Sat 3pm: PROTEST outside the 77th Pct

pitu · June 2009

Audre Lorde Project and Make the Road NY wrote:
Protest the NYPD's 77th Precinct's Racist and Homophobic Attacks Against Lesbians!

Saturday, June 6, 2009 - 3:00pm
http://www.alp.org

On Saturday May 16th two Lesbians of Color were brutally attacked outside of the Ife Lounge in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. After being beaten by several officers yelling sexist and homophobic slurs they were arrested. Join the S.O.S. (Safe OUTside the System) Collective and GLOBE (A group to Support and Empower the LGBT community of Bushwick) to show the 77th Precinct that our community will not allow racist and homophobic cops to brutalize and harrass our parties and our communities. The S.O.S. Collective is a program of the Audre Lorde Project. GLOBE is a program of Make the Road NY.

El sábado 16 de mayo dos lesbianas de color fueron brutalmente atacadas afuera del Club Ife en Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Después de ser atacadas e insultadas con epítetos homofóbicos y sexistas, fueron arrestadas. Únase al Colectivo S.O.S (Seguros Fuera del Sistema) y a GLOBE (Un grupo para apoyar y empoderar a la comunidad LGBT de Bushwick) para mostrarle al Precinto 77 que nuestra comunidad no va a tolerar que policías homofóbicos y racistas brutalicen y hostiguen nuestras fiestas y nuestras comunidades. El Colectivo S.O.S es un programa de Audre Lorde Project. GLOBE es un programa de Se Hace Camino Nueva York.

Find out more.

domino · June 2009

Have you posted this to the GLBT Center over on 14th St in Manhattan? You might get additional support/people from that center.

rtraindweller · June 2009

Just posted this on my twitter, pass it around if you can.

pitu · June 2009

Domino wrote: Have you posted this to the GLBT Center over on 14th St in Manhattan? You might get additional support/people from that center.

I haven't - that's a good idea and I bet the folks organizing this have done that. But if you're over there, print it out and put it up!

I'm just reposting a notice sent to me - I'm not an organizer of the event, or representing the organizations. Concerned citizens, unite!

danielle123 · June 2009

You posted a summary. What are the facts behind what happened?

paraderest · June 2009

danielle123 wrote: You posted a summary. What are the facts behind what happened?

Facts just get in the way.

stacey · June 2009

ParadeRest wrote: Facts just get in the way.

Which is the reason this protest is needed.

kella_v · June 2009

I would like to hear more details from both sides as to how this happened. Anybody have any more info?

domino · June 2009

Agree with Flexi BUT given the 77th's rep, I would not be surprised if there was some "over-reaction" on the part of arresting officers. I checked the police blotter post and nothing mentioned.

Pitu - not even close to the center. I have passed on the info to a friend that goes by there. Like you, I am just a concerned citizen trying to make BK better for all. Can't do that unless we speak out.

domino · June 2009

Agree with Flexi BUT given the 77th's rep, I would not be surprised if there was some "over-reaction" on the part of arresting officers. I checked the police blotter post and nothing mentioned.

Pitu - not even close to the center. I have passed on the info to a friend that goes by there. Like you, I am just a concerned citizen trying to make BK better for all. Can't do that unless we speak out.

stacey · June 2009

I have only read the account by one of the women involved but she says that her and another woman of color were:

NOT ONLY WERE WE BEATEN, COPS HURLED ANTI-GAY STATEMENTS AS THEY RAISED THIER NIGHT STICKS IN THE AIR. LIKE "YOU FUCKIN BITCH ASS DYKE"... AND THEN HAD THE AUDACITY IN FRONT OF THEIR OWN SEARGENT AND THE REST OF THERE BROTHERS AND SISTERS SAY "WE ARE HAVIN SOME DYKE PUSSY IN HERE TONIGHT"

(I'm not shouting I just copied and pasted from the notice)

The women involved took to the internet to mention that there were many people outside that night and they were asking who was there if they had or had taken any photos or videos of the incident.

stacey · June 2009

I have only read the account by one of the women involved but she says that her and another woman of color were:

NOT ONLY WERE WE BEATEN, COPS HURLED ANTI-GAY STATEMENTS AS THEY RAISED THIER NIGHT STICKS IN THE AIR. LIKE "YOU FUCKIN BITCH ASS DYKE"... AND THEN HAD THE AUDACITY IN FRONT OF THEIR OWN SEARGENT AND THE REST OF THERE BROTHERS AND SISTERS SAY "WE ARE HAVIN SOME DYKE PUSSY IN HERE TONIGHT"

(I'm not shouting I just copied and pasted from the notice)

The women involved took to the internet to mention that there were many people outside that night and they were asking who was there if they had or had taken any photos or videos of the incident.

andonamoose · June 2009

Stacey - Am not defending anybody here, but this doesn't give any indication of how the whole incident started. Were they just walking by the precinct when they were beaten? Were they arrested for something? I haven't seen anything about this incident anywhere

andonamoose · June 2009

Stacey - Am not defending anybody here, but this doesn't give any indication of how the whole incident started. Were they just walking by the precinct when they were beaten? Were they arrested for something? I haven't seen anything about this incident anywhere

stacey · June 2009

Flexichick wrote: Stacey - Am not defending anybody here, but this doesn't give any indication of how the whole incident started. Were they just walking by the precinct when they were beaten? Were they arrested for something? I haven't seen anything about this incident anywhere

From what I can tell they were arrested outside of a club on Atlantic Ave. I hear you about not taking sides and I have no problem with a cop arresting people or even trying to control a crowd but the problem for me lies in what was said to these women.

stacey · June 2009

Flexichick wrote: Stacey - Am not defending anybody here, but this doesn't give any indication of how the whole incident started. Were they just walking by the precinct when they were beaten? Were they arrested for something? I haven't seen anything about this incident anywhere

From what I can tell they were arrested outside of a club on Atlantic Ave. I hear you about not taking sides and I have no problem with a cop arresting people or even trying to control a crowd but the problem for me lies in what was said to these women.

pitu · June 2009

stacey wrote: [quote=Flexichick]Stacey - Am not defending anybody here, but this doesn't give any indication of how the whole incident started. Were they just walking by the precinct when they were beaten? Were they arrested for something? I haven't seen anything about this incident anywhere

From what I can tell they were arrested outside of a club on Atlantic Ave. I hear you about not taking sides and I have no problem with a cop arresting people or even trying to control a crowd but the problem for me lies in what was said to these women.

Stacey, exactly. That, and the beating. Is that good policing? Probably not. Does it deserve an inquiry? Of course.

Here's info from the Facebook page...go there if you're interested in more.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=85229896481

Saturday, June 6, 2009
Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Location:
77th Precinct
127 St. Marks Ave and Utica Ave
Brooklyn, NY

**BACKGROUND**

Protest the NYPD's 77th Precinct's Racist and Homophobic Attacks Against Lesbians of Color

On Saturday May 16th two Lesbians of Color were brutally attacked outside
of the Ife Lounge in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. After being beaten by
several officers yelling sexist and homophobic slurs they were arrested.
Join the S.O.S. (Safe OUTside the System) Collective and GLOBE (A group to Support and Empower the LGBT community of Bushwick) to show the 77th Precinct that our community will not allow racist and homophobic cops to brutalize and harrass our parties and our communities. The S.O.S.
Collective is a program of the Audre Lorde Project. GLOBE is a program of
Make the Road NY.

Current Endorsers:

CAAAV, Nodutol, Casa Atabex Ache, Girls for Gender Equity, Immigrant
Justice Solidarity Project, INCITE, New Yorkers for Safe Transit, Right
Rides, SWOP-NYC (Sex Workers Outreach Project - NYC), SWANK (Sex Workers Action New York) The Justice Committee,The Malcolm x Grassroots Movement, and The Sylvia Rivera Law Project.

whatchuwant · June 2009

Anyone go?

pitu · June 2009

yup.

Not much time to write about it, but I thought it was really well put together, very mixed crowd, very Brooklyn. Both of the victims told their stories, which was especially powerful. A few TV/radio stations were there, so there's probably stories online somewhere.

Tish James spoke, community activists spoke. A few hundred people circled around the neighborhood, talking to folks . . . ended up over by Bklyn Tabernacle Church, very cool. They were having a car wash. I forgot how freakin' far Utica Ave is -- the part of Crown Heights that no one tries to call Prospect Heights . . .

Anybody else make it, or see a bunch of people with signs dance by?

pitu · June 2009

http://www.1010wins.com/Rally-Held-for-Alleged-Bias-Police-Attack-Victims/4547765

One of the women was an itty-bitty thing btw, talking about being embarrassed and scared because she was on the ground wearing a skirt, and her butt was showing.

I'm not anti-cop -- I just want our police to be professional and if they can't do their jobs without beating up a 90 lb girl and calling her names, well, we got a problem. Not that the size of the victim matters, but it just makes it all that more ridiculous. I don't care if she was drunk or mouthing-off or whatever. They were only charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest -- it's not like they were robbing people or dealing drugs. Even then, beating people up is punishment, and we have a court system for that.

Police took her to the hospital (NYPD says because she was drunk) so there must be an independent record.

flo · June 2009

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/06/07/2009-06-07_bklyn_cops_beat_us_say_two_lesbians.html

Not the longest story, but looks like the Daily News has done some reporting on the case too.

Sat 3pm: PROTEST outside the 77th Pct

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