“America” was built on the stolen land of Indigenous people and the stolen labor and lives of our African Ancestors. As Black freedom fighters, we pay respect to the Indigenous people upon whose land we stand. We seek to not only acknowledge the theft of Indigenous land, but struggle arm-in-arm for reparations and justice.
Read MoreThe transition of our beloved Brother, comrade, and friend General Jeff leaves a gaping hole in our hearts. Jeff Page has been called the “Mayor of Skid Row,” and is known the world over as a stalwart freedom fighter, a Hip Hip legend, an unwavering voice of the people, and the embodiment of what it means to live life as a free Black man. Those of us who were fortunate enough to fight alongside him also know Jeff as one of the warmest, most loving human beings to ever grace this earth. He is a revolutionary in the truest sense...one who moves out of deep and unrelenting love for our people. Sharing space with General Jeff was equal parts strategy and joy, cussing and laughter, frustration and resolution...all bound together with smiles that emanated from soul space, set to the rhythm of good music.
We speak to the wind and the sun and every element of the universe that now carries General Jeff’s Spirit...We say thank you. Thank you for living your life as an offering to our people...a beautiful, big, joyous offering. We ask you to continue to be our warrior. We seek to honor you with our work. We offer our deepest love to General Jeff’s family and loved ones and thank them for sharing him with us.
Read MoreOn Thursday, Black Lives Matter received the prestigious Chatham House Centenary Diversity Champion Award. The Chatham House Prize is an annual award honored to a person or organization who has made the most significant contribution to the improvement of international relations, and is the British equivalent of the Presidential Medal of Honor. The award is in “recognition of the momentous work Black Lives Matter has done towards empowering black people and promoting a more inclusive approach to race in policy-making.”
Sister Melina Abdullah accepted the award last Thursday at the Chatham House in London, along with Thandiwe Abdullah of the BLM-Youth Vanguard, Tabatha Jones Jolivet of BLMLA, Angela Angel of the BLM Pac and Kayza Rose of BLM-UK. As Sister Melina spoke about how it’s great for the movement to be recognized on a global scale, she also uplifted the work that Britain has to do to address the police brutality in their own country. As abolitionists, it is our duty to challenge every government to go beyond the words Black Lives Matter and make sure their actions make Black Lives Matter. You can watch the ceremony and Melina’s acceptance speech here.
Read MoreThe recent harassment against our beloved Melina Abdullah is a clear example of why police don’t keep us safe and should be defunded. Our #DefundThePolice demand is the first step towards our main goal of ABOLISHING THE POLICE! Modern day policing is a descendent of slave-catching. But we are the descendents of revolutionaries and abolitionists. So in honor of our Ancestors who survived the Middle Passage, and survived generations of chattel slavery, in honor of our sacred duty to upend systems of terror, surveillance and control, we must organize for abolition!
Read MoreLast Wednesday afternoon at the weekly Black Lives Matter #EndPoliceAssociations rally, Sister Melina Abdullah was alerted that LAPD was currently surrounding her home with SWAT gear and assault rifles. For the second time in 6 days, LAPD officers claimed to be responding to a fake 911 call.
This undoubtable harassment campaign against Sister Melina is an attempt to intimidate her...and us...out of the work. Our people are stronger than that! Neighbors continue to keep Sister Melina and her children safe. Organizers continue to keep each other safe. As Sister Melina said, “there are forces that are visible and invisible that are keeping us safe.” #WeKeepUsSafe
One way that you can help us stay safe is to hope in this work! We need you to join us in the streets and let LAPD and white supremacists know they aren’t going to scare any of us out of our sacred duty. There is power and safety in numbers. EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 4PM, 1313 W. 8TH ST., “FUND SERVICES, NOT POLICE!” #EndPoliceAssociations!
Read MoreDr. Melina Abdullah’s home was targeted again for a second “swatting”, less than 24 hours after a lawsuit against the LAPD for the first “swatting” was announced. Since the second swatting she has received threatening text messages and phone calls to her personal phone, along with emails and phone calls to her workplace. It is clear that she is being targeted as a Black Lives Matter organizer.
The targeting of Black radical organizers is nothing new. The movement remains strong when we move together, when we truly “love and protect one another.”
WE KEEP US SAFE.
In the words of our own Sister Melina, “We will not be moved. We will double down on our efforts to stop police violence, make #BlackLivesMatter, and build a world where we can all live and walk freely.” Read her full statement here.
Read MoreYou may have seen the horrific images of Haitian immigrants who are looking for food, water, and refuge, being brutally beaten with whips by U.S. Border Patrol on horseback. We must stand up! TODAY (Tuesday) at noon, Black Lives Matter will stand with Black Alliance for Just Immigration and other ally organizations in front of the Department of Homeland Security - 300 N. Los Angeles Street. Stand with us! You can come late, but COME!
The right-wing attempt to steal the governorship through a recall election has failed! Voters turned out in large numbers last Tuesday to reject the recall and reject Larry Elder’s candidacy. Now that our votes ensured Gavin Newsom will remain the governor, he needs to return the favor by immediately signing two bills into law: SB2, the Kenneth Ross Jr. Police Decertification Bill and AB118, the Crises Act.
And now that we’ve voted, we must organize to continue blocking any further disruptions to our movement. We must stop the Larry Elders of the world from ever being close to power. The fight for justice continues…
Read MoreThe California recall election is a right-wing attempt to seize power and control of the state. The same forces that fueled and funded the terrible presidency of Donald Trump are the ones behind this recall attempt. The recall process itself is anti-Democratic, anti-Black, anti-Labor, and anti-any progressive policy. Larry Elder – who is almost assured the governorship if the recall passes – is a “Black face on white supremacy,” who outrageously floated the notion that descendants of slave owners are due reparations for their loss of “property,” not Black people whose Ancestors were actually enslaved.
If you believe in women’s rights, minimum wage, public education, public health, reparations, police accountability, and that Black Lives Matter, we urge you to VOTE NO ON THE RECALL BY SEPTEMBER 14TH.
Read MoreThis week, as we honor the labor movement that provides working-class people with protections, fair wages, and decision-making power, join us for a Labor Day edition of our weekly #EndPoliceAssociations rally TODAY, Wednesday, September 8, at 3pm 1313 W. 8th St. If you’re a union member, come out in solidarity and wear your union attire! And ALL WORKING PEOPLE, their families, and community are encouraged to join. Let’s raise our voices and our fists against the police associations that protect killer cops and demand they be removed from the House of Labor!
And stay in the streets with us EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 3PM AT 1313 W. 8TH ST., “FUND SERVICES, NOT POLICE!” #EndPoliceAssociations!
Read MoreDistrict Attorney George Gascón is keeping his word on progressive justice reform by prosecuting corrupt cops. First, his office announced charges against two former Torrance police officers for painting a swastika in an impounded vehicle. Then, he filed charges against two LA County Sheriffs out of the East LA station for an assault and cover up. On Friday, he charged a Torrance police officer with assault for shooting a man while he was experiencing a mental health crisis. Alright, DA Gascón...Keep the charges coming! Next up...PROSECUTE KILLER COPS!
Read MoreSTUDY. FAST. TRAIN. FIGHT. Engage with the four pillars of Black August tonight at Chuco’s Justice Center for our monthly general meeting. This special conversation will be led by comrades Jitu Sadiki and Harold Welton from Black August Resistance Coalition/Black August - Los Angeles.
Read MoreThis week brings the angelversaries of #MichaelBrownJr, whose murder by Ferguson police on August 9, 2014 sparked a massive uprising and grew Black Lives Matter into a national movement; #MitriceRichardson, whose body was found August 9, 2010 after LA Sheriff deputies sent her out onto a dark Malibu highway in the middle of the night with no phone, no money and no transportation; #JesseRomero, who was just 14-years-old when he was murdered by LAPD officer Eden Medina; #EzellFord, who was shot and killed on August 11, 2014 by LAPD officers Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas; #AnthonyVargas, murdered by members of the Banditos - an LA County Sheriffs gang on August 14, 2019; and #AnthonyMcClain - shot in the back on August 15, 2020 by Pasadena police officer Edwin Dumaguindin. Their souls cry out and demand that we struggle in their names and organize to transform this world into one where our people can grow and thrive.
Read MoreIt’s more urgent now than ever to get in these streets and fight for justice. In order to radically transform the world and influence the change we want to see, we must continue applying pressure and centering our demands: #DefundThePolice, #EndPoliceAssociations and invest in the well-being of our communities. Let’s rejoice in the proverb “when we fight, we win” and make sure we act upon it!
Read MoreLet’s stay in these streets! As we work to end qualified immunity and special protections for police, we must also take down the police associations that are behind it all. Stay in these streets EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 3PM AT 1313 W. 8TH ST., “FUND SERVICES, NOT POLICE!” #EndPoliceAssociations
Read MoreWhen #TrayvonMartin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted on July 13, 2013, the world erupted and our co-founder Alicia Garza penned a love letter to Black people, closing with the words “Black Lives Matter.” The words became a rallying cry for those with the vision and will to end state-sanctioned violence against Black people and build a world of freedom and justice. For eight years we have struggle and organized. We have won major victories, not the least of which is awakening people to the power we have to transform the world in which we live. There is so much more work to be done to topple systems of white supremacy and oppression. Today was recommit and step courageously into that sacred duty.
Let us all celebrate Black Lives Matter by hashtagging #BlackLivesMatter, donating to the movement, coming to the monthly general meeting this Sunday at 7pm, and joining us in the streets every Wednesday at 3pm to demand #EndPoliceAssociations at 1313 W.8th St. (across from the Los Angeles Police Protective League).
Read MoreWhile many assert that the #GeorgeFloyd moment is winding down, the need to protect Black life has never been more dire. On June 23, 2021, Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies murdered #FredHolden on the 605 freeway, concocted a far-fetched story to assassinate his character, and didn’t even bother to notify his family until a week later. Although Derek Chauvin is going to prison for the murder of Brother George, the police who killed #IsakAden, #AltonSterling, #BreonnaTaylor, #ChristopherDeAndreMitchell, #RyanTwyman, #RedelJones, and more than 1000 others each year, continue to walk free...often keeping their jobs, and sometimes receiving promotions.
The point...our work is nowhere near done. In the name of all of those stolen by police violence, let’s stay in these streets! EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 3PM AT 1313 W. 8TH ST., “FUND SERVICES, NOT POLICE!” #EndPoliceAssociations
Read MoreAs many in this country prepare for fireworks and barbecue, donning red-white-and-blue, and hanging American flags, we are reminded of the words of our abolitionist Ancestor, Frederick Douglass, who asks, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” Just two weeks out of Juneteenth celebrations, we know that Black folks were not free in 1776. We also know that even in 2021, the freedom that we vision for ourselves and our people has yet to be realized.
Read Moreistrict Attorney Jackie Lacey for more than three years, to imploring our folks to stand with George Gascón. We rarely stand alongside elected officials. However, DA Gascón has been steadfast in his advancement of the people’s progressive justice reforms - including forming a community-led panel to recommend the prosecution of officers who murder and abuse our people.
Read MoreAs Juneteenth approaches this coming Saturday, let’s uplift Black Freedom! Come out to the Youth Justice Coalition tonight at 7pm for our monthly general meeting for a discussion on the road ahead for Black Lives Matter. We’ll be joined by Dawn Modkins - Director of Chapter Development, Audrena Redmond - Director of Political Education, and our very own Sister Melina - Co-Director of BLM Grassroots. Learn more about Black Lives Matter’s group-centered approach and how Black Lives Matter - Grassroots will expand its role as the on-the-ground force of the Global Network.
Read MoreBlack Lives Matter is starting a new chapter! Our beloved visionary Patrisse Cullors has transitioned out as Executive Director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. Two brilliant and deeply-rooted interim senior executives - Makani Themba and Monifa Bandele - are stepping in to focus on resource-building for the Black freedom movement. Black Lives Matter - Grassroots will expand its role leading the on-the-ground work; we celebrate the group-centered approach to leadership that includes 7 courageous and committed BLM leaders from around the Network.
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