Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile)

I'm told a truck tried to get through the cordon. Worried that they may circle around again Someone admonishes us to listen to black voices instead of worrying about it. I'm gonna go ahead and do both

@Jahdi_ resumes his speech. He talks about how abolition is the key. How reform is a red herring "If reform could work, it would already have worked! ICE came through reform!" There's a narrative that only white voices advance abolition. It's simply not true

"We don't need cops, we need affordable housing! We don't need cops, we need more rec centers!" He points out that white communities don't have a constant police presence and are nonetheless safe He points out just how much money goes to the police instead of the community

He admonishes white press for being in the front It is a thing that was said

The activist reminds the crowd that Letha and other Black activists have a Thursday march every week from 10 to 2. He encourages everyone to come out

A Black woman activist takes the mic She talks about the discrepancies in healthcare for Black people "Doctors for Back women are like police to Black men!" She encourages the crowd to vote and to define the police '"I don't want to say any more names!"

A Black activist named Kenzie steps up to the mic She talks about the how this struggle has helped her understand the situation of the Black woman after growing up adopted by a white family About the importance of focusing on mutual aid for the community and the movement

She talks about the importance of creating a sustainable community that can operate independently of the murderous system that oppresses Black bodies About the importance of always asking who is left out of the systems we create

She points out that it's important "to have people saying our names before we're dead" That we have to help the living community and preserve life "I'm here for the children. I'm here for Black mothers. I'm here now for Patrick Kimmons" "I'm here for justice"

Bella, a Black woman activist, steps forward She says that existing on the periphery of this movement, being vaguely aware and vaguely supportive, "you are doing the bare fucking minimum!!" About the need to commit

"I fear going outside! I fear leaving my dad's side because as a light-skinned woman I can protect him! I'm worried he's going to get pulled over and fucking shot!" She encourages her audience to ask themselves if they're doing more than the bare minimum to fix this

"What do you need to do? Help me get rid of this fucking police system!"

@MacSmiff steps to the mic He leads the crowd in a chant; "Rest in Peace, Pat-Pat!" He talks about the unimaginable horror of losing a child. He thinks about his own four kids. One just began studies at OSU "If these pigs shot one of my children, I don't know what I would do"

He talks about the fear he feels when a police car pulls up behind him, or a chud truck with "flags that don't make sense to me" About not knowing what to do. Ignore them? Flee? Or just pray for the best? No good answers. That's why we need to make one

"This is America. This is supposed to be the land of the free and the home of the brave" And yet, he points out, here we are every night in helpers and shields standing against cops "armed to the fucking teeth"

He talks about the absolute bullshit offered as a substitute for defunding the police. We've been asking for defunding for months now, and defunding is what we want He talks about the unbelievable shit we've all been through, these last four months

He talks about the strangers who dragged him out of harms way when be was shot in the head and helpless How he doesn't know who they are but he loves them. "What is the word for that? Why isn't there a word for that?"

@MacSmiff calls for unity. For coming together as a community and figuring out a way to resolve disputes that isn't just cancelling and ostracism and schism and fury "Yes, we need to talk about it! But we cannot just send each other home when we have a mission to accomplish!"

He reminds everyone of the stakes. That every single prominent activist during the Ferguson riots is dead He wants to be there for his kids. The community had to protect itself" Deafening applause

A Black activist talks about Audre Lorde's famous words: "the master's tools will not dismantle the masters house" The master's tools, he says, are ostracism and cancellation and punishment The tools of the people are deep listening and resolution "All power to the people!"

A Black activist named Ya-Ya steps forward to speak He tells us the police injured him in June when they rammed his car That the feds in July blew our his windshield with flash bang and sent shards of glass into his passenger's eye

He gives thanks to God and speaks an invocation

Letha Winston takes the mic! Letha is Patrick Kimmons' mother and a tireless advocate for racial justice The crowd is on its feet, cheering

A man who is clearly having a bad time runs through the crowd and screams, "I am your savior!" He is rapidly and peacefully walked out by two strong gentlemen

Letha tells us that she's been fighting this fight for two long years, ever since she got the news that the police has executed her son

"I am an angry mother who is looking for and demanding justice!! He got shot down NINE TIMES in the back!!" She talks about the horror of watching the video of her son getting murdered in the DA's office

I've heard Letha relate the trauma, the unfathomable grief of finding out her son was dead before I will never understand how she has the strength to talk about it day after day, month after month, year after year

She talks about how her son's death radicalized her. Made her understand that the police aren't here to protect or serve the people. Or at least, not all the people

"This is a revolution! This is what a democracy looks like! We have over a thousand people out here. This is a beautiful sight to see! Stay encouraged!"