LibGuides: Antiracism and Allyship Resources: Protests

Historical Perspective

"Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
by Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word 'tension.' I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth [...] The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation."
The Double Standard of the American Riot
The nationwide protests against police killings have been called un-American by critics, but rebellion has always been used to defend liberty.
Why Didn’t the Rodney King Video Lead to a Conviction?
The grainy pictures spoke for themselves. Or so thought many Americans who watched the video of the March 3rd, 1991, beating of motorist Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers.
How Do We Change America?
by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
"[T]he quest to transform this country cannot be limited to challenging its brutal police alone. It must conquer the logic that finances police and jails at the expense of public schools and hospitals. Police should not be armed with expensive artillery intended to maim and murder civilians while nurses tie garbage sacks around their bodies and reuse masks in a futile effort to keep the coronavirus at bay."

Fact-checking information about the Protests

Fact-Checking: A Running List Of Hoaxes And Misleading Posts About The Nationwide Police Brutality Protests
As thousands protest the death of George Floyd, BuzzFeed News is debunking the hoaxes and disinformation that have been spreading online.
Falsehoods Follow George Floyd’s Death
Factcheck.org's list of debunked misinformation, lies, and conspiracy theories found on social media during the protests.
The week in fact-checking: George Floyd protests
Politifact, a nonpartisan fact-checking organization, compiles weekly round-ups of their fact-checking research in short summaries.
AllSides: balanced coverage on race and racism

Current Events

'We Just Want to Live.' Photographers Share What They Experienced While Covering Protests Across America
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, protests against racism and injustice spread, most peacefully, across America. As people gathered in more than 150 cities, so too did scores of local photographers who felt compelled to bear witness to the historic moments unfolding in their own streets. From Los Angeles to Charleston, here is what they saw.
America, This Is Your Chance
by Michelle Alexander
"Too many citizens prefer to cling to brutal and unjust systems than to give up political power, the perceived benefits of white supremacy and an exploitative economic system. If we do not learn the lessons of history and choose a radically different path forward, we may lose our last chance at creating a truly inclusive, egalitarian democracy."
Support For Defunding The Police Department Is Growing. Here’s Why It’s Not A Silver Bullet
Past budget cuts have had unintended consequences. Now, proponents say it’s time to fundamentally reimagine the role of the police.
'Defund' vs 'Reform': It’s Not Enough To Reform The Police — Defunding Is The Only Answer
"Despite being a relative misnomer, the word 'defund' has sparked pushback among some who question what American society would look like if police departments no longer existed. Who would you call if you were robbed? What would happen in instances of sexual assault? The answer, abolitionists say, is to ask yourself what the existing system is doing to safeguard against the problem in question — and whether a better system might be possible to imagine."
What – or who – is antifa?
The movement called “antifa” gets its name from a short form of “anti-fascist.”

What do the protestors want?

Both the defund/abolish campaigns call attention to the way money and resources are used in cities across the U.S. Rather than paying police to patrol schools, which feeds into the school-to-prison pipeline, activists would rather have that money spent on hiring more teachers, counselors, health services, and better school facilities.

In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, disagreement amongst protestors has arisen about how best to address and end police violence. Campaign Zero, an organization started by members of the Black Lives Matter movement, has introduced their #8CantWait campaign as a solution to "decrease police violence" in the United States. Critics say that Campaign Zero's platform seems to offer quick, easy fixes which provide a popular route for politicians and towns eager to show that they are responding to the protestors' calls for change. However, they claim that #8CantWait does not go far enough in making real change, and that the goal of merely "decreasing" police violence is a half measure that Americans must not settle on.

In response to #8CantWait, an opposing campaign called #8toAbolition was created, which called Campaign Zero's platform "dangerous and irresponsible, offering a slate of reforms that have already been tried and failed [...] and that do not reflect the needs of criminalized communities." #8toAbolition has introduced its own set of initiatives which offer a complete reinvisioning of "a world without police": "The end goal of these reforms is not to create better, friendlier, or more community-oriented police or prisons. Instead, we hope to build toward a society without police or prisons, where communities are equipped to provide for their safety and wellbeing."