Reports from February 26
March 10, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
People took action in 18 cities across the country on the February 26 National Day of Outrage and Remembrance for Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis (see "February 26: Day of Outrage and Remembrance for Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis—Defiant Actions Around the Country Declare: No More!"). The following are accounts of what happened that day in some of these actions—based on reports from Revolution/revcom.us correspondents and readers, reports at the Stop Mass Incarceration Network website, and reports in other media sources.
Jacksonville, Florida
From stopmassincarceration.net:
50 people participated in "National Hoodie Day" despite day-long rain in Jacksonville. Organized by Jacksonville's New Jim Crow Movement, most of those who turned out were people who had directly felt the lash of this country's criminal "injustice" system: family members of people wrongfully incarcerated or of people who had been brutalized or murdered by police, and formerly incarcerated people.
Above: Jacksonville, February 23, 2014. Photo: Special to Revolution
The featured speaker was Carl Dix who challenged everybody there to make this the beginning, not the end of working to make real the slogan, NO MORE MURDER OF BLACK YOUTH! He invited the crowd to take up the effort to hammer out a vision for a month of resistance to mass incarceration and all its consequences in October and be part of developing a plan to build up to October and make it a period when we change the way millions of people view this horrific problem. He also spoke to how mass incarceration was a slow genocide targeting Black and Latino people that was built into the fabric of this society from the very beginning and brought out that it would take revolution nothing less to end it once and for all.
Juanita Young who traveled from New York as part of a delegation to Jacksonville also spoke. The mother of Malcolm Ferguson who was murdered by a New York cop in 2000, Juanita brought to life how the criminalization of Black youth was the soil out of which the murders of Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, her son and so many others had sprung.
Others who spoke included several formerly incarcerated people and 9 family members of wrongfully incarcerated people. A number of family members of Anthony Harris, a man who was beaten to death by Jacksonville police in front of his nieces and nephews, spoke. 2 area ministers and a member of the Association for the Study of African Life and History (ASALH) also spoke. Other members of ASALH performed a dance and did a poem.
At the height of the rally, several dozen people held up their targets and chanted, HOODIES UP! TARGETS UP! WE'RE STANDING UP! NO MORE MURDERS OF OUR YOUTH!
The Feb 26th Day of Outrage and Remembrance for Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis ended with a spirited march thru downtown Jacksonville to the office of Angela Corey; the prosecutor whose office forgot how to prosecute when it put George Zimmerman and Michael Dunn on trial for murdering Trayvon and Jordan, but shows no such incompetence in sending outrageous numbers of Black and Latino people to prison or in getting Marissa Alexander sentenced to 20 years in prison for actually defending herself.
New York City
From a correspondent:
In New York, four powerful and inspiring convergences were held in different parts of Manhattan, as well as a march from Union Square to Times Square.
At least 400 people took part in one or more of these events, in spite of bone-chilling cold and in the face of the prevailing view that "there's nothing we can do." At each location groups of dozens or more posed for group photographs, holding up pictures of Jordan and Trayvon, or of the targets that these court rulings place on the back of every Black and Latino youth, sending a message of defiance to the authorities and a message to the youth who are under the gun that "we have your back."
New York, Times Square, February 26. Photo: Special to Revolution
In Times Square, a major tourist destination for people from around the world, the presence of 100-plus people lined up in front of a lit-up banner reading simply "No More" caused a huge stir and dozens of people were taking photographs to send to their friends.
The crowds were mainly young and predominantly Black and Latino, and many spoke bitterly of how they are criminalized and harassed, searched and humiliated by the police on a regular basis. Black youth as young as nine or ten years old grabbed the mic to proclaim that racist murders must stop, that they have a right to live, that they want their freedom.
There were also substantial numbers of more middle class and/or older people of all nationalities, who spoke about their profound sorrow at the repeated, unprovoked and unjust killing of Black and Latino children. Many, many people spoke of their fears for their own children, not wanting them to grow up in a world like this, or spoke of feeling that even if this did not affect them directly, it was impossible to just go on about their lives as such terrible things happened, without standing up and speaking out.
Different convergences were in different kinds of neighborhoods, and were sponsored by various groups, so each had its own character. But uniformly, people expressed a determination not to let this become "the new normal," but to step out themselves and struggle with others to do so as well. Overwhelmingly people recognized that it would take a great deal of work and struggle to change this situation—a number said it would take a revolution—and that they wanted to be part of making this happen.
From stopmassincarceration.net:
Despite deeply frigid temperatures, the passion was heated as people of all ages, races and ethnic background rallied in Union Square in quiet, determined and dramatic protest on this Day of Outrage and Remembrance for Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis. As people slowly gathered, they either grabbed or were handed posters from the Stop Mass Incarceration Network that said on one side: "NO MORE" on top of the ominous gun sight target dominating the sign, and on the other side, signage and photos of Trayvon and Jordan Davis that said, "We Are All Trayvon Martin! The Whole Damn System Is Guilty!" and "We Are All Jordan Davis! The Whole Damn System Is Guilty!"
As people formed into a semi-circle clutching the Trayvon/Jordan/Target signs and directly facing 14th Street, others joined in with their own signs or signs from other organizations. Revolution newspaper was also held up by many who had just bought the newspaper. Alejandrina Murphy and Travis Morales from the Stop Mass Incarceration Network-NYC opened the rally and introduced the vision of the day's protest action—a silent dramatic protest with "Hoodies Up! Fists Up!" Sending the message that "We Are Standing Up!" and will not tolerate the continuing police and vigilante killing of Black and Latino youth—"No More Murders of Black and Latino Youth!" This silent vigil caught the attention of so many people walking by, or of people participating in the action itself, who either stopped or broke away to take pictures of the dramatic setting. For five minutes the 100 or so people held up their fists with the 'Target" signs facing forward; and then for another five minutes switched and flipped their posters over to have the posters of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis face forward toward 14th Street. Again fists were raised high, and a silent determination dominated the plaza. Again the photography scene was repeated. Media on the scene included ABC and NBC network news, and WBAI-FM.
Soon after, people formed up to march the 30 blocks north towards Times Square. The march was mainly a defiant rebellious march of young people that moved swiftly up the sidewalk to Times Square as people chanted, "Trayvon did not have to die, we all know the reason why, the whole damn system is guilty!", "Jordan did not have to die, we all know the reason why, the whole damn system is guilty!", and "Hoodies up, times up, no more killing of Black youth!" At Times Square at 47th and Broadway's TKTS Times Square pedestrian mall, people found the iconic red bleachers were blocked by the local business district's security. Nevertheless, a rally ensued as people from the earlier Harlem action at 135th and St. Nicholas Avenue and then from 125th and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd joined up. The Union Square scene was silently and dramatically repeated: Hoodies Up, Fists Up. Targets Up, and We Are Standing Up! No More Murders of Our Black and Latino Youth! The TKTS mall was dominated by determined young faces who were joined by curious onlookers and tourists from different parts of the country and from Europe. News cameras from REVOLT TV and DMX Magazine TV and other news outlets sought out people to interview and to find out why would people step out to protest in such desperate weather. Prominently both in Union Square and Times Square were the New York Light Brigade who held up large battery powered posters whose letters that spelled out "NO MORE" and could be seen from blocks away.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Based on an article in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel:
More than 30 people rallied at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus student union in a "Justice for Trayvon Martin and the Fallen" rally, to demand justice for Trayvon and others killed by racists and police. Rick Banks, president of the Black Student Union, which organized the rally, told the Journal Sentinel, "I really want people to get involved and stay involved as we work on the problem of systemic racism." Solana Patterson-Ramos, a board member of the Black Student Union, said, "We want people to know what is going on and that it has been going on for so long."
According to the Journal Sentinel: "The face of Daniel Bell, who was fatally shot by a Milwaukee police officer in 1958, also was prominent Wednesday. The lawsuit that Bell's family filed after his death helped shape national civil rights law, and his name was frequently invoked during protests over the 2011 death of Derek Williams in Milwaukee police custody.
"'I was thinking about (the Bell case) and how it relates to other things like Derek Williams and stop and frisk,' Banks said. 'It's 50 years later and we're going through the same thing. I just want to make sure we emphasize that today. Fifty years from now we don't want to be in the same position.'"
Birmingham, Alabama
The local CBS station news aired a live report from an evening rally at a park to mark the two-year anniversary of Trayvon Martin's murder. A clip of this video report is available at stopmassincarceration.net. A Black man at the rally said, "My reason is this 29-year-old brother that's standing beside me. It's about his value and his worth. And every time we come together, we have an opportunity to say to each other that you matter, you count." A white man said, "I've got a 14-year-old nephew, that could've been Trayvon Martin, look very much like him. We had discussion right after it happened. That could've been him, and he didn't feel the system was fair. He was asking me questions about why that happened." The rally ended with the lighting of two candles representing Trayvon and Jordan and a moment of silence.
Chicago
From a correspondent:
This winter in Chicago has broken all records for unrelenting cold and snow. On February 26 it was 17 below zero with the wind chill. So it was particularly heartwarming that over 20 people gathered outside in the heart of downtown Chicago to mark the second anniversary of Trayvon's murder. As thousands flowed past in the evening rush hour, the diverse group raised their fists and held up targets while others passed out flyers and stickers to onlookers.
There were several small groupings and individual students of different nationalities who came from different campuses and spoken word scenes because they felt so strongly about not letting the murder of Trayvon be swept under the rug. The murder of Jordan Davis fueled their outrage. One of the community college students after experiencing the protest expressed regret that they had not stood up in the cafeteria at their school earlier that day—holding up the targets and raising their fists.
The speakers at the rally included a revolutionary communist former prisoner, a revolutionary Muslim, and a community college student from the spoken word scene on the south side. The statement from Carl Dix was read.
Above: Downtown Chicago. Photo: Special to Revolution
Students from one of the inner-city high schools that had participated in the October 22nd National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation also took up the Day of Outrage and Remembrance. Some of these youth were participating in a citywide poetry competition downtown on February 26. They were the last team to perform in the elimination rounds of the competition, arriving just before going on stage. When they finished their poems, this group of students made a big deal of giving the other high school teams on the stage with them stickers to put on (and to take back to their respective high schools). As a group, they also swept through the audience passing out stickers and leaflets before getting on the bus to go back to their high school.
The day of outrage and remembrance was taken to a noon press conference and rally for Justice for Howard Morgan. People organizing that rally, including Howard Morgan's wife, had been excited to learn that their event fell on the Day of Outrage and Remembrance for Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis. Benjamin Crump (the attorney for the family of Trayvon Martin) was speaking at the rally. At their press conference and protest, speakers addressed the second anniversary of the murder of Trayvon Martin and the ongoing injustices faced by Black people in this society and the so called "justice" system—points integral to the case of Howard Morgan. (Howard Morgan was shot 28 times by four white police officers—and lived. Howard himself had spent 13 years as a railroad cop—but he was Black, and caught with a gun—which was all that cops need to unleash a hail of bullets. Howard was charged with attempted murder, even though his gun was never fired. Acquitted in one trial he was brought back to court, convicted, and is now serving a 40-year sentence in prison. The Howard Morgan Facebook page shared photos of the Stop Mass Incarceration protest in Chicago on February 26 as well as its call for ways for people to act.)
On the previous Sunday, the final sermon for Black History Month celebrations at St. Sabina's Church was delivered to 400 to 500 people by Dr. Cornel West and the theme was "The Kingdom of God is Not a Brand." The thrust of the celebration was a call for people to act with morality and courage, and it was framed in remembrance of Trayvon Martin and the recent verdict and non-conviction of Michael Dunn for the murder of Jordan Davis. A part of the service was the reading of a letter to America from a young Black man who identified with the target that is on young Black men and a call to America to not allow the immorality of the continued murder and criminalization of young Black men to continue. After dramatically reading the letter, he then did a very defiant interpretive modern dance expressing the need to stand strong and liberate young Black people.
The ideological summoning, particularly by Cornel West, was very compelling. One way this was reflected was in the very positive response that revolutionaries received outside the church as people were leaving, including for speaking out and standing up on February 26.
In the run-up to February 26 the arctic temperatures forced organizers to get creative about how to reach out to people broadly. So that day, revolutionaries rode the el trains on different lines during the morning rush hour to get the word out—standing up and making announcements in each car—"we're standing up to say NO MORE" as leaflets and stickers and Revolution newspaper were gotten out. They called on people to make it a day of remembrance and outrage at work and at school—wherever you are that day—and to join the downtown rally. Many left the trains wearing the stickers and it is not hard to imagine the ripple effect that had throughout downtown that day.
On the el trains, there was a lot of positive response and some pointed ignore-ance among non-Black riders. There was at least one person who came to the central rally who had been met that day on the train. There was also some sharp opposition, for instance when one man yelled out that basically the youth need to get with God, not this. On another train, a white guy said very angrily and loudly, "I have a right to carry a gun and I will use it if I have to." In both cases, this had the effect of driving even more people to take up the leaflets and stickers.
Oakland, California
From a correspondent:
Over 100 people gathered in Fruitvale Plaza in Oakland, next to the infamous BART station (where Oscar Grant was murdered by a transit cop) to rally and march for Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis on February 26.
Above: Oakland, CA, February 26. Photo: Special to Revolution
The protest drew many new people, mainly Black and Latino youth, from local high schools, colleges, and community groups. The Merritt College Black Student Union spoke to how important the day was to them. Andy's Youth, a contingent of young friends of Andy Lopez, the 13-year-old gunned down by sheriffs, came all the way from Santa Rosa. The family of another man who died in police custody came from Sacramento. Youth Uprising from East Oakland represented with a powerful dance and rap. A local minister came "not to preach, but to say 'Hoodies Up! For Trayvon Martin.'" The people warmly welcomed a contingent from Mujeres Colectivas y Activas, who represented a theme that many spoke about—it doesn't matter what color you are or where you're from, we have to stand up together. Many statements were read from people who could not attend, including one from Cephus Johnson (Oscar Grant's Uncle Bobby), who was at another event at San Jose State University.
His message read, in part, "This tells us again that Amerikkka is declaring that Black people have no rights that this racist criminal justice system are bound to respect. This justice system that failed to convict Michael Dunn for murdering Jordan Davis. On top of the exoneration of George Zimmerman, the murderer of Trayvon Martin…Our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren rightly deserve freedom, justice, equality, and a right to take BART, a right to walk to a 7-Eleven for Skittles and iced tea, and a right to play music without being executed. I say: Hoodies up. Time's Up, We're Standing Up! No More Murders of our youth!"
Before over 50 took the streets for a loud march, they heard the statement from Carl Dix about the importance of this day, and the plans for the future. And then a call and response of BAsics 1:13 ("No more generations…") was led by a Revolution Club member.
Los Angeles
From a correspondent:
A spirited and defiant march and rally took place in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles. A diverse group of about 100 people participated—young skaters as well as folks a little older from the surrounding Crenshaw area, students from USC, mothers with children in prison, and representatives from a number of political, religious, and legal organizations in Southern California, including the National Lawyers Guild, Cuauhtemoc Dancers, and the Interfaith Communities United For Justice and Peace.
From the moment we started until the two- hour event ended, the chants went up: "No More Murders of Black and Brown Youth! Time's Up! That's the Truth!" and "For Trayvon Martin—Hoodies Up! For Jordan Davis—Hoodies Up! This Killer System's Time Is Up! What Do We Do? We Are Standing Up!"
Above: Protester in LA spreads the message to riders on a passing bus. Photo: Special to Revolution
People had heard about the event on radio, through classroom handouts by professors, and though posters on the street, leafleting and other ways. One person who had learned about the national day in New York and had heard there was also an event in Los Angeles and other cities—flew into LA this morning and arrived at the event carrying his luggage from his trip. One woman who heard it on the radio told us that in fact she was dying "…but there are certain things I must do while I am alive," and this was one of the events she said she "had to make." Not only was there a big police presence, but Crenshaw High School, likely in close collaboration with the LAPD, had put their students on lockdown inside the school and didn't let them out until the march passed…but several of the students were able to catch the march and participate anyway, holding banners in the front of the march!
At three times during the event, scores of people stood powerfully and militantly together, in silence for one full minute, rocked their hoodies with their fists raised, and held up the Stop Mass Incarceration Network's new "target image"—used in cities across the U.S. on February 26. Students filming for a documentary film class (who were considering making a documentary on "white on black violence") told us about—and were very moved by—the big impact the event had on people in the Crenshaw District, some of whom they interviewed.
Atlanta
From a reader:
Atlanta, February 26. Photo: Special to Revolution
The normal atmosphere at the 5 Points MARTA Station in downtown Atlanta was pierced, and there was buzzing about the National Day of Outrage and Remembrance during rush hour at 4 p.m. on February 26. On a cold day when people were moving quickly in and out of the metro train station, many stopped in their tracks when they heard the chants and saw the posters and a large paper scroll laid out on the sidewalk. Dozens came up to sign the banner, while others listened to and joined the chants. When 15 to 20 people lined up for five minutes of silence with their hoodies up, fists up, and targets on their chests, others watching raised their fists too. Some joined in when the line-up was repeated about 20 minutes later. In between and afterward people were invited to the bullhorn for a speak-out. A young woman recited a poem: "If your eyes could see what I see, would you be as angry as me? Poverty all around, people beat down. No jobs on my block except for the cops—they've got my block locked. If your eyes could see what I see, would you be as angry as me?" Another woman indicted America for the way it treats Black and Latino youth and minorities in general: "America needs to understand that Black people are not dangerous. America needs to understand that minorities are not a problem. We should be able to go to the store to buy Skittles and iced tea and not be murdered." And she ended with, "We don't need food stamps. We don't need Medicaid. We need revolution."
This action was not your usual protest. It was powerful in both its content and its visual presence, and it was very interactive. The speak-out gave expression to heartfelt cries of "No More!" from youth, elders, activists, and passersby.
Cleveland
From a reader:
The wind chill of minus 5 degrees did not discourage 16 people, including Black and Latina women from a college, several youth, Revolution sellers and other revolutionaries from coming out to say loud and clear "No More Murder of Black Youth." People in downtown Cleveland waiting for buses stopped to listen to the youth challenge everyone, especially the youth who say, "You can't do nothing, this is the way things are." The youth agitated with passion and outrage that we will not nor cannot accept the killings of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis and many others killed by the police. At one point a youth read BAsics 1:13 out loud. Youths joined the moment of silence, with fists in the air and carrying target signs. People took hundreds of flyers and posters. Some older people stopping by were encouraged to see the youth speaking out. Through the windy chill, the youth stepped out with determination to say loud and clear: "Hoodies Up, Time's Up, We're Standing Up! No More Murders of Our Youth!"
Seattle
From a reader:
Coming up to February 26, people in Seattle were e-mailing and Facebooking about what was needed. One thing that emerged was about a dozen gathered in front of Westlake Park in downtown Seattle at 6 p.m. Friends of youth murdered by the police were there. They were compelled by connections between their own experiences and the nationally known cases of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis. There was a childhood friend of Victor Duffy Junior, a young Black man who several years ago was pepper-sprayed, tasered, and crushed to death by police. A childhood friend of Latino youth Rocendo Arias was there. Rocendo was just recently shot in the head by a Yakima, Washington, cop while sitting in his car bothering no one. The friend had spent a lot of time making hand-lettered signboards attached to his front and back, telling the story of Rocendo's life and murder in words and photographs. He then attached to his back one of the targets people brought to wear. He told others, "Many Black people get killed by police, but in Yakima and around there (rural Washington state) brown people get killed by police. Yakima cops cut my friends' hair. They harass brown kids. It made me feel I didn't want to go to school anymore because cops come there and harass and arrest us, so people don't go."
Chanting "Time's up. we're standing up, no more murders of our youth!" the group marched a couple blocks up to a corner where youth and others gather and hang in groups in front of a McDonald's. Many knew who Trayvon was, but many, including Black youth, did not know about the murder of Jordan Davis. Some responded to the news of Jordan with a suppressed seething rage. There was a lot of at times intense interaction and discussion going on between the group and people on the corner.
Houston
From a reader:
In Houston, bright neon signs displaying the Revolution centerfold "We say no more" and the poster with BA's "Three Strikes" quote and chants greeted rush hour traffic at a busy intersection where university students and Black working people drive and walk by. People started putting their hoodies up. Many people reached their hands out of their cars for copies of Revolution newspaper. When a busload of kids stopped at the light, they began to read our signs and reached out their windows for the paper and grabbed a stack of REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! cards that they distributed to the rest of the kids. Two college students came up to us to ask if they could take our pictures with our signs to post on their Facebook page.
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