October 22 Wednesday Protest to Stop Police Brutality
12:00 noon Daley Plaza
(Washington & Dearborn)
Rally and March
The 19th annual Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and the Criminalization of a Generation will be erecting a giant stop sign against the whole killer program of police brutality and mass incarceration. This is a day when people from cities and towns across the countryhttp://sites.google.com/site/stopmassincarcerationo22/ - youth from inner city high schools and those who have been pushed out of the school system are joining with college students, parents of those who have been murdered and incarcerated, as well as people of conscience in city centers and in the neighborhoods all over.
The Day of Protest 2014 is unfolding during the first October Month of Resistance to Mass Incarceration, Police Terror, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation, initiated by Prof. Cornel West and Carl Dix, representative of the Revolutionary Communist Party. Stop Mass Incarceration Network has been in the forefront of taking on the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson Mo., Eric Garner's murder by police in NYC, and connecting these struggles against police terror across the country with the whole Month of Resistance movement.
"Police in Chicago are at the forefront of the nationwide attack on Black and Brown youth. Among the youth whose lives have recently been stolen by police here in Chicago are: Roshad McIntosh, 19 years old; Warren Robinson, 16 years old; and Pedro Rios, 14 years old. Glenn Evans, who received 50 complaints for police brutality over the last 13 years, was never disciplined and instead highly praised from the highest levels of the CPD and promoted repeatedly up the ranks of the CPD to commander," said Gregory Koger, ex-prisoner activist in the Chicago chapter of Stop Mass Incarceration Network. "In the face of growing community outrage and protest, Evans was recently indicted for shoving his gun down the throat of 22-year old Rickey Williams, but still has not been fired. On October 22nd, people in Chicago will defiantly stand with others across the country. We will raise our voices and demand: No more Stolen Lives! No more murders by the police! Stop Mass Incarceration Now.!"
The Call for the Month of Resistance is endorsed by families of those killed by police, former prisoners, clergy, academics, and community organizations, and public figures such as Chuck D, who recorded the Pledge of Resistance and Alice Walker, whose poem "Gather," is dedicated to Carl Dix and Cornel West. Signatories of Call for the Month of Resistance include Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, Nikki Giovanni, poet, Ted Jennings, Chicago Theological Seminary, Cephus "Uncle Bobby" Johnson, Uncle of Oscar Grant, killed by Bay Area Rapid Transit Police and many more.
Additional Events through the day:
9-11 a.m. Hull House: Public release of UN report on CPD Violence against Youth of Color by www.wechargegenocide.org
6:00 pm Silent Vigil at 11th Police District
3151 W. Harrison
7:00 - 10:p.m. MultiKulti, Cultural Event, Roosevelt University SMIN
1000 N Milwaukee Ave,
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Stop Mass Incarceration Network - Chicago
stopmassincarcerationchicago@gmail.com * (312) 933-9586
stopmassincarceration.net
Wife of Man Shot 28 Times by Chicago Police Officers Petitions Governor Quinn for Pardon
EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE AND GO CATCH THAT WORM!!!!
In service,
Malik S. Nevels, J.D.
Executive Director
Wife of Man Shot 28 times by Chicago Police Officers Petitions Goveernor Quinn for Pardon
Wife of Man Shot 28 Times by Chicago Police Officers Petitions Governor Quinn for Pardon
After nearly ten years of battling for her husband's freedom, Rosalind Morgan and supporters will deliver thousands of petition signatures to Gov. Pat Quinn this Friday October 24, 2014 at the Thompson Center. A rally will take place at the same location at noon. The petitions ask that Quinn pardon Howard Morgan who was shot 28 times by four White police officers on February 21, 2005 after allegedly driving the wrong direction on a one way street.
Miraculously, the former Burlington Northern Santa Fe police officer survived the ordeal, but was later tried and convicted of attempted murder. Supporters of the Morgan believe this situation offers Gov. Quinn a unique opportunity to increase voter turnout. According to community activist Willie Richardson our flawed criminal justice system is partly responsible for the rampant voter apathy in the African American Community.
Defense attorneys for Morgan maintained that the Chicago Police Department was involved in many acts of malfeasance throughout the investigation and trial. Court records show that the minivan Howard Morgan drove the night of the shooting was destroyed before any forensic examination could be conducted on it. The bulletproof vest worn by Chicago Police Officer John Wrigley who Morgan allegedly shot was mysteriously lost. State prosecutors only produced a replica of that vest in court. Wrigley recently admitted to having the original vest in his possession at the Cook County Hospital the night of the shooting in a Chicago Sun-Times article on September 27, 2014.
Furthermore, during the trial, prosecutors presented only three of the twenty-eight bullets with which Morgan was shot. Mrs. Morgan and many others believe that police officers shot Morgan with his own gun as he laid helplessly on the ground. An eye witness to the shooting corroborated this theory. Finally, dozens of uniformed and armed Chicago Police Officers filled the courtroom during the April 5, 2012 re-trial. Observers were amazed, but not surprised that the jury only deliberated four hours after nine days of testimony before delivering a verdict of guilty.
Richardson and other petition circulators heard the despair in many African American voices as they signed the petition. "I believe that people will be ecstatic to hear that Governor Quinn acted to rectify this great injustice and reward him with their vote in the upcoming election. Additionally, I suspect that Republican Challenger Bruce Rauner's campaign ad accusing Quinn of releasing dangerous criminals from prison was created to discourage the Governor from taking advantage of this window of opportunity," stated Richardson.
Rosalind Morgan and Howard Morgan supporters hope that Quinn ignores Rauner's scare tactic and take the lead in committing to equal justice. Pardoning the 63 year old Morgan would provide undecided voters some food for thought that would favor Quinn. "An innocent man with no criminal record prior to this incident does not pose a threat to society," said Rosalind Morgan.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Willie Richardson
708-985-5748
VOTE!
The Early African American Vote Catches the Worm
THE EARLY AFRICAN AMERICAN VOTE CATCHES THE WORM
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution declared the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
Unfortunately, this right was not acknowledged for almost a full century. Years after the Fifteenth Amendment was passed, African-Americans were subjected to racist tactics that included paying poll taxes, passing literacy tests and other erosions of the protections given by the Fifteenth Amendment. It was not until the Twenty-Fourth Amendment was passed that the poll tax came to an end, eventually leading to the Voting Rights Acts of 1965, which legally ended barriers to voting for African Americans and other protected classes. And let us never forget the countless number of lives that were sacrificed on the road to freedom.
In the last two years, however, we have witnessed a hostile attack on our democratic right to vote. The United States Supreme Court, in its 2013 decision, Shelby County vs. Holder,practically gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by striking down, as unconstitutional, the Act's enforcement mechanism. Emboldened by the Court's ruling, several states have recently attempted to enact laws that significantly restrict our access to the ballot box. This includes shortening the early voting period, increasing the scrutiny of identification, and eliminating Election Day registration.
Fortunately, Illinois is not one of those states that seek to disenfranchise its citizenry. In fact, today, October 20, 2014, marks the first day of early voting in Illinois. We are in the midst of a very important gubernatorial election, which will take place on Tuesday, November 4, 2014. Illinois' African-American community has a lot at stake. Issues important to our children, families, and communities, like funding for quality early childhood education, increased minimum wage, and access to affordable healthcare are all on the table during this year's election. While the Illinois African American Coalition for Prevention does not endorse candidates, we do endorse a movement that makes sure you exercise your franchise. There are no excuses, make sure you are registered to vote. You can vote early, mail-in your ballot or vote in person on November 4th.
As you prepare to cast your vote, remember the seemingly insurmountable obstacles we have overcome, honor the lives that were sacrificed, and never forget that we still have work to be done to build safe, healthy, and resilient African-American children, families, and communities.
Unfortunately, this right was not acknowledged for almost a full century. Years after the Fifteenth Amendment was passed, African-Americans were subjected to racist tactics that included paying poll taxes, passing literacy tests and other erosions of the protections given by the Fifteenth Amendment. It was not until the Twenty-Fourth Amendment was passed that the poll tax came to an end, eventually leading to the Voting Rights Acts of 1965, which legally ended barriers to voting for African Americans and other protected classes. And let us never forget the countless number of lives that were sacrificed on the road to freedom. In the last two years, however, we have witnessed a hostile attack on our democratic right to vote. The United States Supreme Court, in its 2013 decision, Shelby County vs. Holder,practically gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by striking down, as unconstitutional, the Act's enforcement mechanism. Emboldened by the Court's ruling, several states have recently attempted to enact laws that significantly restrict our access to the ballot box. This includes shortening the early voting period, increasing the scrutiny of identification, and eliminating Election Day registration.
Fortunately, Illinois is not one of those states that seek to disenfranchise its citizenry. In fact, today, October 20, 2014, marks the first day of early voting in Illinois. We are in the midst of a very important gubernatorial election, which will take place on Tuesday, November 4, 2014. Illinois' African-American community has a lot at stake. Issues important to our children, families, and communities, like funding for quality early childhood education, increased minimum wage, and access to affordable healthcare are all on the table during this year's election. While the Illinois African American Coalition for Prevention does not endorse candidates, we do endorse a movement that makes sure you exercise your franchise. There are no excuses, make sure you are registered to vote. You can vote early, mail-in your ballot or vote in person on November 4th.
As you prepare to cast your vote, remember the seemingly insurmountable obstacles we have overcome, honor the lives that were sacrificed, and never forget that we still have work to be done to build safe, healthy, and resilient African-American children, families, and communities.
EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE AND GO CATCH THAT WORM!!!!
Malik S. Nevels, J.D.
Executive Director
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