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Hester reminds the crowd that it's the job of white people to educate ourselves and other people. Black people have enough on their plate
Letha Winston steps up to the microphone "A change is going to come! We demand a change!" If you didn't know, Letha Winston is Patrick Kimmons' mother. In 2018, two police officers shot Kimmons 9 times in the back and murdered him
If you've heard Winston speak, you know she isn't fucking around. She has been on the warpath for justice for two years She talks about self-defense. Fighting back. A refusal to tolerate a system that regularly murders black people and acts like it doesn't matter
"We black African Americans did not create this shit that is going on! We was freed in 1965 but we was not freed enough! Enough is enough!" She talks about how King died with half his dream fulfilled. Now it's time to complete it
Winston talks about the state of the Justice Center. It's an ugly building now: boarded with plywood, covered in layer on layer of flat grey paint But there's a reason it's ugly, Winston points out It's a message
She demands that the city fire every cops without rehire. She is determined to see this goal through
Quanice Hayes. Patrick Kimmons. Keaton Otis. George Floyd. And 483 other names. It's too many
The ship for reform has sailed, Winston declares. They had their chance
Winston is sick of police treating black people like "filthy animals on the street." It goes beyond murder. People pulled over for driving whole black. For "fitting the description of a Crip a block over" It's a system of dehumanization and terror
Winston urges the crowd to attend her march on Thursday. "Put ten toes to the pavement!" "You might not want to give [justice] to us, but we damn sure gonna take it!"
Letha Winston muses on the wasted labor pains of the mothers who gave birth to cops that go on to murder black people She's earned her anger. No mother should have to endure this pain or relive her son's death daily in the name of stopping it from happening to someone else's son
Winston rails against Ted Wheeler's token reforms. It's not enough "We must continue this journey, brothers and sisters! We must make this nation RISE"
She urges people who come to these protests to bring even one new person. To help make the movement even stronger
Winston emphasizes the need to fight this battle by "any means necessary. And I think you all know what that could mean" I think that might be true, now. I think it's becoming more real by the day
"We did not create this shit that happened in 2020! We did not create the shit that happened in 1965. But we're definitely gonna finish it! By any means necessary!"
Letha Winston talks about the so-called Patriots who came out yesterday. The audacity of chanting Blue Lives Matter at this time. Urging everyone to come out next time (Editorial comment: this journalist urges people to use extreme caution when confronting the far right)
Winston asks the crowd to give itself a round of applause for 81 days in the street "I see people getting really hurt out here for no apparent reason. Just for trying to get justice. No, we're gonna get it! You ain't gonna stop us!"
Winston remembers standing on the corner of MLK a year ago, virtually by herself. Never giving up. Hitting it every day 81 days is a long time but think about how long this has been a problem Let it be for something. Let this be the time we move towards something better
A very angry black man begins to scream at Letha to shut the fuck up as she screams, "Fuck the KKK!" "You shut the fuck up! Watch yourself. You ain't gonna stop me. Fuck the KKK!" She's going off. Good on her I think he's leaving
Winston says people have been distracted the last couple days. I think she's talking about the far right coming out yesterday, both during the day and at night I think everyone's pretty worried about that. Feels like something's been let loose Hopefully the chuds lack stamina
The anniversary of Patrick Kimmons' death is September 30th. It will be 2 years Winston tells the crowd about the emptiness in her life where her son used to be
"What was my child thinking when he got shot 9 times in the back? No one can tell me he wasn't yelling for his mother" Her voice breaks
Winston talks about the video of Kimmons' death She says the police edited the video. That his arms were up for 30 seconds. He didn't have a gun
Winston had the crowd on their feet and chanting. "Show up and show out!"
Winston announces a march. "Let's take it to the streets and fuck the police!"
If you want to donate to Letha Winston's memorial for her son, travel expenses, etc., her cashapp is $LethaLoc You can also follow her at Justice for Patrick Kimmons on Instagram
Apologies, but I am going to need to leave briefly to take care of some article edits. I hope to return later tonight--we'll see
@PDocumentarians is already on the ground, and both @bogwitchenergy and @jung_sisyphus are enroute
Solidarity to everyone still out here!
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