Tag: Black struggle

Twin Cities Students Walk Out, March for Justice for Amir Locke

MINNEAPOLIS, February 15, 2022—Thousands of middle school and high school students have walked out of their classes in the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, over the last week. The students have given press conferences, staged marches, and joined other protesters demanding justice for Amir Locke. The 22-year-old Black man was killed by Minneapolis police earlier this month, when cops burst into an apartment just before 7 a.m. to serve a “no-knock” warrant. Locke, who was asleep at the time of the raid, was not listed in the warrant and had a gun with him for which he had a permit.

Verdict in Daunte Wright Killing: A Rare Glimpse of Justice

On December 23, a jury in Minneapolis convicted Kimberly Potter, the cop who killed Daunte Wright last spring, on first- and second-degree manslaughter. Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence and other opponents of cop brutality in Minnesota welcomed the verdict—a still too rare glimpse of justice. We join Wright’s family and supporters in celebrating the verdict that delivered some accountability. As Katie Bryant, Daunte’s mother, told supporters outside the courtroom, cops are now more likely to think twice before pulling their gun instead of their taser. “And we made this happen, you made this happen, Daunte Wright made this happen.”

Arbery Murder Verdict: A Measure of Justice

On November 24, a jury in Brunswick Georgia rendered a degree of justice in the brutal murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man. The three defendants, Gregory McMichael, 65; his son Travis McMichael, 35; and their neighbor William Bryan, 52 were found guilty of murder and other charges. All now face the prospect of life in prison. Future vigilantes may think twice before attempting such a lynching again. The outcome of this case is one more step forward in the long battle for genuine equality for African Americans and for the extension of democratic rights to all.