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Oakland – From Saturday, Oct. 3 through Saturday, Oct. 10, a #CaravanForJustice featuring survivors of law enforcement violence and grassroots organizers will travel throughout California to mobilize communities of color against police brutality.
Led by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, in partnership with the ACLU of California, the eight-day caravan will train community members on how to respond to law enforcement violence, and spread awareness about the Mobile Justice CA app in communities impacted by police violence. To spark a global conversation about police violence, family members of those killed by police in the United Kingdom will travel on the #CaravanForJustice as well.
“There is a war on black and brown people in this country right now, and we are in a state of emergency,” said Patrisse Cullors, Truth and Reinvestment Campaign Director at the Ella Baker Center. “And in much the same way that we have emergency preparedness trainings for natural disasters, we need to train low-income communities of color on how to respond to incidents of violence on the streets and inside the jails.”
At each stop, the caravan will:
- Educate community members about how to use the Mobile Justice CA app
- Gain support for the Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015 (AB 953)
- Highlight the presence of regional Justice Teams for Truth and Reinvestment
- Engage people in a global conversation about police violence
The caravan will launch Justice Teams in nine counties throughout the state, which will serve as local rapid response networks to help community members respond when law enforcement violence occurs. Justice Teams will include lawyers to support families who have had encounters with law enforcement, healing justice practitioners, and will provide toolkits to train community members as rapid responders.
Justice Teams will also advance a Truth and Reinvestment agenda—demanding that funds for policing and jails be redirected towards healthcare, employment, and other services for communities of color most harmed by decades of criminalization, incarceration, and systemic oppression.
The #CaravanForJustice will kick off in Oakland on October 3rd, followed by stops in Sacramento, Stockton, Salinas, Fresno, Riverside, Orange County, and end in Los Angeles at Politicon. Stops will include rallies, teach-ins, and panels featuring testimonials from family members of those killed by police in the United Kingdom and local community members who have been directly impacted by police violence.
At every stop, the caravan will host an educational segment on the Mobile Justice CA app, a tool that community members can use to record law enforcement abuses.
“The concerns over police practices, including racial profiling and excessive use of force, are very real for communities across the state,” said Hector Villagra, executive director of ACLU SoCal. “This app will help serve as a check on abuse – whether by police officers, sheriff’s deputies, border patrol, or other officials – allowing ordinary citizens to record and document any interaction with law enforcement.”
#CaravanForJustice stops
- Saturday, Oct. 3, 2-4pm: Oakland Rally - Oscar Grant Plaza, 1 Frank H Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612
- Sunday, Oct. 4, 2-4pm: Sacramento Rally - State Capitol South Lawn, 10th St and L St, Sacramento, California
- Monday, Oct. 5, 10am-12pm Stockton Teach-In - Fathers & Families Center, 338 E Market St, Stockton, CA 95202
- Monday, Oct. 5, 5-7pm Salinas Rally - Salinas City Hall, 200 Lincoln Ave, Salinas, CA 93901
- Tuesday, Oct. 6, 6-7:30pm Fresno Teach-In - Ted C. Wills Community Center, 770 North San Pablo, Fresno CA, 93728
- Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6-7:30pm Riverside Rally - Martin Luther King Statue (Main St Pedestrian Mall near 9th St), Downtown Riverside
- Thursday, Oct. 8, 7-9pm Fullerton Teach-In - Fullerton College, 21 E Chapman Ave, Fullerton, CA 92832
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 12:30-2:30pm Los Angeles Panel - Politicon, LA Convention Center West Wing, 1201 South Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Co-hosting organizations include: Anti Police-Terror Project/BLM Bay Area, PICO/ACCE, Fathers & Families of San Joaquin, Colectiva de Mujeres, Central California Criminal Justice Committee, BLM Inland Empire/ACLU, Just Love Coalition, and Dignity & Power Now/BLM Los Angeles.
