US: Community Labor United

Facilitated by Critical Resistance New Orleans

Don’t miss an opportunity to join a diverse group of community members, organizations, students, workers, activists, organizers, artists, educators, experts, and spiritual leaders for a community discussion on organizing a grassroots movement to end law enforcement violence in our communities, on Saturday, July 16, 2005 from 9:00 am -- 12:00 pm at the Tremé Community Center, 900 N. Villere St. (at the corner of N. Villere and St. Phillip St.).

This educational forum will provide an opportunity for community members to develop and share organizing strategies to address the various forms of violence perpetrated against our communities including: police brutality; race/gender profiling; sexual harassment; sexual violence; strip searches; beatings; deportation; illegal arrests, detainment, and searches; use of excessive force; and police killings.

The goals of the forum are:

* To examine and discuss the various forms of law enforcement violence in our communities,
* To develop strategies and solutions to end such violence, and
* To establish a working coalition to challenge all forms of police violence and its impact on our communities.

Forum participants will also discuss the interconnections between quality education, violence, and the criminal justice system.

This breakfast forum will include a spiritual dedication, culture presentation, film screening of “Sooner or Later, Somebody’s Gonna Fight Back*,” and panel discussion with family members of victims and survivors of law enforcement violence, law experts, and community organizers. Panel participants include: Jerry Thomas, father of Jenard Thomas; Malcolm Suber, veteran revolutionary fighter against police terror; and Ernest Jones, civil rights & criminal defense attorney.

*The documentary film“Sooner or Later, Somebody’s Gonna Fight Back” is a multimedia project, which seeks to document and examine the history and political development of the Louisiana State Chapter of the Black Panther Party. The film highlights the voices of Party members who fought against the injustices of racism, war, police brutality, unemployment, poverty, labor exploitation, mass incarceration, violence, and substandard housing and education in the America during the 1970s. The film trailer contains in-depth interviews, rare film footage, and historical photos.

Special Announcement:

For those with disposable income, please bring $10 to support T.W.A.'s

(Teens with Attitude) carwash fundraiser.

Co-sponsors of this forum include: Community Labor United (CLU), Critical Resistance New Orleans, Deep South Regional Humanities Center, National Lawyers Guild, Treme Community Center, Students-at-the-Center, INCITE! New Orleans, Urban Unrest, Justice for Jenard Thomas Committee, Teens with Attitude (TWA), National Coalition to Free the Angola 3, NOLAPS, Books to Prisoners, Nowe Miasto, New Orleans Local Organizing Committee, the Louisiana Action Network, the Frederick Douglas Community Coalition, Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition, and LaRice.