Justice for Mike Brown – US Embassy Emergency Protest
5.30pm Wed 26 Nov
called by Stand up to racism
Wed 26 November
5.30pm
24 Grosvenor Square, London W1A 2LQ
We condemn the decision of the Grand Jury not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson for killing 18-year-old Michael Brown in St Louis. This comes on the same day that Tamir Rice, a 12 year old boy, was shot dead by the police after carrying a toy gun.
We call on all those who oppose this injustice to join us at the US Embassy tomorrow for an emergency protest.
Speakers will include Carol Duggan, aunt of Mark Duggan and Marcia Rigg of the Sean Rigg Justice and Change campaign, anti-racist campaigners and others.
Diane Abbott MP said:
“My deepest sympathies go out to the family of Mike Brown. Not only have they lost a loved one but following the Grand Jury’s decision they no doubt feel the strongest sense of injustice, which can only make their pain worse.
The anger and disruption that has already followed this decision extends beyond the killing of Mike right to the root of long standing issues with the criminal justice system. Just as in Britain, the Black community in the US has a fraught history with the police. It is one of the reasons I have always been against the arming of police.
A recent report has shown that in recent years young black males in the US were 21 times more likely to be shot dead by police than their white counterparts. This is shocking, but inequality in policing is not a new phenomenon. Therefore how can it ever be reasonable to allow police to use deadly force against an unarmed young man? And just this week-end A 12-year-old boy has been shot dead by police in the US as he played with a fake gun in a park. And time and time again no one is held accountable. When yet another unarmed young black man is killed and it is “lawful”, it can be no surprise that black people are questioning how much value these same laws place on their lives"
Carol Duggan, aunt of Mark Duggan who will be speaking at the event said:
“Murder is not legitimate. No one should lose their child. Michael Brown has not got justice and neither has Mark Duggan. The Police are there to protect, not to kill our children”
Marcia Rigg of the Sean Rigg Justice and Change campaign said:
“My heart goes out to Michael Brown’s family and the community in Ferguson. No Justice No Peace.”
Zita Holbourne National Co-Chair BARAC UK said:
"Until there is a balance of powers there will be no balance of the scales of justice. Oppression, institutional racism, inequality, poverty & injustice occur because of a division of rights where black people are treated like third class citizens. As Martin Luther King said, a riot is the voice of the unheard. When will the powers that contribute to injustice be prepared to hear?"
Aaron Kiely NUS NEC said:
"We join the family of Mike Brown in calling for an indictment of the officer who shot their son dead. We currently live in a world where young black people can be shot dead on the street with impunity. This has got to stop. No justice, no peace."
Sabby Dhalu for Stand up to racism said:
“We fully support the family of Mike Brown. Having seen at first hand the pain of his family in Ferguson. We fully support the family’s call for the indictment. This comes within a day of Tamir Rice, a 12 year old boy, being shot dead by US police carrying a toy gun. The cheapness of black lives in the US is a reflection of racism that black communities face at the hands of the police that must be stopped.”
Weyman Bennett of Stand up to racism said:
“I went to Ferguson and met Mike Brown’s family. They have our full support justice must be served.”
for more information contact info@standuptoracism.org.uk
https://www.facebook.com/events/742965182457535/
Labels: America, Barack Obama, police brutality, racism
