Poetry Speaks Volumes: Delivering Black Lives Matter Poems to the DOJ
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 21, 2015
CONTACT: Sarah Browning, browning@splitthisrock.org, (202) 787- 5210
Poetry Speaks Volumes: Delivering Black Lives Matter Poems to the DOJ
Washington DC – A unique coalition of poetry and social justice organizations is presenting poems that speak for racial justice and resist police brutality to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, on Friday, January 23, 2015. The action is open to public participation and will include poetry readings from 12 to 1pm.
Spearheaded by Split This Rock, this action is cosponsored by Code Pink, the Institute for Policy Studies, DC Ferguson, Youth Speaks/Brave New Voices, SolidariTrees, Washington Peace Center, Baltimore Citywide Youth Poetry Team, Bill of Rights Defense Committee, and the DC Guerrilla Poetry Insurgency.
Split This Rock joins with the millions around the world demanding justice, accountability, and an end to racism with impunity. Standing in solidarity with people of color organizing to bring an end to state sponsored terrorism against Black and Brown communities, the action is organized in support of activists’ demands in the wake of the death of Michael Brown, found online at www.fergusonaction.com/demands/, including:
● The federal government must prosecute police officers who kill or abuse people.
● Remove local district attorneys from the job of holding police accountable, and instead have independent prosecutors at the local level charged with prosecuting officers.
● Establish community review boards that can make recommendations on police misconduct, instead of allowing police departments to police themselves.
● Defund local police departments that use excessive force or racially profile. Instead of the DOJ indiscriminately giving more than $250 million to local police departments annually, it should only fund departments that agree to adopt DOJ best practices for training and meaningful community input.
● Demilitarize local police departments.
Poems to be included in the delivery and on Split This Rock’s blog (www.blogthisrock.blogspot.com) are being accepted until 5pm on Thursday, January 22. For more information or to submit poems, email info@SplitThisRock.org or call 202-787-5210.