Protesters shut down the 4th Precinct in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 30, 2016, in opposition to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman’s announcement that police officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze will not be charged for the murder of Jamar Clark. (Photo: Fibonacci Blue)
Yesterday, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced his decision not to charge Minneapolis Police Officers Dustin Schwarze and Mark Ringgenberg in the November 15, 2015, murder of Jamar Clark. The full document dump of evidence he considered can be found here, as well as at his homepage, linked above.
The Clark case has garnered both national and international attention due the ongoing protests, including an 18-day occupation of the 4th Precinct. Local organizations issued a series of demands that included #NoGrandJury, #ReleasetheTapes, #ProsecutethePolice, and most generally, #Justice4JamarClark. The first two demands have now been met, the third denied and always unlikely given the daunting legal bar outlined in Graham v. Connor. And the final demand — #Justice4JamarClark — is impossible for the system that killed him to deliver.
Being privy to the history and the players, there are untold stories that media hegemony won’t let you see. These include debates over whether it matters if Clark was handcuffed or not at the time of his death — it doesn’t; he should be alive regardless. There were deep tactical disagreements over the nature/purpose/composition of the 4th Precinct occupation, and the role of nonprofits and faith leaders in seizing the mic and using Black death as fundraiser. But that is a story for another day and a brief cautionary note to those who judge the authenticity of movements by their social media script.
Today the question is this: what is “justice” for Jamar Clark or Mike Brown or Eric Garner or Sandra Bland or Akai Gurley or Reika Boyd or thousands more who are simultaneously remembered but then ultimately reduced to a hashtag or protest rallying cry? Is it “justice” if officers are fired? Indicted? Convicted? Imprisoned?
And then what?
It is understandable the oppressed want the criminal legal system to apply the laws equally. Accountability, even for once. But the relentless movement demands for more prosecutions and punishment serve only to reify the system that must itself be indicted. In the nearly two years since Ferguson, police killings of Black civilians in particular are unabated — 258 this year alone — with few indictments, fewer convictions and no satisfaction. And there have been endless hours and days and months of activist energy expended in reaction to and reinforcement of the system.
Why is the vision of “justice” so narrow and carceral — demanding arrest, trial and punishment for killer after killer after killer without cease?
Justice for Jamar and Mike and Eric and Sandra and Akai and Rekia and thousands would mean they are still alive. With as much love and solidarity and community support for them in the anonymity of everyday life as they have in the glare of death.
I’ll say it again: Stop asking for “justice” from the system that is killing us — demand abolition.
Then demand more.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.