No apologies for stepping out of my niche this time.
I haven’t had the heart or the clarity of mind to post anything lately, let alone anything travel-related when much more important things weigh heavy on all of our minds. This past week has been tumultuous, and all of us are going through a mixture of emotions. I feel sorrow at the lives unjustly lost. I feel hope for the future a revolution can bring. There is disgust at the utter lack of leadership displayed by our elected officials. Most of all, there are the feelings of desperately wanting to help, but at the same time, the helplessness of not knowing what I can personally do to help the fight.
A majority of my readers are from outside of the United States. Internationally, this may seem like yet another phase of American fuckery, but I promise you that it is not. I implore you to educate yourself and appropriately assist how you can. Police brutality and racism aren’t exclusively American things, and I’ve been to enough countries to know that there isn’t an innocent one out there when it comes to racism and racial injustice.
This should not be a controversial cause. This should not be viewed as white vs. black, because it is not. It is every single one of us fighting against racism, police brutality, and a broken system that clearly does not work fairly for all Americans. There is nothing polarizing about saying that black lives matter equally. There is nothing controversial about holding criminals accountable for murdering the very citizens that they are paid to protect, let alone committing the horrific murders live on video. This is not a debate. Justice needs to be served, and there is no denying that there have been so, so many shortcomings for so many people for far too long.
America likes to scream liberty, equality, and freedom. Those words are empty when you fail to apply those values evenly to your people. Those of us that enjoy the privileges of that imbalance are complicit in its persisting.
Our own “leaders” have called for violence against our fellow citizens, the vast majority of which have been peacefully protesting and innocent. Thousands of our brothers and sisters have been arrested, shot at, tear-gassed, and even killed. Before we even have time to mourn the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, we have to add David McAtee, James Scurlock, and more to the ever-growing list. The government has empowered white supremacists and abusive police to the point that in the midst of anti-police brutality protests, they continue to act in the very ways we protest against. Even with cameras in their faces, they continue to attack us, as if to mockingly spit in our faces and say “what can you do about it while the man in the White House is on our side?”
Tensions are reaching a boiling point and being neutral now is no different than being on the side of the oppressors. You may be in a position of privilege where you feel that none of this will affect you, but you are just as needed to inspire change. Change can happen when those hesitant to speak out finally do. Is “my racist uncle will get offended” an equal struggle to the injustices faced by black people? Let those assholes know they are wrong and evil, and that they are alone in their outdated beliefs. Being passive from the sidelines is no longer an option.
Do what you can, but do something. The revolution may seem to take place only in the protests in our streets and in our cities, but for many of us, the fight can begin with ourselves and in our own homes. If something as simple as “black lives matter” is difficult for someone to understand, then hey, maybe it’s time to burn some bridges. And if you can’t speak out, help fund the voices that can.
This isn’t a political issue.
This is a humanity issue.
Black lives matter.
And until there is justice and a system that works fairly for all of its citizens, there will be no peace.
Simple as that.
Resources to Help the Cause
I’ll be updating this as frequently as I can. These resources have been pulled from various places across the Internet, but a great comprehensive source can be found here.
Sign Petitions:
- Justice for George Floyd
- Raise the Murder Degree Charge
- Charge All Four Officers
- Justice for Breonna Taylor (murdered by Louisville police while sleeping in her own home)
- Justice for Ahmaud Arbery (killed while jogging)
- Pass the Georgia Hate Crime Bill
- Mandatory Life Sentence for Police Brutality
- Justice for Joao Pedro (14 year old shot by Brazilian police)
- Justice for Tamir Rice (12 year old shot by police)
- Full list of petitions to sign
- Page 2 of petitions list
- I’ve signed every petition on these two pages. It takes two seconds for each one, literally.
- Also, if change.org asks you to donate, don’t. It goes to change.org and not the cause itself. Scroll back up to my donation section and you can donate through GoFundMe’s. Note that they automatically add a tip to GoFundMe, which you can remove.
Resources for Protestors
- NOTE: DO NOT share pictures or videos including protester’s faces or identifying features, the police WILL find and charge them.
- Many white supremacist groups are creating fake protests and your life could be in danger. Many are police traps as well, RESEARCH.
- Know Your Rights.
- Treatment for Tear Gas.
- Spotting Undercover Cops
- Map of Protests
- Tips from Hong Kong Protesters
A Compilation of Police Brutality Videos I’ve Gathered
- COMPLAIN TO YOUR LAWMAKERS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, EXPOSE YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENTS, DO NOT LET THEM COVER THESE VIDEOS UP UNTIL JUSTICE IS HAD.
- OUR CAMERAS ARE OUR MOST DANGEROUS TOOLS RIGHT NOW. Seriously, do not let the abusers get away any longer. Police brutality needs to end and we need to hold them accountable.
- Crowd of peaceful protestors in Seattle get barraged with pepper spray and flash bangs out of nowhere
- NYPD Officers telling each other to run protestors over and “shoot the motherfuckers”
- Philadelphia police telling a detainee saying he can’t breathe that “that shit doesn’t work here”
- Kansas City police violently pulling peaceful protestors out of a crowd to pepper spray them
- DC Police illegally tear-gassing private property where protestors were sheltered
- Philadelphia protestors flanked by officers and trapped, while being tear-gassed from both sides
- Officers pulling COVID-19 facemasks off of protestors to pepper spray them in the face
- 13-year old boy shot 19 times by 10 police officers
- Protestors trapped and flanked by police officers on both side of the Manhattan Bridge
- Los Angeles police chase teenagers while shooting rubber bullets
- Cops block entrances to subway stations, not allowing people to get home before curfews commence
- Cops place weapon in detainee’s hand to make it seem like he was attacking them
- Police officers fake kneeling to bait protestors closer before tear gassing them
- Brooklyn police beat a hospital worker bloody while on his way home from work
- Riverside Police randomly break the windows of a car with no one around
- Cops emptying water bottles and destroying supplies for no other reason besides being scum
- Boston PD caught planting bricks to bait protestors into violence
- Asheville police destroying supplies at a medical tent
- (Old but still relevant) UCPD pepper spraying peaceful students on campus
- Cincinnati Police confiscate life-saving medicine from diabetic protestor while she desperately begs for it returned
- Cops racially profile and handcuff an FBI agent of South Sudanese descent
- Detroit police pepper spraying peaceful protestors
- Military police open fire on nurses treating injured protestors
- Las Vegas police assault man literally just walking
- Minneapolis residents shot by police patrols while on their own porches and inside their own homes
- Police kneeling on people’s necks during protests for a man who was killed by police kneeling on his neck
- Teenage girl not involved with protests hit by rubber bullet while grocery shopping (graphic)
- Psychopathic police officer thinks this is Call of Duty or some shit
- Journalists in Minneapolis attacked by pepper spray, tear gas, concussion grenades, and batons while covering protests
- Portland police attack peaceful parents and children from behind with rubber bullets
- (Old-ish) NYPD illegally cover their badge numbers with a black band, claiming mourning for officers lost due to COVID
- Atlanta police forcibly remove citizens from their cars and assault them
- Big, big compilation video of police brutality during the peaceful protests
Other Resources