SOCIAL JUSTICE BLOG

Read and share the extraordinary stories from the frontlines of social change

Systems Not Symptoms - Impact Fund Grant Program Tackles Racial Injustice Head On
Racial Justice, Black Lives Matter, Structural Racism Teddy Basham-Witherington Racial Justice, Black Lives Matter, Structural Racism Teddy Basham-Witherington

Systems Not Symptoms - Impact Fund Grant Program Tackles Racial Injustice Head On

“While we are a small funder, we are in complete solidarity with the movement to end the killing of unarmed Black men by police, as well as all other police brutality. That the list of names of men who have been so killed is so long that it would take up more than a whole page is a commentary on how police have been protected from accountability, at least until now. They have been protected by police unions who block the imposition of discipline. They have been protected by politicians who want to be seen as ‘tough on crime’ and pass laws that make it next to impossible for the public to find out which officers are engaging in brutality against people. And they are protected by the courts that make up rules like ‘qualified immunity’ that let police off the hook when brought to court. We recognize that the police function as part of the system that has been called the criminal justice system, they are but one part. That whole system is what gave us mass incarceration. And the whole system now must come down.”

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Black Lives Matter, Class Actions, Racial Justice Teddy Basham-Witherington Black Lives Matter, Class Actions, Racial Justice Teddy Basham-Witherington

Black Lives Matter: Advocating for Racial Justice in St. Louis County

In May of 2016, Quinton Thomas, a native St Louisan was pulled over in Beverly Hills, a Missouri town of 574 people that is 93% black and receives 26% of its general revenue from court fines and fees. Mr. Thomas was driving his friend to a barber shop to get his haircut when he was stopped by police for having a “busted front bumper.” In the past three years, Mr. Thomas has been pulled over, arrested and jailed for unpaid traffic tickets, and as a result he has lost two jobs and one vehicle, not to mention days of his life, and a sense of safety when he gets behind the wheel.

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