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London Actor and producer John Boyega addressed a crowd of thousands of Black Lives Matter demonstrators in London's Hyde Park on Wednesday, telling them he was speaking out even though it might negatively affect his career.

"This is very important," he said. "This is very vital. Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain't waiting."

It was the second large Black Lives Matter protest to take place in London in under a week, after thousands marched through the capital on Sunday in response to the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. While they chanted Floyd's name, they also focused on injustices in Britain.

"The U.K. is not innocent," demonstrators shouted, highlighting the recent case of Belly Mujinga, a train worker who died of the coronavirus after being spit on by a white man claiming to have the disease. Police in Britain recently closed the case without filing any charges.

Organizers hushed the crowd and asked people to remain seated to listen to Boyega, who starred as Finn in recent "Star Wars" movies.

"I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing. And that isn't the case anymore. That is never the case anymore," Boyega said.

"We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland. We are a physical representation of our support for Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation of our support for Stephen Lawrence. And Mark Duggan," he said.

In 2011,rioting broke out across Britainafter 29-year-old Mark Duggan, a black father of four, was gunned down by police under disputed circumstances.

As Boyega addressed the crowd, British Prime Minister Boris Johnsongave his first comments on the killing of George Floydto the country's Parliament and was criticized for taking so long to do so by his chief political rival.

"What happened in the United States was appalling. It was inexcusable. We all saw it on our screens, and I perfectly understand people's right to protest what took place," Johnson said, but he stressed that protests "should take place in a lawful and reasonable way."

Britain's police chiefs also weighed in Wednesday,issuing a joint statementfrom all of the nation's forces saying they "stand alongside all those across the globe who are appalled and horrified by the way George Floyd lost his life. Justice and accountability should follow."

The police said there was a "long established tradition of policing by consent" and working with communities across the U.K., adding: "Officers are trained to use force proportionately, lawfully and only when absolutely necessary. We strive to continuously learn and improve. We will tackle bias, racism or discrimination wherever we find it."

"It is very, very important that we keep control of this movement and we make this as peaceful as possible," Boyega said. "Because you know what, guys, they want us to mess up. They want us to be disorganized. But not today. Not today."

Tucker Reals contributed to this report.

Originally posted here:
John Boyega to London Black Lives Matter protesters: "Now is the time." - CBS News

The killing of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black man, by two white men in Georgia received little attention in February. But in early May, after a video circulated, it became big news, fueling protests across the nation.

"It's heartbreaking. It is 2020. And this was a lynching of an African American man, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said this week.

Social justice activists are now assessing how to mobilize while adhering to the constraints imposed during this pandemic. Opal Tometi, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, has been thinking about the role of the activist movement in a post-pandemic world.

Nothing will ever replace human beings gathering together, she says.

Since its creation, Black Lives Matter has used the internet and social media to share and connect with others with the goal of mobilizing an in-person movement, Tometi says. Despite stay-at-home orders, she says the virtual movement to bring awareness to Arberys case has been heartening in this time.

Despite the fact that we're in the midst of this pandemic, we saw this amazing movement for justice for Ahmaud emerge, where people were running for Ahmaud, she says. They were doing all that they could to elevate his name.

A similar online movement has formed around the recent death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT in Louisville, Kentucky, who was killed by police in her home.

Protests for Arbery have been happening throughout the country, where people are gathering in person to say enough is enough, she says. Tometi says people at these gatherings have been following social distancing guidelines and wearing masks.

They're being very safe as they do it, she says. And I think that's important. I think that's going to be some of what we see here in the future and we're not going to stop gathering and demanding change.

On how Black Lives Matter has used digital activism since 2013

It was so important for us to start utilizing social media because we knew that we needed spaces where we could be unapologetic about who we are, about what our concerns were. And so true to previous social movements, the civil rights movement and beyond, we are making use of whatever the tools are at our disposal for that given time. It's not too dissimilar from what maybe a [Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.] would have done with a newspaper or television and beyond. We're just using the means that we have for our time to make similar concerns to those of our ancestors known.

On the disproportionate amount of black Americans who have become sick or died from COVID-19

What I'm seeing come out from this large racial justice movement is that there are many different groups highlighting the fact that this isn't just happenstance or because we're negligent or doing something wrong, but we do have systemic issues in this society that allow for black people to be impacted in this very acute way. And it's really disturbing. I know people who have passed away as a result of this virus, and it's something that I think we could have predicted. But to see it firsthand, it's been very, very difficult. But, yes, our movements are definitely speaking up about this or doing all that we can from mobilizing online to getting together in person to organizing mutual aid and just being very creative about how we show up for one another.

On BLM being called a terrorist organization

It's been so disturbing to see how black organizers and people who have the right and we know we have the right to speak out and to name injustice in our community and assert our dignity, that we're being mislabeled, that our message is being manipulated and misconstrued on purpose for an agenda that is rooted in white supremacy and racism. And we know that this has happened to many human rights leaders before us. You have your Martin Luther King Jr., you have your Rosa Parks, you have various leaders over the years who their actions have been maligned. And they weren't necessarily the most popular people in their generation, but history proves them right. They knew that they were right and they had the moral high ground. And it's been disturbing to see that even decades later, the lessons of those times haven't really been applied and haven't really been learned. And we're seeing the same type of malignment of our movements as well. And it puts us in danger when we are the ones who are trying to make peace. They target us. They troll us. They try to put our private information online. And we have to take our own precautions to ensure our safety in this time and beyond.

On what the future holds for BLM

What I see as what's next for our social movements is that we continue to grow, that [people] continue to feel safe joining organizations. It doesn't even have to be the formal network that we have. But there are many different groups across the country that are doing such phenomenal work. We think it's important that at the local level, people get involved.

"We have an opportunity right now to transform the way things are done. We've seen some wins over the years and we need to see a fundamental transformation of our democracy. And so there are 351 people who have been fatally shot by police just this year. And that's despite this pandemic. And it's not just about the police brutality, and I think that's what people also are getting, they understand that issues of racism cut across all the spheres of our lives, including the health care sector as we're seeing. I'm encouraging people to continue to pay attention and to make sure that their voices and their concerns are known. I think even as the elections are coming up, we have an opportunity to mobilize and encourage folks to get out the vote. And we're going to need us. We need all of us to show up and transform our nation.

Ciku Theuriand Cristina Kim produced and edited this interview for broadcast withTinku Ray.Serena McMahonadapted it for the web.

More here:
How Black Lives Matter Is Strategizing Protests Amid A Pandemic - Here And Now

The protest, branded the #ImBlackMovement, is taking place across the platform on Tuesday in honor of Malcolm X's birthday. Black creators are urging non-black allies to participate in the "black out" by changing their profile pictures to the raised black fist, unfollowing a TikTok user who does not support the movement, and following at least one new black creator.Lex Scott, the founder of Black Lives Matter Utah, founded the black out movement when she posted a TikTok video on May 7 calling on creators to participate in the protest.

"I did this because black creators are being silenced on TikTok and other social media platforms and I am fed up. Our videos are taken down and our accounts are banned when we speak against racism," Scott told CNN.

"I want TikTok to change their policies when it comes to black and brown creators. We should not be punished for speaking against racism. The accounts of actual racists should be taken down."

Now TikTok users are complaining that their For You pages, which offer a stream of videos based on the user's activity, rarely include creators of color. This has led to the #ImBlackMovement, which aims to highlight the importance of people of color on the app.

CNN has reached out to TikTok for comment.

People participating in the movement are only liking posts by black users for the day. Non-black TikTokers are being asked to withhold from posting any videos on Tuesday and to instead celebrate and support black creators by commenting #BlackVoicesHeard on their videos.

Black TikTokers are also using the hashtag #ImBlack on their videos to spread awareness of the movement.

Feeling the impact

"Watching the entire feed filled with black creators and artists is beyond emotional. This is powerful. Today is a moving day. It is beautiful beyond words," Scott told CNN.

Many TikTokers posted videos and comments saying their feeds were almost entirely videos of black creators.

Many black creators also shared how emotional it was to see such a massive change on the platform.

"I could cry because it's actually working. People are actually supporting black [creators]."

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TikTokers stand in solidarity with black creators to protest censorship - CNN

At this point everyone has heard of the Ahmaud Arbery murder. So how do you get an unbiased jury?

ATLANTA The nations next big trial watched gavel to gavel is poised to be in Georgia, and few attorneys know the level of public scrutiny involved with taking on a high-profile case than Mark OMara.

The Florida criminal defense attorney successfully defended George Zimmerman in 2013 for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager. The non-guilty verdict galvanized the Black Lives Matter moment.

Over the next few months, the country will be laser focused on Gregory McMichael, and his son, accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery. The unarmed black man was seen dying from gunfire in south Georgia on recorded cell phone video this past February.

OMara says by the time the case goes to trial, there will be no one who doesnt know about the McMichaels and Arbery.

The problem with it is what they know about the case is not going to be particularly accurate, said OMara through a Zoom interview with 11Alive from his Orlando office this week.

After the Zimmerman trial ended, OMara lambasted the media for its coverage of the trial.

You guys, the media, he was like a patient on an operating table where a mad scientist was experimenting on him and he had no anesthesia, OMara compared, during a press conference in July 2013.

To combat disinformation during Zimmermans trial, OMara received special permission from the Florida Bar and the judge to create a website, a Facebook page and a Twitter account to respond to the barrage of bogus stories.

If you think about how bizarre that is, but we had to do it because of the amount of social media presence that was out there, OMara explained. A lot of people want to be on that camera, they light the key light, they want to have their moment of fame and theyll come out with outrageous stories. Theyll come up with evidence that they make up.

Its already started in Georgia. A picture of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp went viral falsely claiming the man in the anti-Islam shirt was Gregory McMichael.

We know social media is the perfect media for disinformation and for false information, OMara said.

OMara said all of the attention will present a challenged to find an impartial jury anywhere in Georgia.

If I was representing the McMichaels, I want to stay in my local area, and I want to stay in that portion of southern Georgia, because the demographics of southern Georgia would help with the defense in this case. They will have a home-court advantage, OMara explained.

During the Zimmerman trial, OMara said law enforcement investigated more than 2,500 credible threats to he and his staff. It forced him to pay for security for months.

MORE ON AHMAUD ARBERY INVESTIGATION |

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George Zimmerman's attorney compares 2013 trial to that of upcoming trial for Ahmaud Arbery's alleged killers - 11Alive.com WXIA

By Temi Alao 5/18/20 3:15pm

Editors Note: This is a guest opinion that has been submitted by a member of the Rice community. The views expressed in this opinion are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the Thresher or its editorial board. All guest opinions are fact-checked and edited for clarity and conciseness by Thresher editors.

The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have given rise to a new phrase that has been thrown around by media outlets and social media users across the country: We are all in this together. Dont get me wrong I am not denying the fact that every person in this country has been impacted by the virus in some capacity, and I am certainly not denying the rise in local expressions of solidarity. Over the past couple months, weve seen students and volunteers across the country donate their time and resources to help their neighbors. Celebrities are donating and raising money for charitable causes. Young people have come together on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram to address issues surrounding mental health and online learning, creating a sense of community while also practicing social distancing. I am not denying the presence of solidarity. What I would like to discuss, however, is the fallacy of solidarity in a racialized society.

While the catchy slogan has lifted Americans spirits and conviviality, it has also undermined the reality of racial discrimination and systemic racism in our society today. The sentiment were all in this together suggests that, regardless of ones class, race or ethnicity, gender identity, age or religion, we share a moral and social duty to work together for the benefit of all. Simple, right? For a moment, ponder on how the heightened feelings of togetherness recently brought on by the pandemic plays a role in the Black Lives Matter movement and the recent killing of Ahmaud Arbery. In a way, were all in this together can be comparable to the more politically charged phrase all lives matter in that both phrases assume there is social, economic and political equity across all ethnic groups, preserving a false sense of solidarity. This way of thinking is not only false, but it is also harmful as it contributes to the myth of a post-racial society and explicitly negates the experiences of racial minorities.

The prevalence of the filming, sharing and hashtagging police brutality and violence, both physical and verbal, towards Blacks has become all too common in todays news stories and social media feeds. Ahmaud Arberys murder, to me, is particularly disturbing and depressing. The footage shows Ahmaud being followed and fatally shot in February of 2020. The footage, along with the #RunWithMaud hashtag circulating mass media, has led to the arrest of Ahmauds killers two months later. Based on the treatments of Black victims in the past, Im sure most of us can predict what happens next. Ahmauds name and character will be defamed in the media. His murderers will inevitably be defended in the name of free speech and even labeled as good men who were acting in self-defense to protect their neighborhood. Just as weve seen with Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin and countless others, the #RunWithMaud hashtag will eventually begin to fade to make room for another unjust Black death.

Ahmaud Arberys murder is not just a hashtag or, as Ive seen suggested on social media, an over-exaggeration put on by the media. Similarly, the statement Black lives matter is not a terrorist, anti-White proposition but rather a premise of inclusion over exclusion. The movement combats the ideologies of a racial hierarchy and subjugation of Black people by simply proposing that Black lives matter too. The Black community lives in fear because we are constantly being criminalized, targeted and killed, and yet American solidarity seems to be nonexistent in this context.

A hashtag will never be enough to bring about real progress. We cannot pretend that we live in color-blind society when there are systems, policies and institutions put in place to disenfranchise underrepresented communities and to protect those that support them. To understand the historical nuances of race relations in America is to understand todays social problems. If Ahmaud Arbery was a White man, would he still have been targeted and murdered? In order to bring social change, we must first acknowledge that we are not all in this together.

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Being affiliated with a university in one of the most diverse cities in the country presents a unique opportunity to practice allyship and contribute to a vision of real change. Be willing to discuss racism with your non-Black peers or even in class discussions. Attend protests and rallies, sign petitions and stay informed. As much as we love and celebrate Black culture, we should equally love Black people. Imagine if we put as much effort into advocating for racial minorities as we put into relief efforts for coronavirus. Inaction is also an action.

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Don't overlook Black lives in pandemic solidarity - The Rice Thresher