The December 12th Movement is calling for the intensification of the “Justice or Else” holiday season boycott in New York City. An emergency meeting will be held on Black Solidarity Day, Monday, Nov. 2, 2015 at 7 p.m., at Sistas’ Place, 456 Nostrand Ave., (corner of Jefferson Avenue), Brooklyn.
The recent brutal assault of a 16-year-old Black female student at Spring Valley High School in Richland County South Carolina by white deputy “school rescue officer” Ben Fields Monday has intensified the call for “Justice or Else.” Fields was sued for excessive force in 2007.
According to witness statements, the student, sitting quietly in a chair, refused to leave the room at the request of her teacher and a school administrator for “looking at her cell phone.” Fields was called in and after the student refused his order to leave, he pulled her out of her chair, slammed her to the floor, and dragged her across the room. His brutal actions terrorized everyone in the room, including the adults. Activists and even mainstream media are in a flux, as outraged Black people nationwide charge that Black children are in the crosshairs, targeted for abuse with impunity.
On the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March (10.10.15), one of the concrete actions proposed for the “Justice or Else” campaign was an economic boycott during this holiday season. As the Black community continues to witness what activists call the “unrelenting police abuse and murder” of victims such as Sandra Bland in Texas, Michael Brown in Missouri, Eric Garner in New York, Tamir Rice in Ohio, Corey Jones in Florida and too many more; the lack of affordable housing, quality health care, education and employment; and the criminalization of Black people, “Justice or Else” is the battle cry.
Minister Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, returned to Washington, D.C., this time to declare a national boycott for justice this holiday season. Historically, many Black activists have used this tactic to send a concrete message. Malcolm X told people to speak the language the oppressors understand. An important one of those languages is economics.
This Christmas, the December 12th Movement has taken up the call and is launching a citywide boycott. At a recent organizing meeting, Omowale Clay stated, “Minister Farrakhan’s point was we can’t keep funding our enslavement, so we come back [to our local communities] to take action. In the spirit of over 1 million Black people who went to Washington, D.C., we must concretely implement the national boycott and use our money as a weapon.”
Abdul Haqq of the African Brotherhood for Self Determination said, “We’ve got to take Santa Claus out of Christmas. It’s a trick to fill the pocket of our oppressors while they murder and abuse us with impunity. We demand an end to this systemic racism now. Let’s shock the economy!”
Said Clay, “Get involved! Justice or else. This Christmas, we will not shop!”
For more information, call the December 12th Movement at 718-398-1766. Campaign meetings are held every Friday at 7 p.m. at Sistas’ Place, 456 Nostrand Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.