Share: It was the slaying of George Floyd in 2020 that turned “defund the police” into the rally cry of the summer last year, with protesters fiercely fighting for revisions to police budgets across the country, the very boldest even calling for indefinite abolition. Just a few weeks later in Los Angeles, mayor Eric Garcetti would vow to slash $150 million from the annual police budget, appearing to hear and acknowledge the woes of the public—or so we thought. While some activists viewed Garcetti’s efforts …
For PCC community, Chauvin’s verdict is a building block for racial justice
Share: As the guilty verdict rang out three times through the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis, the 11 month pursuit of justice for police brutality victim George Floyd reached a degree of closure. However, Black Lives Matter advocates urge the public to see the verdict as an elemental step towards true justice rather than a final one. Follow:
Pasadena mother sues police, fights charges after Anthony McClain protest
Share: A woman is suing the City of Pasadena and fighting battery charges after police pepper-sprayed her 11-year old child during an impromptu protest that followed the police shooting of Anthony McClain at La Pintoresca Park, Aug.15. Follow:
BLM: PCC athletes join the pros in push for equality
Share: On Mar. 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in Louisville, Kentucky, when police officers enacted a no-knock warrant on her apartment. Her death was only brought to light with the murder of George Floyd, and while the officers involved in Floyd’s death were arrested, no officers have been arrested for shooting and killing Taylor. Both deaths have sparked a worldwide Black Lives Matter movement, with many calling for the arrests of the officers involved in Taylor’s shooting, Brett Hankinson, Jonathan Mattingly and …
Say his name: Community remembers Anthony McClain
Share: The night of August 15, Pasadena Police officers conducted a traffic stop that ended in the shooting of Anthony McClain, an African-American man, by Officer Edwin Dumaguindin. McClain’s last two hours on this earth were spent alone at Huntington Hospital, leaving his three children without a father. In the weeks following McClain’s death, strangers began to rally behind his story, protesting against the murder of African-Americans by police, and screaming “no justice, no peace” into the high heavens. On Friday, Aug. 28, McClain’s family …
Pasadena protesters stand with Black lives
Share: Thousands of demonstrators caravaned through the streets of Pasadena Tuesday, June 2 to protest and hold a vigil after the unjust murder of George Floyd by Minneappolis police officers, forming a united call for justice and demanding actions of change from the inner city government. The peaceful protest was organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Pasadena Branch, alongside with the National Day Laborers Organizing Network, faith leaders from the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, and the Community Clergy Coalition. The …
Queer people need to stand with Black Lives Matter
Share: Amongst the backlash following the killing of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and countless others by police, queer people need to stand up for the Black Lives Matter movement. Social media exploded with rage over the video of Floyd being killed by uniformed police officers. The protests and following riots created a lot of controversy with many people saying that rioting and looting is horrible and will not get anything done. After numerous videos of white gay men taunting and attacking protestors and …
Natashia Deon Graces PCC, Grace haunts readers
Share: A tiny figure in a tattered and bloodied yellow dress runs through the woods. Tripping over her own feet, she clutches her belly, throwing frantic glances behind her. This is the opening to Grace, a novel by PCC’s writer in residence Natashia Deon. The scene came to her, somewhere between daydream and hallucination, while in her home, clutching her newborn so, when she was transported to the 1850s Alabama woods. Feeling connected to the young slave woman, Deon felt compelled to tell her story. …
Dear unjust judicial system: Enough is enough
Share: No one likes it when someone keeps giving them worn out, B.S. excuses that are either lies or alter the actual truth of the matter. But it seems like when it comes to the life of Philando Castile and so many other Black men and women before him, the excuses from the judicial system are endless. Follow:
‘When Justice Isn’t Just’ delves into police brutality
Share: People started gathering outside the Westerbeck Recital Hall last Thursday at Pasadena City College (PCC) at least half an hour before the screening of “When Justice Isn’t Just.” By the time lights were turned off inside the theater, 250 people were sitting in silence. Follow: