THREAD: For stealing dish soap: 7 years prison! Prosecutors call it "looting." Not one Chicago cop charged in violent crackdown. Yet nearly 200 protestors still face 100s years for similar things. Their public defender explains why we allow this to happen: teenvogue.com/story/black-li…
"During court hearings, people I & other public defenders in Chicago & suburbs are now fighting for are reduced by prosecutors & judges to words like “looter,” “rioter,” “mob,” and “criminal,” racially coded terms that politicians have long used to refer to Black & brown people."
A familiar cycle: "Outside of court: Police & prosecutors share their version; then the media, prints black-and-white stories devoid of context using words like "looting"; the public then equates protest w/ violence & calls for justice w/ “criminality.” teenvogue.com/story/black-li…
Prosecution of protestors: "Over one year after "Black Lives Matter” rang through our streets, the same system people were protesting, lawmakers & corporations were calling out, is now being used to silence dissent & justify the perpetuation of injustice." teenvogue.com/story/black-li…
Call them out: "George Floyd’s murder precipitated an outpouring of support from across the political spectrum & corporate America. Yet the same politicians promising change now undermining progress. Corporations are supporting prosecutions of protestors."businessinsider.com/corporations-c…
Truth about "looting": "People face looting & burglary charges from protests, but multimillion dollar retailers recoup losses thru insurance while supporting their prosecutions. Store windows are rebuilt, luxury items replaced, & inequality continues." teenvogue.com/story/black-li…
"Pursuing prison time for people who participated in a massive protest movement is a continuation of the societal response to the protest: Beat, silence, discredit & cage them, all w/ the hopes of deterring them & others from speaking out in the future."teenvogue.com/story/black-li…
"So many of the people now represented by public defenders like me did not break any windows or doors, set fires, make threats, or hurt anyone. Prosecution does nothing to address the justifiable rage & anger that prompted the uprisings."teenvogue.com/story/black-li…
"Systemic issues do not make for “clickable” stories. Historical context for “catchy” headlines. The media does not report on why “looting” occurs or that it has been a tactic of protesters in America for centuries. Most journalists don’t tell you this."teenvogue.com/story/black-li…
How the word "looting" blinds us. "The story is about more than dish soap, or the television, or the bottle of liquor. It is a lack of access to food, housing, education, & health care that drives the need to take, to protest, or do both at the same time.teenvogue.com/story/black-li…
"If those in power & those who narrate the stories the public hears are not willing to acknowledge why people took to the streets, the conditions that caused their grief & rage, how do we expect to address the underlying issues that precipitated this?"teenvogue.com/story/black-li…
"More than a year has passed since the promise of progress, but political leaders continue to respond in ways that only exacerbate the root problems. More prosecutions, more police funding. Mandatory curfews, cutting off public transit, raising bridges." teenvogue.com/story/black-li…
"As a public defender, I assure you: The answer to why will not be found in a courtroom or prison, spaces that silence thru bars, walls, & legalese. Our crushing legal system is not equipped to solve complex issues that have been centuries in the making." teenvogue.com/story/black-li…
Listen: "Instead of policing & prosecution, it’s time for leaders, corporations, & journalists to acknowledge & address the root causes of inequality that create conditions where someone is compelled to take dish soap from a store or break its window."teenvogue.com/story/black-li…
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