Photos: Body-Cam\Office of New York Attorney General

The December 12th Movement released the following alert announcing a press conference for Monday, December 30th to address the beating death of Robert L. Brooks, on December 10, 2024, by New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) officers at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Marcy, Oneida County.

“As the Black community comes together to celebrate “Nia” (Purpose), on the fifth day of Kwanzaa, we are outraged, but not surprised, at the cold-blooded murder of Robert Brooks by NYS corrections officers (New York governor orders firing of 14 prison workers after fatal attack on inmate|New York| The Guardian).

“On Monday, December 30th at 11:am, the December 12th Movement, community leaders and elected officials are holding a press conference at the office of NYS Governor Kathy Hochul, 633 Third Avenue.”

The post December 12th Movement Holding Monday Press Conference To Address “Cold-Blooded Murder Of Robert Brooks By NYS Corrections Officers” At Governor Hochul’s City Office appeared first on Black Star News.

Photos: December 12th Movement\Wikimedia Commons

The 34th annual May 19th Malcolm X Birthday Black Power rally and march gathered in front of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building on 125th Street at high noon to rally before the “Shut ‘Em Down March to close businesses on 125th Street, in a ‘Commercial Moment of Silence’. in honor and respect for Malcolm X on his 99th Birthday. Under the organizational leadership of the December 12th Movement, over 95% of the stores were informed and shuttered at the appointed 1 PM  start time and remained closed until 4 PM.

A broad coalition participated in this annual gathering of organizations and community who have faithfully and consistently demonstrated their love and respect for Malcolm X on the streets of Harlem, where he taught and fought for the Black nation, including Palestinian Solidarity veteran and student organizations, Life Camp,  Man Up! and Stop The Killing anti-violence activists, Malcolm X Commemoration Committee, For Our Liberation, Black Men Building, veteran Black Panther Party activists, Free Mumia Coalition, community activists, everyday concerned people of New York and many others who traveled from out of state to attend.

As the throng of marchers made their rounds up and down the 125th street corridor, behind the Malcolm X banner, waving the Red, Black and Green Pan African flag and in a show of solidarity, the Palestinian flag; they encountered several stores who resisted the community demand for a ‘Commercial Moment of Silence’, and had to be firmly reminded. So, they stopped and paid them a visit, chanting “Shut ‘Em Down! No Disrespect for Malcolm X!”.

A small delegation then entered these businesses including Banana Republic, Ashley Furniture, Wing Stop, H&M, and KFC, and had a thorough-going discussion on community relations. Subsequently, they understood their mistake, acquiesced, and pulled down their gates. KFC even had to give their customers their money back! “Black Power! Whose Streets? Our Streets!”

The few diehard businesses who remained adamantly opposed to honoring the legacy of Malcolm X and refused to close were CVS, DSW, Blink, Captain Louie’s, and the Deli on the corner of 125th St and 5th Ave.  They will need follow up attention.

At the closing rally, Omowale Clay, (shown speaking above) Chair of the December 12th Movement stated “Before October it was a different world, after October it’s a whole new world. Look at West Africa from Burkina Faso, to Niger, to Mali, to Chad; they are throwing off the yolk of French imperialism. If African countries changed their currencies tonight, France would collapse tomorrow. Just like reparations would break the back of U.S. imperialism.

But, we came to celebrate Malcolm. We said to our comrades who are fighting for the liberation of Palestine, history didn’t start on October 7th. It’s always helpful  when you can start history when you want it to. We know when the history started with the Nakba. We understand what it means to be under the heels of fascism. Today people are talking about fascism because it has moved into the white community. Colonialism is fascism. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade was fascism. Lynchings in Alabama is fascism. Police murders of ten year old kids is fascism. We also understand, it can get worse. Because it will be Black people and people of color who will be the scapegoats of the decline of America. The ones that actually built America. They’re now getting ready to blame us for the fall of America.

Last year, our revolutionary hero, Viola Plummer, (shown above) was right here. She taught us very well. She said, ‘Never give up.’ She said ‘finish the gig.’ So what was she saying to us? There were a lot of lessons we learned in Ferguson, MO. Little Ferguson outside St Louis where they drove Black people out. Where a local government was still controlled by white folks. Little Ferguson rebelled and they cast a shadow across the whole world. Because they were determined to throw oppression off. Little Cuba sits there in the middle of the Caribbean. But it casts a massive shadow across the whole world.

Why? Because the people are united. They united to end imperialist rule on their land. But to do that they needed a structure. All of us who consider ourselves to be revolutionaries, have got to build a structure.  We have got to fight for some ideological unity. How do you think October 7th happened? All of their mechanization and technology, and their ‘superiority’ fell flat. Because there was a structure that has been fighting since the beginning of the Nakba in 1948.”

As we move toward the Centennial of Malcolm X next year, Clay proposed beginning this structure by building a United Front Against Fascism.

For more information contact the December 12th Movement at (718) 398-1766 or D12M.com.

The post December 12TH Movement And Harlem Honors Malcolm X In The Streets On His 99TH Birthday appeared first on Black Star News.

Photos: December 12th Movement\YouTube Screenshot

The December 12^th Movement’s Stop the Killing (STK) campaign organizers held a special tribute on March 17 for four women who have significantly impacted our community in the spirit of resistance. Majid Gadsden, opened the celebration giving a brief history of the STK organizing efforts and their commitment to building a stronger community. “We are proud to honor our Sisters, who have been on the frontline of our resistance.”

 The moderator Keisha Lewars, then welcomed the distinguished panel who included, Mary Louise Patterson, who introduced herself as retired pediatrician, daughter of two political activists who were members of the US communist party, and a stalwart veteran of the civil rights movement. 

 Stephanie Zinerman, NYS Assemblywoman said “I am privileged to be representing the people of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crowne Heights. I was born with three strikes, being Black, female, and poor, so I feel like I’ve lived a life of resistance from my first breath.”

 Sharon Christie, a community activist, and tenant association organizer at the Louis Armstrong Houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Ms. Christie began with her history, “I am from Jamaica, I came here when I was 17 years old. There was a lot of resistance growing up in high school. They would say you don’t talk like us. I’d say what do you mean? I talk just fine. My father was a fighter. I was a little timid, I had to learn, and he taught me to fight back. I’ve lived in Louis Armstrong Houses since 1996. I am happy to be here, and I want to share.”

 Keisha, as an active member of STK added, “I just want to say a little more about Sister Sharon Christie. We’ve been doing a lot of work in Armstrong, and she has been in the forefront of the tenant’s association. She is the first person we call. She is always there and she’s always ready. And because of her those tenants now have access to the community center. We just want to thank you for being here.”

Fela Barcliff, an educator, who has built an institution focusing on early childhood education – Little Sun People. “I am now retiring from running an early childhood center after 44 years. I came to Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn as a toddler from the southern United States and have here pretty much all my life. From elementary school to college, I was educated in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Back then they were called ghetto schools, and they were. I hated those schools and educated myself in the library. Brooklyn Public Library was one of the gifts to me. Those schools did not teach anything about Black people except that we were well taken care of happy slaves. Movies portrayed us as barbarians. When I was 11 years old, I heard Malcolm X. I was dumbfounded. This man was saying things that I have never heard before. That was a life changing experience.”

 The lively discussion covered a myriad of political, social, and economic issues. Ms. Patterson, spoke extensively on the history of Black women in resistance. There was a dynamic discourse with audience members. Many young activists were in attendance asking for direction and strategies for resistance in the current political atmosphere. The questions and answers sharpened the dialogue exponentially. It was a learning opportunity for everyone. 

 For more information on how to get involved with the Stop the Killing campaign contact Sistas’ Place at (718) 398-1766 or email StopTheKillingBedStuy@gmail.com.

PICTURE: SHARON CHRISTIE, STEPHANIE ZINERMAN NYS – ASSEMBLY, KEISHA LEWARS (STK), MARY LOUISE PATTERSON, FELA BARCLIFF

The post December 12th Movement Holds Tribute To Black Women’s History Of Resistance appeared first on Black Star News.

Photos: YouTube Screenshots

(Black PR Wire) New York, NY – Recently, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the historic New York Reparations Commission Bill SB 1163A/A07691. The National Black Cultural Information Trust, Inc. (NBCI) applauds this legislation and recognizes it as an essential step toward reparatory justice in New York. New York is the home of the African Burial Ground, where over 15,000 African ancestors were buried, later to be rediscovered after two centuries. New York was a hub of the illegal international slave trade. Additionally, the state of New York was an enactor of Jim Crow laws, impacting people of African descent across the state.

African Americans in New York have experienced centuries of systemic racism, including the “Stop and Frisk,” policy that harmed the lives of hundreds of thousands. With this new commission, we look forward to New York researching, evaluating, understanding, and uplifting the need for reparatory justice for people of African descent across the state who have been harmed by the vestiges of chattel slavery, Jim Crow, and modern-day systemic racism. The need for Comprehensive Reparations, repairing Black communities with forward-thinking initiatives that safeguard the future of Black America, are long overdue.

“Our forefathers and foremothers have long held onto the belief that crimes against humanity perpetrated against people of African descent must be remedied. This commission is among the first important steps in that process for the state of New York. This is centuries of work at hand. Legislators like Councilman Charles Barron, Assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages, and Sen. James Sanders have continued the work and moved it forward. Additionally, national and community-based organizations, including the Brooklyn Branch of the NAACP, the Get Free Movement, the December 12th Movement, N’COBRA, NAARC, NBCI Trust, and many others, have made sure that this legislation came to fruition. I look forward to the next steps in this critical process,” said Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor, Executive Director of the National Black Cultural Information Trust, Inc.

The National Black Cultural Information Trust, Inc. shares cultural resources, tools, and information that uplift the collective freedom of Black communities. Contact info@nbcit.org for additional information.

Source: The National Black Cultural Information Trust, Inc.

The post National Black Cultural Information Trust Applauds Signing Of New York’s Historic Legislation Creating Reparations Commission appeared first on Black Star News.

December 12^TH Movement is holding a press conference to highlight the urgency of passing the NYS Reparations legislation being put forward by New York State Senator Jabari Brisport and New York State Assemblymember Michaelle Solages.

Local elected officials, including City Councilmember Charles Barron, who, as an Assemblymember, originally submitted the bill, are expected to attend. Representatives from the December 12th Movement, the Institute of the Black World and N’COBRA, as well as other community organizations will attend.

WHO:             NYS LEGISLATORS DEMAND PASSAGE OF REPARATIONS BILL

WHAT:            PRESS CONFERENCE

WHEN:           Monday, June 5, 2023 at 4 PM

WHERE:        African Burial Ground National Monument on Elk Street between Duane and Reade Streets, Downtown, Manhattan NYC

The post New York State Legislators Push For Passage Of Reparations Bill appeared first on Black Star News.

The December 12th Movement in New York released the following statement regarding the sanctions that have been imposed on Zimbabwe:

Since 2001 the U.S. has placed illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe. Following the request of its kith and kin, Great Britain, the U.S. has been punishing Zimbabwe for having the audacity to reclaim for its citizens the land which was stolen from them by British colonial settlers. The goal of the sanctions is to create such economic disaster that the people will rise up and overthrow the country’s ruling party, ZANU-PF, the organization which led the country to independence in1980 after a hard-fought military struggle.

Neither the U.S., Great Britain and the European Union who all back the sanctions, have succeeded in forcing regime change. Despite the sanctions, Zimbabwe is making economic progress. But the obstacles imposed by these unjust sanctions are unnecessarily affecting the growth of Zimbabwe and the member states of SADC (Southern African Development Community.)

In 2019, SADC declared October 25th as the “International Day of Solidarity to Lift the Illegal Sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.” In 2020, the African Union voiced its support. At the recently concluded opening of the General Assembly, they reiterated their positions of immediate lifting of sanctions. In 2021, UN Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan denounced these sanctions as violating “universal and regional human rights instruments.”

The only (and unstated) reason that the West continues these sanctions is its fear of the example which Zimbabwe has set of reclaiming African lands for African hands.

President Biden can and must lift the sanctions. He can do so with the stroke of a pen.

U.S. HANDS OFF ZIMBABWE!
ZIMBABWE WILL NEVER BE A COLONY AGAIN!
LIFT THE SANCTIONS NOW!

The post US Must Lift The Illegal Sanctions On Zimbabwe appeared first on Black Star News.

New York, NY – Outraged by yet another incident of gun violence and another killing of a baby, a mother, a teenager or man, some New York City civilians are urgently coming together to plan how we can stop the killing in the streets!

To recapture the community! A Black History Month action program is confirmed to occur on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 7:00pm ET at New Canaan Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York. It’s located at 228 Putnam Ave. between Nostrand – Bedford Ave.

For more information, please call (718) 398-1766. That is (718) 398-1766.

This Black History Month action program, sponsored by the December 12th Movement, will have speakers from the group Man Up and from the “Stop The Killing Community Coalition” with time for questions and answers. Please spread the word and come out on Wednesday, February 2nd at 7:00pm.

Please wear a mask for your health.

The post Stop The Killing Black History Month Action Program Slated For Feb. 2nd appeared first on Black Star News.

A national coalition of organizations, lawyers, activist, elected officials, led by the December 12th Movement will hold a press conference on Monday, September 14, 2020, 12PM at 250 Broadway NYC to announce their course of action on the NYC Council’s efforts to reverse the Chokehold Ban Law.

“We will not tolerate NYC Council representatives who kowtow to NYPD intimidation, corruption, and work slowdown tactics, nor those who opportunistically sell out for political or economic advancement,” stated spokesman, Omowale Clay.

In the past week, including Donovan Richards, I. Daneek Miller, and Adrienne Adams, all of whom hold seats on the Council Public Safety Committee.

During a protest by Queens residents on Friday, September 11, in front of Council Member Adams’ offices in Rochdale Village Mall, someone called the NYPD. A large contingent came and immediately evacuated the entire mall, including all customers, and shut down the mall.

The recently passed NYC Chokehold ban signed into law by Mayor de Blasio, in July 2020 is now threatened by a Police Benevolent Association (PBA) lawsuit demanding it be overturned. The PBA is also pressuring Council Members to amend the chokehold law which criminalizes all air restriction tactics including compression of the diaphragm.

The chokehold ban law, was introduced six years ago by Council Member Rory Lancman, after an NYPD officer choked Eric Garner to death in 2014. Sustained nationwide protests against the brutal police murder of George Floyd prompted the council and Mayor to take action at this time.

NYC Council Member Donovan Richards, Chair of the Public Safety Committee, subsequently introduced an amendment to the chokehold ban law that inserts language which would actually gut the law.

The proposed amendment will insert the word “recklessly” in regard to diaphragm compression and would give the police a huge loophole and reverses clear police accountability.

Editor’s Note: This article has been edited to reflect a correction to the original version published on September 11, which stated that Councilmember Adams had “panicked” and called the NYPD. The Councilmember through a spokesperson denies that she or any staff member had anything to do with calling the police. (see retraction of one sentence).

The post Activists Vow To Block NY City Council From Abandoning Chokehold Ban appeared first on Black Star News.

Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the office of New York City Council-member Donovan Richards’ office to protest what they believe is a backroom deal to allow some choke-hold measures to be restored after a law was passed banning it, following the brutal murder May 25 of George Floyd by a White cop, Derek Chauvin, in Minneapolis.

The September 4 protest was organized by Brooklyn-based liberation organization the December 12th Movement. “The passage of the no choke hold law was a result of the People protesting in the streets,” said Omowale Clay, a leader of D12. “We can never allow the police to intimidate us.  Also, we will not allow the police to force the City Council into reversing the no choke hold law.”

The Police Benevolent Association, whose leader Patrick Lynch recently endorsed Donald Trump and the New York police commissioner Dermot Shea oppose the ban. Shea has called it “reckless.” He opposes the new law because it bans “sitting, kneeling, or standing on the chest or back in a manner that compresses the diaphragm.”

Omowale Clay recounted the history of police killings in New York using the choke-hold. On December 22, 1994, while enjoying the Christmas season, Anthony Baez, a security guard, was playing football outside with his family. The football hit NYPD Officer Francis Livoti’s car. The officer angrily applied a choke-hold that killed Baez. He ignored Baez’s father’s plea that his son was asthmatic. As a result of the killing, Bronx streets were filled with many protests. Livoti was later acquitted of criminally negligent homicide. He was charged with civil rights violation by the federal government and convicted in 1998 and sentenced to seven years imprisonment. Baez’s widow settled a $13 million lawsuit against the city for $3 million.

On July 17, 2014 NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo killed Eric Garner with a choke-hold. A bystander, Ramsey Orta recorded the killing on his cell phone video camera. Pantaleo had ignored the asthmatic Garner’s cries, “I can’t breathe,” repeated 11 times. Pantaleo wasn’t fired, remaining on the force for years, enjoying vacations, and salary increases. Mayor Bill de Blasio dragged his so-called liberal feet. Five years later, Pantaleo was finally fired after a departmental proceeding.

This is the background that brought the demonstrators in front of Councilman Richards’ office at 1931 Mott Street in Brooklyn.Supporters wore BLACK LIVES MATTER T-shirts. “Richards wants to run for the borough president’s office. So he is secretly and quietly trying to bring the choke hold back. What do we say?” Omowale Clay asked the demonstrators.

“No sell out! No sell out! No sell out!” came the response from the crowd.

“Minister Malcolm X talked about this kind of behavior,” Omowale Clay reminded his fellow protesters.

He recalled how George Floyd was executed in public shortly after he’d allegedly passed a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd also cried “I can’t breathe” several times and called out for his already deceased mother as he felt his impending death.

Black people had been resisting this kind of  brutality since the revolt of Denmark Vesey. This image of Floyd being murdered brought back to mind the chains one would see around the necks of captured Africans on the way through the Middle Passage to Western plantations.

Floyd’s lament stirred the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people around the world.  Uprisings all over the globe erupted. Chauvin and the three other officers were dismissed from the police force and were later all charged in connection with the crime. No police officer has ever been convicted of murdering an African-American in Minnesota.

The demonstrators later marched from Richards’ office to hand out flyers on nearby locations.

“Whose streets?” Omowale Clay shouted.

“Our streets!” came the response.

Omowale Clay and Viola Plummer, another leader of D12, vowed there would be more such protests to block restoration of any type of choke-hold.

Copyrighted by Carole E. Gregory 

The post “Not On Our Watch”: Brooklyn Protestors Fear Backroom Police Choke-hold Deal appeared first on Black Star News.

The following statement regarding Reparations–and the upcoming National Reparations Day- was written by Carolyn Jenkins for the December 12th Movement.

The National Reparations Day will take place on August 15th at the Trump International Hotel at Columbus Circle at 59th Street and Broadway.

In the shadow of the death of Civil Rights activist, Congressman John Lewis, the battle for Reparations is approaching a fever pitch. Perhaps the reminder of John Lewis and other activists of that period being beaten with billy clubs on the bridge named after this former Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, Edmund Pettus, triggered outrage at the indignities Black people have been subjected to for far too long. Or, perhaps it was the recent dehumanizing murder of George Floyd, Breanna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the worldwide outrage which followed in the aftermath. Coupled with the sudden outbreak of a worldwide pandemic, the Black community in particular has no choice but to act. As Lewis was fond of saying, “It’s time to get in the good trouble.”

There comes a point when all of these atrocities, past, and present, meet – they’ve met.

The Asheville, North Carolina City Council must have heard the cries and passed a Reparations Bill to pay its 12,400 Black residents as an apology for slavery and discrimination. One victory and many more to go!

The December 12th Movement and the National Black United Front laid the foundation for Reparations in the 2001 United Nations World Conference Against Racism in Durdan, South Africa, when the world declared the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery to be Crimes Against Humanity, and that reparations were due the descendants of the crime victims.

Activist Professor James Smalls is steadfast in his support for the National Day for Reparations and payment to African-Americans who were forced to build this country for free, while being left on the bottom rung of the economic ladder.

Smalls said, “Some Native Americans have been given reparations. So have Jews for the German holocaust; Japanese after WWII; Poland and other countries. Nobody is owed reparations more than African-Americans. We have had our lives and history erased and families torn apart with no escape route. If America owes any debt, it’s to the African-American people here in the United States. Reparations should be at the top of our agenda.”

NYC Assemblyman Charles Barron sponsored NY State Reparations Bill A3080A.

The December 12th Movement declared ALL OUT SATURDAY, August 15th as National Reparations Day.

Plans call for a tremendous turnout of supporters for this Reparation Bill. This would be a great way to honor the legacy of John Lewis and many other activists who have fought so valiantly for civil rights. This torch will not be extinguished.

Frederick Douglas said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and never will.”

Join us on August 15th and demand to reap what we’ve sown for 400 years and counting!

The post Reparations for African-Americans: Time to Pay the Debt appeared first on Black Star News.