Now That Trayvon Martin's Murderer Is Jailed, We Still Need To Keep This Momentum Up & Demand Justice For ALL People of Color In the U.S.!

with little pal Harmony following the March 26th "Million Hoodie March for Trayvon Martin" in downtown Los Angeles

The Washington Post published this photo of me and other activists on Tuesday from the April 9th march in downtown L.A. which demanded Zimmerman's arrest


The good people’s prayers and demands have been answered! Moving forward, now that 17-yearold Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, is finally in custody and being charged with murder, where do the millions who cried out for justice go from here? How can the millions who marched, rallied, signed petitions, made Justice themed artwork, wrote articles & blogs, prayed, called or wrote their elected officials, utilized online social networking, started or joined causes such as Million Hoodie March , Occupy, Justice For Trayvon Martin and many other movements, and cried, chanted and shouted for Zimmerman’s arrest turn this case into something bigger than one man’s arrest?

We all know this is not an isolated incident. What’s the bigger picture? Shouldn’t we reach higher?

Of course it will be a lengthy trial, so we will have a lot of times on our hands. Why not make the most productive use of that time? (more after the jump)

Take action! Stay involved! Join one of the many groups who helped organize rallies and marches. Join a local social justice group. Register to vote! Volunteer. Invite friends. Let’s turn this tragedy into a powerfully positive force that we use to accomplish our dreams of a just and peaceful society.

In spite of the condemning evidence against Zimmerman, he was initially allowed to go free. Likewise, many crimes by those in power against minorities, women and the poor go unchecked all the time! Could this case be a starting to point to reform the police departments and judicial systems that time and time against fail the Black, Brown and economically oppressed communities in this country? Many Americans know that this case can be bigger than just Trayvon Martin if the We the People make it so. With all the unrest going on in this country and in the world, this is a prime time to storm the gates and demand a real democracy!

This mobilization is about rightness for ALL the Black and Brown youth around the country who have been in the past, currently are and will continue to be victims of corrupt law enforcement and unjust court systems! We are tired of our young Black and Brown brothers being illegally ‘stop & frisked’ without cause or warrants by racist and classist police officers. We are appalled at the neo-slavery that is enforced through the prison industrial complex in the country that unfairly imprisons Black and Brown men for lengthy periods of times, making the corporations who profit off their labor rich. We are disgusted by the GOP’s war on women’s rights and healthcare, which disproportionally affects women of color and the poor. We can’t believe our ears at the racist propaganda that screams at us from far right media outlets and pundits. We cry out against the laws in Arizona that make racial profiling legal, which obviously target at our Brown brothers and sisters and mirror the Jim Crow days. We protest the exploitment, scapegoating and mistreatment of our undocumented Brown brothers and sisters. Sadly, the list goes on of the systematic oppression of people of color in the “modern” country.

It’s urgent that this momentum does not slow down, but become a massive tidal wave that smashes the system that divides people in this country instead of uniting us together.

“An injury to one is an injury to all!”

It’s important that those fighting for racial social justice become aware and fight against the alarming and growing war against women that has been waged by the Republican Party! 50% of people of color are women, so the GOP’s war on women is also a racial justice issue, especially since women of color will suffer the worst if this current assault on women’s healthcare, contraception rights, well-being and self-esteem waged by the affluent white men who run the Republican Party succeeds. All social justice movements really do need to come together ASAP!

Again, take action! Stay involved! Join one of the many groups who helped organize rallies and marches. Start your own! Join a local and/or national social justice group. Register to vote! Volunteer! Invite friends. Paint a picture of what justice means to you! Write a poem, perform spoken word! Get the message out! Let’s turn this tragedy into a powerfully positive force that we harness to accomplish our dreams of a just and peaceful society.

2012 is not the end of the world as the Mayan calendar suggests, it’s the BEGINNING of a new dawn, the people’s dawn! Haven’t you noticed that people all around the world are rising up against tyranny and economic injustice all at the same time? There is also this global human consciousness awakening that many feel happening, a universal enlightenment. So much promise and positive energy is here and awaits us. And of course, right here and NOW is the time to take a stand!

A favorite chant of mine from the Trayvon march:

“Ain’t no power like the power of the people cus’ the power of the people don’t stop! Say what? Ain’t no power like the power of the people cus’ the power of the people don’t stop!”

Justice for Trayvon! Justice for All! Justice for Now! Justice for Our Future!

I met the cutest little trooper for justice on the steps of L.A. City Hall on March 26th following the Trayvon Martin march

Video: Ashley Love on NBC News: "This is bigger then Trayvon Martin, this is about Black & Latino youth around the country unjustly treated by law enforcement & the courts."

Last night was the most highly attended Trayvon Martin rally in Los Angeles to date. Never have I been so inspired about our chance to combat the blatant racism and unjust treatment of Black and Latino youth in this country by law enforcment and the court system. NBC News interviewed me last night at the rally and included it in their 11:00 news, here's the video:

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

Occupy Wall Street in Solidarity With Occupy Nigeria; March & Rally at Nigerian Consulate

Occupy Wall St.'s Wake Up Call to America: The NDAA Violates Numerous Constitutional Ammendments! ( January 3rd Protests in New York)

Today Americans who care about our Constitutional rights took over New York City in an outcry against the appalling “National Defense” Authorization Act (NDAA). Occupy Wall Street planned the daylong event, and was joined and supported by numerous organizations.

The NDAA makes it so that American citizens can be held without a stated reason or filed charge, or even a trial! No evidence or jury is needed to detain people indefinitely; all that is needed is the government saying so. This is similar to what happened in World War 2 era Germany where Jews were imprisoned and enslaved for no just reason.

As a loud mouth activist, this very much concerns me. I could go missing off the map and no one in the world would know that I was suffering in a detention camp simply because I am outspoken about wanting to live in an actual democracy. Many people who speak truth to power could be affected by this law. This is legally sanctioned intimidation to spread fear against the American uprising.

We will not be scared into submission! Got that?!

Today’s OWS event started off with a press conference in front of the New York Public Library, followed by rallies outside NY Senator’s offices. Then to the Rockefeller Center where they were denied entrance by security. Next, a march to Fox Headquarters to protest Rupert Murdoch’s support of NDAA. And then a finale at Grand Central educating the commuters about the NDAA.

It’s so important that we hold our Congress accountable for voting on a law that disregards our human rights. I am looking forward to January 17 where people from all over the country will descend upon Washington DC for the Occupy Congress event. Congress should be protecting the people, not putting us in harm’s way like the NDAA is obviously doing

(the photo is from December 17, not from today's events)

Occupy Protester to Oakland City Council: “We coordinated an attack on you. You’re supporting [the 1%]. If you keep doing this, think about the consequences, OK?"

Oakland City Council...censor this: Flip your anti-American resolution!!!!! We will not be silenced!

Last night the Oakland City Council alarmingly entertained the idea of giving the Oakland Police and General Attorney the power to enforce police brutality, assault the First Amendment of free speech and suppress the Occupy movement. Knowing that the good and fair people of this land will not stand for this police state proposal, they decided to pass on it, for now….

The scary thing is that some actually voted in favor of it! They promised to revisit the proposal though, so the Occupy movement will be planning a rebuttal to this deliberate attack on their freedom of speech and right to peacefully assemble.

In true censorship fashion, the city council attempted to deny comments for those opposing the bill, which included many Occupy protesters, patriots and aware Americans in attendance.

Occupy Oakland's Barucha Peller, who helped organize the port brigade, was determined not to allow her voice to be silenced by the bureaucrats in the room who were embarrassed of the truth of the situation, spoke out WITHOUT the PERMISSION of the protectors of the 1 percent.

She tells the nervous and bought and sold council (as resported by the SF Gate):

“You coordinated national attacks on the Occupy movement,” Occupy Oakland protester Barucha Peller forcefully told the council, as members of the audience cheered her on. “So you know what we did? We coordinated an attack on you and we shut down ports up and down the West Coast and coordinated an attack on the 1 percent, who you’re supporting. So if you keep on doing this, think about the consequences, OK?"

Exactly! America has been attacked by Big Banks and we are all suffering the consequences of a government who is being controlled by these Wall St crime lords. Absolutely NOT will we lie down and let cities, states and the country pass laws to restrict and silence us. We will speak out.

As a native Californian, I’m saddened that the proposal was even suggested. Let yesterday be another wakeup call that the 1 percent is getting very worried of our uprising, and rightfully so. They are now sinking to such anti-American and drastic measures as to try to outlaw protests and freedom of speech.

To the writers of this Oakland anti-First Amendment resolution, councilmembers Ignacio De La Fuente (District 5) and Libby Schaaf (District 4)----censor this:

 Flip Off! You sell outs! Who are you protecting? Why did the people vote for you in the first place? Join us, or get out of the way because a real democracy is coming to a council near you!

Occupy Wall St.'s Un-Spokes Council Sets a Dangerous Precedent of Non-Transparency, Classism and Vote Tampering

Tonight’s Spokes Council proved that certain individuals and a few Occupy Wall Street Working Groups (WGs) have a long way to go in understanding that classism, racism and sexism are dangerous in a movement that says it speaks for *everyone* in the 99%. The non-transparency, domineering style and questionable tactics of tonight’s facilitation team, bullying against those who voiced dissent against the proposal, insensitivity to marginalized and voiceless communities and the vote tampering displayed tonight is a wakeup call to the General Assembly to get more involved in the behind the scenes organizing of the OWS movement and demand accountability.

Firstly, I couldn’t believe that yesterday [Sunday, December 18] OWS had a big conference on the same day as International Immigrants’ Rights Day, yet it was not in honor of, it was instead of. We should have done more to support immigrants on this day, such as a day of actions following the march, or a conference dedicated solely to immigrant rights. When some proposed in a Spokes Council that the conference be moved to another day so we could focus the day on immigration rights, the idea was belittled and shut down with meritless excuses.

Then tonight [Monday, December 19] at the Spokes Council there was a proposal which sought to reduce the amount of time a person could represent their WG or Caucus. However, the General Assembly already voted that the same spoke could speak once every two meetings, but not back to back, which seems fair. The new proposal seeks to extend it to every three meetings. This is a ‘foot in the door technique’ because this is now setting a precedent where the Spokes Council could make more restrictions on WGs.

Many flaws were pointed out tonight with the proposal by attendees:

It lacked consideration that some WGs have only 15, 10 or less people in their groups. They will not be able to have their group’s vote counted with such strict regulations

The Human Rights Working Group pointed out that there was elements of racism and classism in the proposal and in the Spokes body itself. I’ve talked to many individuals from the People of Color Caucus, the Anti-Racism Group, Occupy The Hood and many other groups and they agree with the Human Rights WG concerning racism and classism.

The Class War Working Group voted against the proposal because they said it gave the Spokes Council too much power on an issue that each WG should decide for themselves.

The Security Working Group voiced dissent because there should be a longer conversation about such an important issue before we rush to a vote and he noted that it disproportionately affected women of color in the Spokes Council who were voicing dissent.

The spokes from the Occupiers Working Group blocked it because he felt it “guaranteed to further marginalize the already marginalized in our movement”, however, this block was not observed by Facilitation.

The spokes from Outreach Working Group blocked the proposal for moral and ethical reasons.

The Constitution Working Group voiced dissent because the proposal was inconsiderate of WGs with small numbers and/or with members who lived far away.

Other working groups blocked the proposal, and others abstained from voting due to dissent or confusion.

The proposal was written in what many felt were “secret meetings” because they were not publicized enough in advance, and WGs were not properly outreached to.

An allegorical novel I read in high school, George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, talks about oppressed communities mimicking their oppressors by eventually setting up hierarchies amongst themselves. In the book the farm animals (the 99%) rose up against the farm owners (the 1%). After the farm animals scare the humans off the land, something very heart breaking happens: The pigs decide that equality was no longer for the horses, cows, chickens and sheep: Equality was now just for the pigs. Misrepresentation. Classism. Betrayal. The movement that was supposed to be for ALL quickly became co-opted into what was best for some.

Many ninety-nine percenters are pleading at the top of their lungs for the OWS movement to not follow in the footsteps of Animal Farm and for those with privilege to step back and realize that if some are enslaved, silenced and dehumanized, than we as a human body are all enslaved, silenced and dehumanized.

As the representative from Women Occupying Nation Caucus I pointed out that the proposal was insensitive to women who had children and couldn’t attend multiple meetings weekly. People living in low-income, poverty and and/or homeless also have restrictions. People who work two jobs just to survive also can’t attend so many weekly meetings. The writers of the proposal failed to be democratic because they didn’t enroll multiple WG’s buy-in or for them to take part in the formation of a proposal that will affect all of us. Instead, they quickly created the proposal practically off the radar and without sufficient time for the General Assembly and WGs to plan and articulate their opinions regarding the matter.

Being a few days before Christmas, this was the lowest attended Spokes Council to date. Many WGs did not even have a representative present to vote. Many of the WGs not in attendance represented groups who would be negatively affected by the outcome. The concerns of classism, racism and sexism stated by numerous attendees were dismissed by the Facilitation team and the presenter of the proposal. There is a growing concern that this movement is being co-opted into a movement for only the white middle class. Those who voice dissent are mocked, misrepresented, or even jeered at and vilified.

It was against protocol and alarming to see the Facilitation team, who is supposed to be neutral when facilitating, inappropriately injecting their personal opinions, steering public opinions with over bearing tactics such as yelling and misrepresenting certain spoke’s by recapping their statements inaccurately to the Council, causing confusion during voting, allowing certain women to be personally attacked without calling it out and allowing the democratic process at the end to be tainted and compromised.

Vote tampering allowed by the Facilitation team is common of certain working groups breaking process to push forward their agenda and disempowering dissent. I noticed that certain people just picked up spokes signs from the unused pile to “illegally” vote at the end just to get the proposal passed.

There were enough blocks against the proposal to take it off the table, however, the Facilitation team made the decision to not include the votes of all those who blocked. First they said the meeting was over, and then they said it wasn’t. During this time of concocted confusion, some people went to the use the restroom or some thought it was over and left. At the end the Facilitation team misused their role and discounted half of the original eight blocks and only included four. This dangerous pattern of the Facilitation team breaking and creating new process on a whim is very telling of the hypocrisy and corruption that needs to be addressed immediately if we are to maintain an authentic democracy.

The reason why so many people oppose the way the “in clique” is steering the decisions that affect the movement’s directions is because we don’t want anyone to be left behind. We don’t want to create hierarchies. We don’t want disenfranchised and discriminated against communities to be misrepresented, censored and even personally attacked by certain people aggressively pushing an agenda in this movement. We don’t want to be led down a path that excludes the less privileged portion of the 99%.

We want transparency and accountability.

The vote tampering and bullying of dissenters tonight is exactly what the far right has been guilty of. Let's practice what we preach. Please.

On a personal note, I’ve thought long and thoroughly about whether to air this grievance publicly. People have exposed these issues since the beginning. I wholeheartedly care about this movement because I feel it’s our country’s last chance to break away from the shackles of the anti-humanity Big Banks that have corrupted and bought our government and democracy, kill our environment, cause unemployment and profit off our despair and enslavement. We cannot sustain such a letdown of our vision and goals. I believe what is broken can be fixed. Keeping silent on these issues will only make them more toxic.

I believe in the ideals of what the mission statement of OWS says and I am here to stay.

ALERT!!!: A new proposal will also be put for a vote this week which gives the Spokes (aka a new Congress?) the power to remove Working Groups, affiliations or individuals who don’t beat to the drum of the inner circle. Be afraid, be very afraid. This new proposal goes against the ideals of OWS.

Audre Lorde, an activist and writer who left the feminist movement in the 70’s to start the womanist movement because the feminist movement had been co-opted by white middle and upper class women who devalued the inclusion, needs and equality of women of color and women living in poverty, wrote:

“The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. And this fact is only threatening to those…who still define the master as their only means of support.”

This is a call to action to not allow the “master tools” to spoil the Spokes Council, Facilitation Group and other entities of Occupy Wall Street. This is a plea to not allow the “master tools” to be incorporated into the message that the information team dispels outwards via media, press, direct actions and decisions. We should be gentle, compassionate, understanding and PROACTIVE concerning marginalized communities and individuals who are reminding our body to be more progressive, honest and just.

Moving forward, since it was obvious there was vote tampering and illegitimate Facilitation team tactics, the proposal should be deemed void. Then the writers of the proposal should have meetings and teach-ins (like numerous Spokes suggested) for two weeks open and promoted to EVERYONE so that all those affected can have a say in the language and outcome of the proposal. After the two weeks, there should be another vote. However, this time around people will actually know about this proposal and will be prepared to exercise their right to take part in what is supposed to be a transparent democracy.

Your sister in the fight for liberation, Ashley

Dec. 12th- Occupy Wall St Protesters Demand Release of Comrades at NYPD 7th Precinct

Following the December 12th march against Goldman Sachs, peaceful protesters were arrested in Winter Gardens, many were victims of police brutality. Occupy Wall Street protesters gathered at Liberty Plaza (Zuccotti Park) and we decided to go to the NYPD 7th precinct where the arrested Occupiers were being held. Around 50 people gathered outside to inquire about their comrades. In the video footage I entered the station to ask about those arrested and to make a written complaint about a 50 year old woman, Debra Goodman, that was thrown on the ground and bruised by Officer Wagner. I was threatened by a police officer and told to leave or risk being arrested. I leave but not before telling the police officer that the police should be ashamed for their disgusting police brutality against peaceful protesters excercising our Constitutional rights