Taking to the Streets to Mark One Year Since Police Murder of Eric Garner
Updated July 20, 2015 8:30 pm | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Why are we still fighting for justice in 2015?
July 17—A year ago NYPD cops choked Eric Garner to death in Staten Island, NYC. Protests were called for in NYC and elsewhere across the country to mark one year since that murder by police—to "take our outrage to the streets."
Below are initial reports from New York City; Los Angeles and Oakland, California; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Atlanta, Georgia; and Houston, Texas. We will update photos and short reports as we receive them.
New York City
1:00 pm—Hundreds of tourists, Staten Islanders, and others were confronted by a dramatic protest by a couple of dozen people from the Stop Mass Incarceration Network (SMIN), Revolution Club, and others at the entrance to the world-famous Staten Island Ferry Terminal in Manhattan. Many people stopped, joined the rally for a bit, and pulled out their cameras, phones and tablets to post images and videos of the action.
Above, Carl Dix speaking to rally.
Photos: special to revcom.us
4 pm—Protesters marched from the ferry terminal on Staten Island to the scene of Eric Garner's murder. In front of a large media turnout, protesters and residents angrily denounced the murder and bitterly insisted that the just-announced agreement by the city to pay $5.9 million in the Garner family's wrongful death suit was not justice. And a challenge was put out for people to get involved in #RiseUpOctober to STOP Police Terror.
Afternoon and Evening: Hundreds gathered in protest at Columbus Circle in Manhattan and marched through midtown Manhattan -- getting the attention of thousands of New Yorkers and tourists. There were several arrests.
Photos: special to revcom.us
Los Angeles, California
The Revolution Club led the protests at Vermont and Wilshire, a busy intersection, calling out the nationwide epidemic of police murder on the first anniversary of Eric Garner's murder. They called on people to join them on the spot, and let people know about the call for #RiseUpOctober. They also got out palm cards with BA's newest quote and for the Cornel West/BA dialogue on religion, and sold BA Speaks: Revolution—Nothing Less! T-shirts and Revolution newspaper. Among the crew were two young people who'd learned about it from their mom, who had found the Stop Incarceration Network online. The Club also planned to go to Skid Row to bring this day of resistance to the homeless. There was also a protest organized by SMIN in front of the downtown courthouse, where there was a court hearing for 11 of the people who were arrested last April for blocking a Metro train to protest murder by police.
Chicago, Illinois
On the anniversary of the murder of Eric Garner a crew from the Revolution Club and others gathered at State and Jackson in downtown Chicago. As people walked by they were challenged with the fact that no cop had been punished for the murder of Eric Garner. That people needed to take up the struggle to Stop Police Terror October 24 on the spot and be part of organizing for it. Many people did not know that it had been a year since his murder. But a number of them stopped to hold the posters, get out palm cards, and run with us downtown.
As we moved around downtown we stopped at a park where the cops were hassling a man in a wheelchair. When the Revolution Club saw this they went over and told the cops to leave the man alone and get the fuck out of the park. A group of youth and others who had been in the park also began to call out the cops. People got right up in their face with the Stolen Lives banner and the posters of Eric Garner and chants of “Indict, Convict, send the killer cops to jail, the whole damn system was guilty as hell”! Palm cards for October 24 were taken by people in small to larger bundles. Two people in the park started wearing BA Speaks… Revolution Nothing Less T-shirts.
Photos: Special to revcom.us
Oakland, California
At 4 p.m. people converged on 14th and Broadway (aka Oscar Grant Plaza). They had a large Stolen Lives banner and challenged those walking by to not stand aside in the face of great injustices and to join in the protests. Several people bought Revolution—Nothing Less! T-shirts on the spot and put them on, including a photographer who told people over the bullhorn that as a journalist one is supposed to be "impartial" but in the face of police murder, people cannot stand aside. Many people stopped and everywhere there were small groups of people engaged in discussion. Protesters took to the street, and then circled back to the Plaza to continue calling on people to join the fight and make further plans.
Photos: Special to revcom.us
Cleveland, Ohio
Members of Cleveland Revolution Club, Revolution sellers, activist youth and a Black woman active in the fight against police terror and other issues of Black women took their outrage against police terror to a couple of street corners and then into a housing project. After marching through the project, with signs about Rise Up October and other homemade signs, we ended at a busy intersection. Lots of horns blew, thumbs up and many "thank you's." We got contributions for "Take Our Outrage to the Streets" posters and sold 35 Revolution papers. In those couple of hours, what we found was sentiment among Black people that the police killings just keep coming, that we the people are all that can stop the police terror—and that we MUST.
Atlanta, Georgia
At Five Points in downtown, Revolution Club members spread the word on #RiseUpOctober and shook the can to raise funds to get young people up to NYC to help build for massive days of resistance October 22-24.
Houston, Texas
A group of revolutionaries and others took over a medial strip in the middle of a Black neighborhood, with a big Stolen Lives banner.
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