer Darren Wilson to punishment. If you don’t feel safe directly tweeting them, you can join in with the hashtag.

Donate to the Legal Support Fund for Ferguson here. Contact them at join@organizemo.org.

Sign the petition to protect citizens and communities from police brutality here.

Read these Tips to Remember When Planning An Action here.

And finally, don’t forget about Ferguson. Remind people that Mike Brown did not deserve to die. Remind them that racism and police brutality are still very relevant and very terrifying, and they must be stopped. Share the news everywhere you can. Remember Mike Brown, and remember Ferguson.