No More Stolen Lives: Say Their Names

A Public Reading and Remembrance: A Demand for Justice

10 am, Times Square, Thursday, October 22, 2015
Rise Up October to STOP Police Terror, October 22-24, Which Side Are You On?

October 10, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

 

Thursday, October 22, join families whose loved ones have been murdered by the police and a gathering of voices of conscience to Say Their Names and demand Murder by Police Must STOP Now! Before the eyes of the world, we will come together for an unprecedented reading of the names of just some of the many people killed by law enforcement in the last 10+ years. Ranging in age from seven to 92, thousands of lives have been stolen. These were husbands, wives, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters whose dreams were cut short, leaving hearts broken and families torn apart. A disproportionate number of these victims were Black and Brown—their lives stolen under the color of authority with the state’s approval over and over again.

100 Families of Stolen Lives victims will travel from across the country to New York for Rise Up October. Dozens of them will join prominent voices of conscience from the arts, literature, clergy, and more to Say Their Names, share remembrances and demand that police terror stop now! The diverse range of voices includes those who are directly affected and those who are not but refuse to stand by in silence… who refuse to tolerate living in a society that views and treats Black and Brown people—men, women, straight, or LGBTQ—as suspects, as criminals, and worse, as people having no rights or even humanity that the police are bound to respect or protect.

This dramatic event will give voice to the hidden stories and lives of the thousands and thousands of people who not only have had their lives cut short by law enforcement but who are murdered a second time: by having their character assaulted, demeaned, and criminalized by the defenders of police violence. With readings from cherished voices of conscience, and remembrances from family members, a sense of the scale, scope, and lived impact of the number of lives stolen will be provided. Most important, we will begin to understand these victims as more than abstract names, videos, and statistics. Their humanity will be voiced and celebrated through stories told by those who raised them, planned lives with them, and loved them.

If you’d like to volunteer to help develop the list of names of people killed by the police over the last decades to be read at the public reading and remembrance, or to assist with this event (filming, making artwork commemorating the stolen lives, etc.), please write to: AddMyVoice@RiseUpOctober.org

 

 

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