Brutality and Racist Violence against Aboriginal Youth

I am posting links to the stories below as further documentaton of the global nature of racist police violence and brutality.  Athough this incident occurred nearly a year ago, this story is  all over the Australian press and international press today as the officer has just been charged. You may have seen the viral video (above).  

Cop who 'kicked an Aboriginal teen to the ground face-first for threatening him' is charged with assault and bodily harm after year-long investigation. 

NSW police officer charged over alleged assault of Indigenous teen.

NSW police officer charged over alleged assault during arrest of Indigenous teenager.   

 

Police officer charged after arrest of Aboriginal teenager in Surry Hills. 

And this one, also from a year ago:  

Members of the public call for sacking of Senior Constable "Raptor 13". 

As you will know if you follow my blogs, I often state that racist police violence against Black communities is a global problem.  It is not something that is confined to a particular group, community, country or society.  It happens in every country where Europeans are the dominant group.  

Go here to watch our recent Global Peace Summit, where we screened Injustice, the film the police tried to ban, and held a discussion with the director, Ken Fero.  

And go here for my conversation with Ken Fero.  He has made films about the same issue in many European country. 

As I often say, and have posted many times as part of the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence, we need to find solutions to this ongoing problem.  And I believe NVC (Nonviolent Communication) is one such solution.  

What do you think will resolve this ongoing issue?  Please leave your comments below and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.  

Spree of Executions during Trump's Final Days

In what NBC News has called a "spree" of Federal executions, Donald Trump has ordered the Federal executions of five more people.  Four of them are Black men, including Brandon Bernard, who was arrested at the age of 18.  The government's scheduling timeline violates the federal death penalty law.

This makes Trump the "President" to order the most Federal executions in over 130 years.  The Republican administration had not ordered any executions for 17 years - until July of this year.  

According to a recent report by the Death Penalty Information Center, there is a history of racism in the criminal injustice system which dates back to slavery, lynching and segregation.  Well, we already knew that, but it's still useful to hear it. 

See also:  How to Escape the Prison System.    

See also:  Life Sentence for Stealing $9.  

See also:  83 Days, about George Stinney, who was executed at the age of 14. 

See also:  New Revelations about Emmett Till, who was murdered at the age of 14.  "The system rested on violence, and America let that happen."   The murder of Emmett Till galvanised people to fight racial injustice and ultimately led to the Civil Rights movement.  But today, this racism and criminal injustice continues. 

This story was also covered by The Guardian and the BBC.  

What do you make of all this?  Please leave your comments below and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.  

Success Strategies with Zhana: 2020 Year-End Roundup

If you missed the 2020 year-end roundup, you can still listen to it here.  

We had a lot to talk about.   So much has happened in 2020.  

What are the parallels between the killing of Breonna Taylor and the shooting of Cherry Groce?  

Do people in the U.S. know about what is happening here in the UK and in other countries?  And when they find out, what do they think?  

We didn't talk about the racist comments about the Sainsbury's ads.  What did you think?  Please share this with your networks and please comment below. 

Six-Year-Old Girl Arrested; 14-Year-Old Honestie Hodges Dies

 

As I said in my previous post, why was this child arrested?  What could she possibly have done to warrant her being taken out of her classroom and led away in handcuffs?  

Did she kill somebody?  

Links to resources are below.   My work is about solutions, so please do check out the resources below.  

I have now watched the full video - apparently, the child threw a temper tantrum.  A TEMPER TANTRUM, Y'ALL!!!  The teacher thought the appropriate thing to do in this situation was to call the cops.  The cops came and arrested this six-year-old girl, and as far as I can tell, did not even read her her rights or tell her the charges against her.

Another question:  Why did they arrest her before her grandmother arrived?  There are a lot of child protection issues and safeguarding issues here.  Could this really not have waited until her grandmother was able to get there, to talk to the child, to ride with her in the police car, to be there with her when she was arrested?

And another:  what kind of psychological scarring has she been left with?  She is going to make some therapist very wealthy one day.  

I have now learned about another handcuffing incident.  Honestie Hodges, 11 years of age  when she was arrested and handcuffed AT GUNPOINT, has now sadly died of covid-19 at the age of 14.   George Stinney was the same age when he was executed.  

Apparently, the police mistook Honestie for a middle-aged white woman who was a suspect in a stabbing.  

Again, I have questions about the type of psychological damage she will have suffered.  We may never know the answers in Honestie's case.  

The United States incarcerates more children than any other country.  We have a long history of arresting and incarcerating children, including George Stinney, who was executed at the age of 14. 

Also, check out this article about the incarceration of children in the U.S.  The rate of arrest and incarceration of Black children in the U.S. is twice the rate for white children. 

I'm so upset about these incidents, both recent and historic, and I'm sure you are, too.  To see young lives cut short by the criminal injustice system is just heartbreaking. 

Go here for my blog post, How to Escape from the Prison System.

We have so much power.  It's time we started to use it for our benefit.

Go here for How to Get Clear, Precise Answers.  Our minds are incredibly powerful, and we MUST use them to protect our children and protect our communities.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) can help to PREVENT these kinds of incidents from happening.  Go here for some NVC resources and go here for books about NVC.

As I said above, my work is about solutions.   Please share this with your networks and please comment below.

Black Lives Matter: Death of Kevin Clarke

Did you know – it was reported Monday that Kevin Clarke, a young Black man, died in police custody in Catford, Southeast London after being detained by NINE police officers. 

Clarke had mental health problems.

One more reason Why I Am Committed to Nonviolence.

See also: Rashan Charles's Death.

Please leave your comments below, and please share this with your networks.  Thanks. 

Rashan Charles's Death

Another Black man, Rashan Charles, has died in suspicious circumstances involving the police  I wish I could say I am even a little surprised.  I really do.  

There was a mostly peaceful protest in Hackney, East London, last night, near where Rashan's death occurred.  But the local community are understandably angry. 

We MUST change this narrative.  And we can.  

What will you share with the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2017? 

See also:  How Violence Affects the Black Community.  

See also:  590 Deaths in Police Custody.  
 

Black Lives Matter: Finding Peace with the Higher Self

Protestors in Brixton following U.S.police killings

Listen below for this post.

I am posting this in the aftermath of a week that saw two African American men killed by the police, and a number of police officers in Dallas killed by snipers.

Here in Britain, where 590 Black people have been killed by the police, the perpetrators are not even arrested, charged or brought to trial.




We need to find solutions that are going to work for ourselves, for our families and for our communities.

Protesters in Brixton following the U.S. police killings

We want to live in peace.  We want our children to live in peace and we want to prosper.  Violence is not a solution.

Listen below.  Please share this with your networks and please leave your comments below.  Thanks.




Black Women Sue Johnson & Johnson over Ovarian Cancer 

For more about the Higher Self, see:

How to Get Clear, Precise Answers

Your Inner Wisdom 

We Need Solutions That Work 

Go here for the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence and interviews with NVC authors.

Black Lives Matter - Is There an Age Gap?

Rev. Barbara Reynolds

I had the pleasure of speaking with veteran Civil Rights activist Rev. Barbara Reynolds, and Latara Jones of Black Women for Positive Change.  Listen below.

This blog is part of the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2015.  

As I am sure you know, the Black Lives Matter Movement was born as a response to the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and other Black people for whose deaths no one has been convicted. Some older African Americans, such as Rev. Barbara Reynolds, question their methods.  Latara Jones talks about the need for us to communicate across generations, and respect each other's experience and wisdom.

How can older and younger activists work together?  How can we take responsibiity for the violence in our homes and families?  Listen below.

Please share this with your networks, and please leave your comments below. 



Click here for practical ways to move from conflict to connection.

Click here for more blogs from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence.