85 S. Oxford St. (between Lafayette and Fulton), Brooklyn. (Bus take the B38 Lafayette/ S. Oxford or take the B52, B26, B25 to Fulton and Greene Ave. By Train take the C train to Lafayette, the G train to Fulton or the 2,3,4,5,B,N,R, or Q train to Atlantic/ Pacific)
LGBTSTGNC People from the Bay to Brooklyn Create Community Solutions to Violence
We are mourning the tragic deaths of 15-year-old African American Jaysen Mattison in Baltimore and 19-year-old Puerto Rican Jorge Steven López Mercado in Puerto Rico, and the countless others we have lost to hate violence. Our sorrow and outrage go out to their families and communities: we know Jaysen and Jorge were taken from you too soon. We recognize that there is a war against low-income, immigrant, and LGBTSTGNC (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two- Spirit, Trans, and Gender Non-Conforming) People of Color, and that our people are meeting early deaths at the hands of hatred, abuse, neglect, and oppression.
Unfortunately, the recent passing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the nation’s first ever federal LGBTSTGNC-inclusive hate crimes bill, will not stop the violence we face. The bill:
- Provides no funding or resources to actually prevent violence, but instead gives $5 million to expand the powers of local police and the FBI to investigate and prosecute incidences of hate violence.
- Strengthens a criminal “justice” system that funnels more and more poor people and people of color into prisons and away from our families.
- Supports the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the larger Defense Authorization Act, which allocated $130 billion to military efforts instead of to education, jobs, housing, and healthcare.
- Reaffirms the idea that safety comes through more police and more people in prison, instead of by addressing the real needs of survivors of violence, people who have been violent, and the communities affected.
We believe that we can create our own safety. We desire and demand solutions that challenge the real causes of violence: homophobia, transphobia, and economic injustice. As we demand the basic necessities that we need to survive—jobs, housing, healthcare, and education—we know that we must create real ways for communities to respond to and prevent violence without relying on violent institutions. We refuse to have our pain used to support violence of any kind.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8TH FOR A DAY OF RECLAIMING SAFETY. LGBTSTGNC communities from the Bay to Brooklyn will be strategizing and discussing community based solutions to violence. If you are in the Bay Area or the NYC area, attend the events listed below. If you are not, we encourage you to plan a conversation or some other type of event and let us know how it went.
Together, we can turn the tides of violence
EVENTS ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8TH:
- Ø Bay Area: Join CUAV for our first Safety Lab!
WHEN: 7:00pm-9:00pm (food at 6:30pm)
WHERE: CUAV - 170 A Capp Street, San Francisco (take BART to 16th Street Mission)
WHAT: Let's practice what we want to see in the world! Using scenarios of violence in our communities, we will work together to create and act out new ways of responding to anti-LGBTSTGNC hate violence that can create true safety, accountability, and healing. CUAV will host regular Safety Labs to offer a space to practice community responses to different forms of violence. This first Safety Lab is co-sponsored by the El/La Program Para TransLatinas in San Francisco.
HOW: RSVP to or call (415) 777-5500 x316. Interpretation available.
- Ø NYC: Join the Audre Lorde Project’s S.O.S. Collective for a forum…Stopping Violence Through Waging War? Part II
WHEN: 7:00-9:00pm
WHERE: 85 S. Oxford St. (between Lafayette and Fulton), Brooklyn. (Bus take the B38 Lafayette/ S. Oxford or take the B52, B26, B25 to Fulton and Greene Ave. By Train take the C train to Lafayette, the G train to Fulton or the 2,3,4,5,B,N,R, or Q train to Atlantic/ Pacific)
WHAT: For the past several years anti-violence organizations have debated whether or not hate crimes laws actually increase or decrease violence against LGBTSTGNC communities of color. After the recent passing of the Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Act join the Audre Lorde Project as we get organizations who’ve opposed and supported the Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Act in the same room for a provocative discussion on hate crimes legislation, community based anti-violence strategies, and hate violence prevention.
ABOUT THE AUDRE LORDE PROJECT: The Audre Lorde Project is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans and Gender Non Conforming People of Color center for community organizing, focusing on the New York City area. Through mobilization, education and capacity-building, we work for community wellness and progressive social and economic justice. Committed to struggling across differences, we seek to responsibly reflect, represent and serve our various communities.
ABOUT CUAV: Founded in 1979, Community United Against Violence (CUAV) works to build the power of LGBTQQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning) communities to transform violence and oppression. We support the healing and leadership of those impacted by abuse and mobilize our broader communities to replace cycles of trauma with cycles of safety and liberation. As part of the larger social justice movement, CUAV works to create truly safe communities where everyone can thrive. For more visit www.cuav.org
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