Today marks the one year anniversary of Daniel Prude’s murder by the Rochester Police Department. As of February 16, 2020 New York attorney general, Letitia James ruled that none of the officers would be charged with the crime. And a grand jury declined to investigate the case to charge any of the seven of the officers on the scene on the night of the crime.
It’s a hard thing to grapple with, that the lives of our slain brothers and sisters are continuously being treated as inconsequential and we feel as if our voices, our selves are not valued in the eyes of the system, in the eyes of the law, and in the eyes of society. I constantly have to remind myself that yes I am tired, of trying to tell people how to care–that you should fucking care. Yes, I’m am frustrated beyond the point of comprehension: questions of “why is this happening” and “how can this be allowed to be perpetuated and sustained” constantly reprogram my thinking when I know it’s “because they can”, “because they just don’t care” and “because it doesn’t affect them.” It’s battling with these thoughts of being Black but also being American and understanding how the system wasn’t created for people like me and abolition and change take decades and I may not even see the world come to fruition from the hard work so many have put in before me and many will put in after me in order to create something better. It’s sitting with that reality of learning how to exist with so much fear, and anger, and grief swirling within so many close to me. It’s sitting through classes and working through generational trauma through theory work that help me begin to unpack, relearn, push forward and to grow within myself and my community. But it makes me realize that I am not just fighting for myself, my family and my friends, but for the future; for those who have already lost so much, for those who are just seeing us and hearing us for the first time, for those who are scared and those who are wanting to stand up but don’t know how. This fight is bigger than myself but at the same time, my personal reasons for being here are constantly being reflected through the lives of others, and through the ways I present myself to be as one voice among many pushing things forward. And it can take a toll. But today, we commemorate a man who was slaughtered and in doing so, Free the People Rochester have made this a day that we strike in Rochester and stand in solidarity with Mr. Prude’s family. Join later tonight as we also celebrate a man who was taken from us too soon at 5pm - Celebration of Life at 72 Child St.
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AuthorI'm an 21 year old girl who lives in NY. I love to read and write and fashion is my life. Follow me to find out more! Archives
January 2023
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