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Sophie Lewis at In These Times reports that the "whole of East Flatbush is becoming a so-called Frozen Zone: an unofficial NYPD tactic of totally excluding the media from an area."
Lewis reports on the scene Wednesday night:
Scores of police squads have descended upon the growing vigils on Church Avenue. Last night, hundreds of protesters faced off with police, contesting efforts to net and mass-arrest them throughout the evening. Council member Charles Barron told Democracy Now: 'This is the least that the community could do is to respond and resist.'
Late in the night, police arrested Kimani Gray's sister and an estimated 46 others--mainly local young people, and some outside supporters--who remain detained at several precincts.
Local reports have said that a heavy police presence has remained in the area throughout the day.
Carol Gray, the mother of Kimani Gray, spoke out for the first time on Thursday afternoon from the office of City Councilman Charles Barron. She said that her son was slaughtered and she wants to know why.
"I'm asking for justice," she said, telling reporters her unarmed son was killed in front of his best friend's house after a birthday party.
Reports have differed greatly between police and local residents over how and why police shot up to 11 rounds at the young man, who was adjusting his waistband in what the police said was a "suspicious manner." While police say Gray was armed, eyewitnesses have said he was "running for his life" when he was shot dead.
Lewis continues:
Kimani's killing was the latest in an unrelenting stream of similar incidents across New York City and the United States. There have been 79 killings by law enforcement officers in the U.S. in 2013 alone. Present at last night's demonstrations were Bronx community activists Constance Malcolm and Franclot Graham, the parents of Ramarley Graham, whom the police slayed in his grandmother's bathroom at close range slightly over a year ago. [...]
Activists are up against not just the police, but also the very logic that normalizes police violence and permits the public to rationalize Black deaths.

Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

Sophie Lewis at In These Times reports that the "whole of East Flatbush is becoming a so-called Frozen Zone: an unofficial NYPD tactic of totally excluding the media from an area."
Lewis reports on the scene Wednesday night:
Scores of police squads have descended upon the growing vigils on Church Avenue. Last night, hundreds of protesters faced off with police, contesting efforts to net and mass-arrest them throughout the evening. Council member Charles Barron told Democracy Now: 'This is the least that the community could do is to respond and resist.'
Late in the night, police arrested Kimani Gray's sister and an estimated 46 others--mainly local young people, and some outside supporters--who remain detained at several precincts.
Local reports have said that a heavy police presence has remained in the area throughout the day.
Carol Gray, the mother of Kimani Gray, spoke out for the first time on Thursday afternoon from the office of City Councilman Charles Barron. She said that her son was slaughtered and she wants to know why.
"I'm asking for justice," she said, telling reporters her unarmed son was killed in front of his best friend's house after a birthday party.
Reports have differed greatly between police and local residents over how and why police shot up to 11 rounds at the young man, who was adjusting his waistband in what the police said was a "suspicious manner." While police say Gray was armed, eyewitnesses have said he was "running for his life" when he was shot dead.
Lewis continues:
Kimani's killing was the latest in an unrelenting stream of similar incidents across New York City and the United States. There have been 79 killings by law enforcement officers in the U.S. in 2013 alone. Present at last night's demonstrations were Bronx community activists Constance Malcolm and Franclot Graham, the parents of Ramarley Graham, whom the police slayed in his grandmother's bathroom at close range slightly over a year ago. [...]
Activists are up against not just the police, but also the very logic that normalizes police violence and permits the public to rationalize Black deaths.

Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

Sophie Lewis at In These Times reports that the "whole of East Flatbush is becoming a so-called Frozen Zone: an unofficial NYPD tactic of totally excluding the media from an area."
Lewis reports on the scene Wednesday night:
Scores of police squads have descended upon the growing vigils on Church Avenue. Last night, hundreds of protesters faced off with police, contesting efforts to net and mass-arrest them throughout the evening. Council member Charles Barron told Democracy Now: 'This is the least that the community could do is to respond and resist.'
Late in the night, police arrested Kimani Gray's sister and an estimated 46 others--mainly local young people, and some outside supporters--who remain detained at several precincts.
Local reports have said that a heavy police presence has remained in the area throughout the day.
Carol Gray, the mother of Kimani Gray, spoke out for the first time on Thursday afternoon from the office of City Councilman Charles Barron. She said that her son was slaughtered and she wants to know why.
"I'm asking for justice," she said, telling reporters her unarmed son was killed in front of his best friend's house after a birthday party.
Reports have differed greatly between police and local residents over how and why police shot up to 11 rounds at the young man, who was adjusting his waistband in what the police said was a "suspicious manner." While police say Gray was armed, eyewitnesses have said he was "running for his life" when he was shot dead.
Lewis continues:
Kimani's killing was the latest in an unrelenting stream of similar incidents across New York City and the United States. There have been 79 killings by law enforcement officers in the U.S. in 2013 alone. Present at last night's demonstrations were Bronx community activists Constance Malcolm and Franclot Graham, the parents of Ramarley Graham, whom the police slayed in his grandmother's bathroom at close range slightly over a year ago. [...]
Activists are up against not just the police, but also the very logic that normalizes police violence and permits the public to rationalize Black deaths.
