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Abolition Park 2020 ➔ Joint Statement from the Original #OccupyCityHall organizers
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Identifier:
IA.ITM.003218-->
Description
Text on this social media post read:For immediate release:
Joint statement from the original #OccupyCityHall organizers on the current state and direction of the occupation at New York City Hall.
[As] the original organizers of this City Hall Occupation, we are extremely proud to watch this movement grow. Our intent was to create an inclusive platform that centered on defunding the NYPD and protesting the state-sanctioned executions and violence against Black people by occupying as one of many forms of active resistance. We note that the defunding of the NYPD budget by at least $1 billion dollars will be only the beginning of a foundation to build upon. And it has allowed to build, unify and strengthen our collective voice in order to set a precedence and tone for the city that cannot be reversed. We want to acknowledge the action [...] shifts of the environment that have taken place in the last 48 hours which have [...] been lost on us. Unfortunately, we must address that in an effort to cultivate the People's space, harm has occurred against many of the Black Women/Femme organizers. When we talk about Black liberation, we mean liberation for all Black people.
[---] were active restorative justice conversations that ended with a change in agreements that we will continue to struggle through because we have a commitment to principled struggle. People have the agency to engage in direct action in ways that they want to, and we acknowledge ways in which some of the [---] that we set didn't allow for people to express that agency. AND we have the responsibility to make sure ALL Black bodies feel safe. If "We Keep Us Safe" is our principle we must make sure we keep ALL Black bodies safe and it would be irresponsible of us to say that ALL Black bodies feel safe in this space with the [---] that occurred. What we mean by "no intervention" is we will not de-escalate [---] people that want to escalate with cops, but if you are harming participants in [---] space physically or verbally it is our duty to intervene.
[It is] important to be centered in this moment and in this movement, as we are on the eve of the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that were in part started by a Black trans woman Marsha P Johnson. We are reminded of the contributions of Black Women & Femmes to our movements and this tactic is informed by that victory and is aligned with visions towards abolition.
Related places
New York (created)Abolition Park (distributed)
Internet (distributed)