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Dear Sarah,
It's been a hard month. In the last few weeks, the media has been flooded with two high profile cases of murder at the hands of the police. In New York City, Eric Garner, a Black man was killed by an NYPD officer using a choke hold - a move that has been illegal for twenty years - in what has since been ruled a homicide - after being stopped for a "quality-of-life" offense: selling loose cigarettes.
And on August 9th, in Ferguson, MO, Mike Brown was gunned down by police - hands up and screaming that he was unarmed, eyewitnesses report - with militarized police and armored vehicles showing up at vigils and protests marking his killing. At the same time, a slew of videos of police violence shot by witnesses and passersby have been making the rounds on social media - including instances in which Black women and people who are or are perceived to be LGBT are targets of abuse. Streetwise and Safe shares the rage and the grief of the families and communities subjected to systemic police violence.
Even in the face of police violence, LGBTQQ youth of color resist. We know LGBTQQ youth of color are disproportionately profiled, harassed, abused and targeted by the police, and that for us this is more than a solidarity issue. We are working towards a day when police violence is history - for all members of our communities.
We hope that you will join with our fellow members of
#WeWillNotGoBack March for Justice for Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Ramarley Graham & All Victims of Police Brutality
this Saturday, August 23rd at 12:00 pm at
Victory Blvd & Bay Street on Staten Island.
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This is What Resistance Looks Like
In the midst of this recent rash of publicized police violence, communities across the country - from New York to Ferguson - are rising up and resisting all forms of violence we experience. One of the ways SAS is leading and supporting this resistance is through Get Yr Rights!, a national LGBTQ youth "know your rights" network made up of organizations around the country who are currently engaged in community education and policy advocacy efforts focused on reducing the harms of LGBTQ youth interactions with law enforcement. In partnership with our friends at BreakOUT! in New Orleans, we have been building this network over the past year with and are excited to create ways for LGBTQ youth-serving organizations to share resources and strategies.
As a part of making Get Yr Rights as useful as possible for everyone, SAS has been traveling to conferences and gatherings to share our ideas and asking folks what they need. On August 9th we were in New Orleans to present as part of Ending Violence, Ending Criminalization, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Program's Regional Action Training institute, hosted by BreakOUT!, where we got new ideas and engaged new people in visioning what is possible for this project and the future of LGBTQ youth resisting abusive policing.
Mitchyll Mora from SAS presenting at the NCAVP meeting about Get Yr Rights!
This month, Streetwise and Safe youth leaders have also been participating in a community safety mural project in the Bronx. The People's Justice Coalition for Community Control and Police Accountability, along with artist Raul Ayala, has led the effort to paint this community mural to promote community safety and speak out against police violence. We are so excited to be a part of this project alongside youth from CAAAV and the Justice Committee!
SAS campaign staff Bilal painting a People's Justice community safety mural along with youth from CAAAV and The Justice Committee
Staff spotlight: Mitchyll Mora
Streetwise and Safe has been growing over the past two years - we are now at 7 full-time and part-time staff! Over the coming months, we'll be introducing our hardworking, creative, and brilliant staff. This month's spotlight is on Mitchyll Mora, one of two campaign staff at SAS.
Mitchyll Mora, Researcher and Campaign Staff at Streetwise and Safe (SAS), completed the SAS Youth Leaders Program in 2012 and has been staff at SAS for 2 years. During Mitchyll's time at SAS, Mitchyll has served as lead youth researcher on a study of LGBTQ youth, YMSM and YWSW, with involvement, or perceived involvement, in the sex trades in New York City which SAS has partnered on with the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. The findings of that study will be released towards the end of this year. Mitchyll has also frequently spoken out and testified on issues relating to "stop and frisk" and discriminatory policing practices, and the use of condoms as evidence of intent to engage in prostitution-related offenses. Currently, Mitchyll is working on Get Yr Rights! A National LGBTQ "Know Your Rights" Network.
Help SAS meet our match!
Last, but not least, we have just four more months to meet our fundraising challenge from The Calamus Foundation. We need to raise $20,000 to meet the match and keep going strong with all the important work you've just read about.
Thanks to all of you who donated to SAS during GiveOUT Day, we are halfway there!
and double the value of your donation?
You can donate, but don't stop there!
Tell your networks! Facebook, tweet, tumbl, and spread the word!
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Thank you so much for your support of SAS, and of LGBTQ youth of color challenging profiling, discriminatory policing, and criminalization.
In Solidarity,
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Andrea
Andrea Ritchie
Coordinator, Streetwise and Safe |
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