Make June 5 a Day of Justice for Trayvon

After the murder of Trayvon Martin people all around the country were outraged and took to the streets in protest. As the Stop Mass Incarceration Network said in its statement,“June 5: A Day of Justice for Trayvon!” (Revolution #269, May 20, 2012): “The fight for justice for Trayvon must be linked to fighting against how the criminal ‘injustice’ system in this country comes down on people. His murder concentrated the outrage so many feel about racially targeted mass incarceration. 2.4 million people in prisons across the U.S., Blacks and Latinos treated like criminals; guilty until proven innocent, if they survive their encounters with cops to prove their innocence; torture-like conditions faced by those in prison and former prisoners forced to wear badges of shame and dishonor after they’ve served their sentences. It is way past time to say NO MORE to all of this.”

The following letter was written by a reader who is down with the movement for revolution:

June 5 will be 100 days since the murder of Trayvon Martin. George Zimmerman, his murderer, is out on bail—while Marissa Alexander, a Black woman who fired warning shots to chase off an abusive former boyfriend who was threatening to kill her, got 20 years in prison. No stand your ground protection for her.

We are being told it’s time to get out of the streets and let the system work. The system was working when Florida cops found Zimmerman standing over Trayvon’s dead body and let him walk free. It’s working now, as news stories appear backing up Zimmerman’s claim he was defending himself and slandering Trayvon’s name. What are they telling us—that traces of marijuana in your blood is a reason to kill you?

They want us to think our job is done, and now we should step back and let the gears of justice turn. I say no to that! It is only because masses of people poured into the streets that Zimmerman now faces charges. This is part of the workings of a system that continues to quietly grind away warehousing more than 2.4 million mostly Black and Latino people in prison and victimizing millions more with racial profiling.

On June 5, we have to stay on the case for justice for Trayvon. Wear your hoodie, and get others to wear theirs too. Do this in your high school, in your neighborhood, wherever you are. Spread the word on doing this online, thru flyers, by word of mouth. Take pictures of what you do and spread them too. Deliver the message, We are all Trayvon, the whole damn system is guilty! In NYC, we plan to saturate high schools up in Harlem—to encourage youth who get targeted by cops all the damn time and who have been attacked for coming out in support of Trayvon to take action. In the days leading up to this, we will be collecting stories of those with experiences living under the system of mass incarceration, and contributing them to the Bear Witness Project. Here’s what you can do:

Wear your hoodies and encourage others to do the same. Take pictures and spread them.

Organize speakouts, spread the message We Are All Trayvon Martin, The Whole Damn System is Guilty!

Collect testimonies, and contribute your stories to Bearwitnessproject@gmail.com, go to the site www.bearwitnessproject.tumblr.com for more info.

Most importantly, stay connected! Tell us what you did—or are planning to do at stopmassincarceration@ymail.com.

The massive response to the vigilante murder of Trayvon pushed some of the truth about the way this system heaps abuse on Black and Latino youth out there for all to see. Let’s keep on pushing and fight for justice for Trayvon, bring to light all the crimes this system has perpetrated and condoned and thru that change the way people look at racial profiling and mass incarceration.

***

For more information contact
Stop Mass Incarceration Network at:
stopmassincarceration@ymail.com

866-841-9139 x2670
www.bearwitnessproject.tumblr.com

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