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This week at the LRC....
We condemn the shooting of Jacob Blake, and we hope for his full recovery We assisted protestors in downtown Minneapolis LRC volunteer attorneys and Minneapolis Youth Congress provided a Know Your Rights training on Thursday at Elliot Park. If you’re interested in accessing this free community legal education, please reach out to Chelsea Schmitz-Gillam for more information and to get a workshop scheduled for you and your community! cschmitz@legalrightscenter.org This week on our social media... "A Brief Overview (and Critique) of Carceral Feminism as a Response to Sexual Violence" Written by the LRC's summer communications assistant As always, please follow us on Twitter (@LegalRightsCtr), Facebook, and Instagram (@mplslegalrightscenter) to stay up to date on the news we share and work we do. The Legal Rights Center has employees and contributors from a variety of different backgrounds, and we invite all our staff and volunteers to contribute to conversations on the topics of racial justice, the criminal justice system, and many more. This is one such piece from Omi Strait, the summer communications assistant for the LRC.
One of the most common responses I’ve heard to the proposition of abolishing or defunding police and prisons is “What about sexual assault? What is going to happen to the rapists? You should be ashamed of yourself for trying to take away protection for those most vulnerable. You’re not a feminist.” My first reaction to this response is that it assumes that accountability for sexual violence is only legitimate through punitive responses, and therefore that abolition and gender justice are oppositional. However, my understanding of feminism and abolition is that they are both supposed to be liberatory. So how can feminism rely on institutions like the prison industrial complex (PIC), which is incredibly harmful and racist, to fulfill its goals? How did mainstream feminism become synonymous with, and lend legitimacy to, carceral responses to sexual violence? On Sunday, 29 year old Jacob Blake was shot in the back 7 times, in front of his children, by Kenosha police officers. In a historic summer centered on affirming that Black Lives Matter, once again the police have shown an absolute disregard for Black life. There is no excuse for the officers’ actions. Not complying with the police does not justify shooting an individual in the back, and the violent behavior of these officers stands in stark contrast to the peaceful actions of Jacob Blake, who was simply trying to de-escalate a fight.
Police violence against Black people is not new. Just like in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and so many others, there will be calls to charge and fire the officers involved in the violence against Blake. As this happens, do not allow the police to warp the narrative around this shooting. Do not allow the police or anyone else to justify this violence or diminish this harm by emphasizing any current or past allegations of wrongdoing. We must use this time to fundamentally change the systems that allow officers to go without accountability for their actions - e.g., police indemnity, the process of charging & prosecuting officers for their crimes, and the actions (or inaction) of those who can influence what policing looks like. Do not forget about those, like Breonna Taylor, whose killers have not yet been held accountable. We at the Legal Rights Center condemn this and all other acts of police brutality, and will continue to seek widespread change in the criminal legal system. We hope for Jacob Blake’s recovery as he fights for his life, and we stand with him, his family and the community in calling for justice. To support protestors in Kenosha, please consider donating to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund here: https://supportwomenshealth.salsalabs.org/mkefreedomfund/index.html  This week at the Legal Rights Center we signed onto a public letter demanding diploma privilege, provided Know Your Rights resources to Minneapolis youth, and so much more! Check out the links provided below to learn more about our work this week.
Actions This Week Minneapolis Youth Congress used our Know Your Rights resources at the Elliot Park Youth Zone to provide information, like your rights when interacting with the police, to their peers. Diploma Privilege Now Letter "Given the public health and equity concerns of in-person and online exams - diploma privilege is the only fair, safe, and administrable option." This Week In Our Social Media: THL Update: Externality and the Data Practices Act: Addressing Obstacles to Police Accountability By former LRC Director Michael Friedman MN Freedom Fighters (Unicorn Riot) MN Freedom Fighters (MPR) Check out these articles about a community-led public safety effort in north Minneapolis. As always, please follow us on Twitter (@LegalRightsCtr), Facebook, and Instagram (@mplslegalrightscenter) to stay up to date on the news we share and work we do. This week at the Legal Rights Center…
We’ve been uplifting opportunities for people to get involved in actions around the Twin Cities! See below for a youth opportunity, a petition to sign, and a notice that the NLG Legal Support Hotline is live as of Friday (August 14). An article by former LRC Executive Director Michael Friedman has also been re-published in The Hennepin Lawyer magazine and is linked below. Actions this Week Change.org Petition to Drop the Charges Against Minnesota Uprising Defendants Criminal Justice Reform Youth Essay, Video and Audio Contest NLG Legal Support Hotline is Live Again The National Lawyers Guild Hotline has been reactivated today based on activity happening in Powderhorn Park! If you or anyone you know are being arrested and want legal support, please call the NLG Hotline at 612-444-2654. LRC In the News THL Update: Externality and the Data Practices Act: Addressing Obstacles to Police Accountability Authored by former LRC Executive Director Michael Friedman. As always, please follow us on Twitter (@LegalRightsCtr), Facebook, and Instagram (@mplslegalrightscenter) to stay up to date on the news we share and work we do. |
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1611 Park Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55404 office@legalrightscenter.org P: 612-337-0030 F: 612-337-0797 |
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