Racial Justice Day remembers victims of cops
By
Kristianna Tho'mas
Bronx, N.Y.
A crowd of over 1,000 people marched through the South Bronx
May 22 on the ninth annual Racial Justice Day. A large Asian
contingent supplied a traditional Korean drum band.
This year's theme was Voice of the Forgotten in remembrance
of all who have died and suffered brutality at the hands of the
police. The protest and rally were organized by the New York
City Coalition Against Police Brutality.
Parents Against Police Brutality made up the lead
contingent.
The CAPB was formed in 1997 in an effort to build a united
movement against police brutality. It called for an end to the
racist, homophobic and transphobic violence whipped up by the
Giuliani administration's "quality of life" campaign. It also
protested the handing over of security in the public schools to
the New York Police Department
Racial Justice Day came out of the struggle against racist
violence and murder in the city of New York. On March 20, 1991,
Manuel Mayi Jr., a Dominican college student, was attacked and
brutally murdered by a white racist gang in Corona, Queens. Not
one of his attackers was brought to justice. The first Racial
Justice Day was organiz ed by the National Congress of Puerto
Rican Rights to galvanize the community against this example of
increased racist violence.
This year's march--held in the Bronx because cops shot and
killed Amadou Diallo there--showed solidarity with Diallo and
the mountain of other victims of police murder and brutality.
Many names of police victims were mentioned.
1994: The cops killed Anthony Baez, Nicholas Heyward,
Shu'ab Abdul Latif, and Felix Junior Jorge.
1995: Anibal Carrasquillo, Yong Xin Huang, Anthony
Rosario and Hilton Vega.
1996: Maria Rivas, Lionard Lawton, Frankie Arzuaga
and Jose Santos.
1997: Librado Sanchez, Donald Donaldson, Deonarime
Matan, Reginald Bannerman, William Whitfield, Robert Rey noso
and Juval Green. Abner Louima was tortured.
1998 and 1999: Luciano Lazcano and Amadou Diallo were
killed. Family members of the young transsexual woman Jolea
Lamot--including Nancy Lamot, Ricardo Perez and John Baez, a
relative of Anthony Baez--were beaten by cops.
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