Black Rainbow

🛑 KANSAS CITY ELECTION: Vote NO on MASS INCARCERATION Jail Tax - Question 1 They’re trying to raise your taxes to build a MEGA-JAIL… while kids can’t get counselors, 911 calls go unanswered, and groceries keep going up. 💥 What You Need to Know: 📉 $250M diverted from emergency services 🏫 Expands the school-to-prison pipeline 🏚️ Destroys housing affordability 👎 Every major civil rights group in KC says VOTE NO 📍Tag 3 friends. Share before polls close.

Rick Smith must go, but his removal changes nothing about the KCPD.

Read our full statement on Rick Smith and KCPD here: http://bit.ly/BRRickSmith

Kansas City doesn’t need a new Police Chief. Kansas City doesn’t need more cops. Rick Smith must go, but his removal changes nothing about the KCPD.

While we applaud the organizers and leaders who work tirelessly to remove Rick Smith, we must ask: what happens next if the entire system is corrupt?

Replacing Rick Smith only means that another white-supremacist will take his place and continue to wreak havoc. True justice lies in the reimagining of people’s safety in Kansas City. We demand a safety that does not depend on a militarized police force patrolling neighborhoods.

With the resources it takes to run a destructive institution like the KCPD, Kansas City can lay the groundwork for a different path of public safety that prioritizes peace-building, healing, and community.

Our demands:
💥 FIRE Rick Smith with no pension and TERMINATE Police Chief position.
💥 MANDATE the immediate suspension without pay for officers under criminal indictment
💥 CREATE a transformative reparations plan for the families of those who have been murdered by KCPD
💥 WITHHOLD pensions and don't rehire officers involved in excessive force
💥 INVEST in a community-established People’s Budget by redirecting KCPD funding to resources such as housing, healthcare, sustainable infrastructure and education.
💥 DIVEST from KCPD by reducing KCPD to 20% of the general fund as required by state law.
💥 WITHDRAW participation in police militarization programs
💥 ESTABLISH open records ordinance ensuring that officer misconduct information & disciplinary histories are not shielded from the public.

Rick Smith Must Go, but His Removal Changes Nothing About the KCPD Rick Smith Must Go, but His Removal Changes Nothing About the KCPD Following the rumored termination of Rick Smith, residents across Kansas City celebrated at the historical defeat of his white-supremacist leadership. His departure from the Kansas City Police Department would represent a years-l...

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⚖️ The Historic KCPD Murder Trial Starts TOMORROW

1. This is one of the most anticipated trials in United States history. Family members of George Floyd and Jacob Blake are attending the trial to support the Lamb family and advocate for justice. The trial is open to the public and officials are expecting it to be filled to capacity.

2. This is the FIRST TIME in the 147 year history of KCPD that a white cop is on trial for the murder of a Black person.

3. The cop on trial is KCPD Cop Eric DeValkenaere, for the 2019 murder of Cameron Lamb. The night of the murder, DeValkenaere responded to a traffic call near Lambs house - with no warrant and in civilian clothes, DeValkenaere trespassed onto Lamb’s property, did not announce himself, then viciously shot 4 bullets at Lamb, murdering him on his own property and before he was even aware the officers were present. Due to the fact DeValkenaere had no reason to be on Lamb’s property, many describe it as an Ex*****on.

4. This is a landmark case and will set the standard for if KCPD is held accountable or if they will be allowed to continue senselessly murdering Black people with no consequences.

5. Eric Devalkenaere is facing charges of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action.

WHEN & WHERE 👇🏾

The trial of KCPD Cop Eric DeValkenaere, begins TOMORROW at 8am at the Jackson County Courthouse. Community Members will have a presence both inside and outside the courthouse.

A message from a beloved Black Rainbow comrade who is facing difficult times. Please help if you can!

We will be back out distributing supplies to folks around KC this weekend. It’s hot and getting hotter and with the hotel initiative ending and camps being swept across the city, mutual aid and solidarity with our houseless comrades is crucial.

If you want to donate toward the cost of supplies, you can do that through CashApp $blackrainbow1619 or Venmo . If you want to help distribute supplies, meet us at St Stephen Baptist on Truman Rd at 10 AM!

The KCPD is targeting our comrade for protesting. Please help with funds!
Venmo:
Gofundme: bit.ly/judebr

On July 17th, 2020 Jude was involved in a protest that resulted in a lawsuit from the KC Board of Police Commissioners, with a penalty of $600. Read more in the Gofundme link in the bio.

TODAY, July 17th, we will be distributing supplies such as bottled water and hygiene products to the community around St. Stephen Church in KC (E Truman Rd). To help purchase supplies, feel free to donate to our CashApp at $blackrainbow1619 or Venmo at BRCommunityPrograms.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASSATA SHAKUR

On May, 2nd In 1973, Assata Shakur allegedly participated in a fire fight that led to the death of a state trooper and the wounding of another. Assata was taken in and dragged to Rikers Island where she gave birth to a child under the harsh conditions of solitary confinement. In her Autobiography, she recalls a moment where a razor blade is slipped under her prison door by an officer attempting to push the activist to su***de.

In a letter published by The Black Scholar (April 1978) Assata describes her fellow inmates:

“There are no big time gangsters here, no premeditated mass murderers, no godmothers. There are no big time dope dealers, no kidnappers, no Watergate women. There are virtually no women here charged with white collar crimes like embezzlement or fraud. Most of the women have drug related cases. Many are charged as accessories to crimes committed by men. The major crimes that women here are charged with are prostitution, pick-pocketing, shop lifting, robbery and drugs....The women see stealing or hustling as necessary for the survival of themselves or their children because jobs are scarce and welfare is impossible to live on. One thing is clear: amerikan capitalism is in no way threatened by the women in prison on Rikers Island”

In November of 1978, Assata was broken out of prison with the aid of the Black Liberation Army. After laying low in Pittsburgh for a while, she escaped to Cuba, where she was granted political Asylum.

Today, we honor Assata for her example, words, and action.

Tell us something we don’t know.

More confirmation of what we’ve been saying:

KCPD is a murderous organization, and by national standards, one of the most violent in the country.

KCPD violently targets Black and brown communities.

KCPD refuses accountability to the people (evidenced yet again in their dismissive response to these findings).

KCPD is overfunded and KC communities are over-policed.

Kansas City is in a crisis created and perpetuated by police.