{"id":13198,"date":"2024-08-08T16:44:53","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T16:44:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=13198"},"modified":"2024-08-08T16:49:49","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T16:49:49","slug":"local-sonya-massey-protest-touches-all-bases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/08\/local-sonya-massey-protest-touches-all-bases\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Sonya Massey Protest Touches All Bases"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Amjad Doumani<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Fletcher Word<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe Truth Editor<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

A number of concerned citizens gathered on Saturday, August 3, at Junction Park to voice their concern and anger over the police shooting of Sonya Massey in Illinois. However, while the Massey homicide was the catalyst for the protest, the event also brought to the attendees\u2019 awareness events in Toledo of police violence as well as current international events in Gaza that have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians.<\/p>\n

Organized by Washington Muhammad of the Community Solidarity Response Network (CSRN), a number of other local organizations joined the protest against police and government-led violent oppressive tactics.<\/p>\n

CSRN was joined by representatives of Parents of Murdered Children of Northwest Ohio, New Order National Human Rights Organization, the Media Decompression Collective and the American Muslims for Palestine to speak about.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is our duty to fight for our freedom,\u201d said Muhammad during his opening remarks. \u201cWe have nothing to lose but out chains. Muhammad noted that the Massey homicide in Illinois (Sonya Massey was shot in the face by an officer while she was standing in her kitchen over a pot pf boiling water after she has called to complain about a possible intruder) was not unlike confrontations that have occurred here in Toledo.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Walaa Kanan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He referenced the case of Brandon Upchurch who was stopped for driving a stolen car \u2013 incorrectly as it runed out \u2013 then assaulted by a police dog. He has been charged with resisting arrest. He also spoke of the young woman who was cited for walking in the street in her neighborhood. The sidewalks as it happened were so covered with trash that she was unable to walk along that pathway.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we talk about defunding the police, what we want to do is reduce the missed training that they have, save our dollars from being spent on things that are only going to be used on things to suppress us. We have no problem working with law enforcement that respects us and honors us\u2026 We want to have a zero tolerance for their mistreatment of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aviance Hill, founder of the resurgent Parents of Murdered Children of Northwest Ohio, also took the podium. Hill founded the Parents group in the fall of 2022, months after her son, Isaac Carpenter was murdered on July 2, 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no support or resources,\u201d said Hill of the situation she and her family faced after the murder. Since then, her Parents group has given families some options. \u201cWe give hope, we give help, we give resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Hill also remarked that the loss of one individual does not just impact his or her immediate family \u2013 as in the case of Massey of Illinois.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost Isaac, we lost Sonya. Every time we lose someone, we all lose that someone,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are here to ensure that the next generation will not have to endure what we have endured.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Aviance Hill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hill spoke of her goal for those of the next generation and the type of world they should live in and the types of worries they should have<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest worry you should have is: \u2018what\u2019s for dinner?\u2019 The only thing our children and grandchildren should have to worry about is: \u2018what\u2019s for dinner?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Siti Dotson-Chambers, representing Toledo\u2019s New Order chapter spoke. She addressed the problem of police brutality \u201cthat we see day in and day out \u2013 people attacked by dogs or for walking in the street \u2013 we have Toledo police officers that have taken advantage of the community \u2026 they don\u2019t protect and defend us, they harass us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dotson-Chambers told the attendees that in her neighborhood she, like any number of her neighbors, would be reluctant to call on the police if a situation requiring their attention might arise because they could tend to make the situation worse not better.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t feel comfortable calling the police,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She urged those present to speak out about police misconduct.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Washington Muhammad<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cSilence is violence,\u201d she said. \u201cWe stand in solidarity with those around the nation. We have to fight together \u2013 together we are better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amjad Doumani of the Media Decompression Collective offered the case for those in Gaza who have undergone such violence during the last 10 months and the similar circumstances that oppressed people around the world face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot in common,\u201d said the self-described long-time peace activist. All our struggles are a common struggle\u2026 Sonya Massey is one of a countless number of African Americans who didn\u2019t need to die \u2013 she was murdered. The same thing is happening in Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doumani described Israeli tactics of deliberately placing Palestinians in harm\u2019s way in order to kill as many of them as possible and declared that the death toll is vastly underestimated at 40,000. He said he believes the toll is at least 200,000, perhaps as many as a million.<\/p>\n

He assailed the proposal by the local authorities to obtain a military grade commercial vehicle as he also noted that Israel sends military people to the USA to train police officers in this country in their tactics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey feel like we are the enemy,\u201d he said. \u201cOur struggle is the same struggle and the U.S. is funding genocide in Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next up was Walaa Kanan of the American Muslims for Palestine whose group\u2019s purpose includes educating local communities about the Palestinian cause.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have to stop grieving for those in Gaza to take time to grieve for those here,\u201d said Kanan. \u201cOur struggles are interconnected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kanan referred to \u201cthe generational trauma of our ancestors\u201d as the origin of that interconnectivity. \u201cBut there is hope,\u201d she added. I am deeply optimistic because this is the generation that is going to make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

In closing, Muhammad revealed that the CSRN is in the process of starting a civilian police review board, one that will be very unlike those of the past in which members have been \u201ccherry picked\u201d by police and civilian authorities.<\/p>\n

This board, said Muhammad, will subpoena witnesses and officers to obtain statements about reported incidents. The board will send notices to officers\u2019 neighborhoods to warn residents of hos unsafe such a person might be. They will also utilize billboards for that purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can have sleepless nights, then so can they,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Fletcher Word The Truth Editor A number of concerned citizens gathered on Saturday, August 3, at Junction Park to voice their concern and anger over the police shooting of Sonya Massey in Illinois. However, while the Massey homicide was the catalyst for the protest, the event also brought to the attendees\u2019 awareness events in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,17],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[242],"class_list":["post-13198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-headline","category-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13198"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13211,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13198\/revisions\/13211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13198"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=13198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}