In the past week, Black activism has been linked to the recent shooting and killing of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. As a result, a series of events have been put in motion, evidenced by the greater threat of police intimidation, harassment and excessive use of deadly force. Nonetheless, waves of massive protest demonstrations against police violence continue to sweep across the country, as veteran activists intensify their efforts to organize local communities.
For example, the December 12th Movement held a public forum at Sista’s Place in Brooklyn, N.Y., to discuss a course of action because of what Viola Plummer described as this “escalation of madness in the community.” Plummer, chair of the December 12th Movement, opened the meeting by expressing her eagerness to hear what the people had to say. “This is not the type of meeting where we tell the people what they want,” said Plummer. “You will decide what we will do. It’s the people who make revolution.”
For nearly three hours, approximately 60 people were engaged in open and honest dialogue about why they attended the meeting, the collective need for organizational unity, community policing,