On #GeorgeFloyd and #BlackLivesMatter

In 1991, I was beaten by NYPD at anti-Iraq War protest. Undercover agents threw something into parade, 18 of us were dragged over barricades fencing protesters in. One cop kicked me in face while I was on the ground; another jumped on my stomach with his knee. #BlackLivesMatter 

I was one of the War Parade 18, charged with offences such as resisting arrest with a sentence of 13 years in prison. The only reason we were not imprisoned was because of news footage that finally was found that showed police attacked us. (2) #BlackLivesMatter 

When in jail the first night after the arrest, when we were bleeding and injured, the police woke us up in the middle of the night to take photos of us and said if we have been fucked, we wouldn’t be protesting. (3) #BlackLivesMatterUK 

For those making excuses so as not to stand unequivocally for justice, there are some things you just don’t understand. a – police instigate violence b- there is no accountability and justice for those beaten or killed c- you are dead man walking if you are black. (4) 

The stakes are stacked against you and you can only have some limited action if the violence has been filmed as was in my case – where charges were dropped but nothing happened to police who beat us – pulling out braids from one of the protester’s head (5) #BlackLivesMatter 

You have to enter this reality of so many black men in the US to understand level of suppression & violence. What is filmed is the tip of the iceberg. As ML King says if you are more concerned with “order” than justice, you need to have a rethink. (6) #BlackLivesMatter 

Only way things will change is if #blacklivesmatter is cause of every decent human being. No more excuses. It is because of protests that Derek Chauvin who has done this many times without any consequences is now in jail – but other cops must be arrested too. (7) 

But most importantly, this is about institutional racism – by a country built on slaves, which only ended segregation legally very recently and still the discrimination and racism persists in all sections of life – schooling, jobs, housing, health… #BlackLivesMatter (8) 

If you think it doesn’t affect you because you are not black, think again. It will come after you if it hasn’t. Chauvin had 18 other complaints against him. But even if it never does, the thing about us humans is we can show empathy & walk in another’s shoe. #BlackLivesMatter (9) 

At times in our lives there are watershed moments that demand we speak, stand & act & this is one of them. Of course #AllLivesMatter but when you keep saying this as black men and women die, you are part of the problem. #BlackLivesMatter (10)