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Time Magazines February 2017 cover will feature the Womens March on Washington (WMoW), with the caption, The Resistance Rises: How a March Becomes a Movement.

The WMoW has rapidly become an umbrella protest for a variety of causes, and now shows signs of becoming a movement not just for protest, but to advance womens rights and effect policy changes. But successful social movements dont effect change simply via polite organized marches in Washington; they disrupt the status quo and pressure lawmakers into making changes with real consequences. And unlike certain other movements at work in the U.S. today, the WMoW marchers are in a privileged position to make this happen.

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After the WMoW on January 21, President Trump took to Twitter to demonstrate his approval: Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I dont always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views. This is in stark contrast to Trumps statements about Black Lives Matter (BLM).

Just before the election, he singled out a BLM protester at one of his rallies and said he should be roughed up. He has called the movement divisive. His new administration has added a new page to the White House website entitled Standing Up For Our Law Enforcement Communitythat states:

The dangerous anti-police atmosphere in America is wrong. The Trump Administration will end it Our job is not to make life more comfortable for the rioter, the looter, or the violent disrupter.

Many in the BLM movement have read this as a threat to protesters. So why the apparent double standard?

One obvious explanation is that the womens marchers were, in Trumps terminology, peacefulno clashes between police and protesters, no violence, no rioting or looting. Indeed, many who supported the WMoW took to social media the next day to pat themselves on the back for executing a peaceful protest during which no-one was arrested.

But unsurprisingly, many BLM activists argued that white privilege played a major role in how the protest was perceived by the public and handled by the police. The Washington march itself was attended overwhelmingly by white women and was far less radical in tone than a BLM march despite their common goals.

Clearly, the two movements are disconnected. Two viral photos from the WMoW demonstrate the distance between them.

This image of Angela Peoples has received widespread attention. Its a fair point: 53 percentof white women in America voted for Trump, and while the estimated 500,000 women protesting in Washington most likely didnt, most of their peers did.

In this second photo, protester Amir Talai draws attention to the divisions between WMoW organizers and attendees about the role of race in the protest. As some women of color began criticizing their white allies, they started to make them feel alienated from the causeand the sometimes heated dialogue between white women and women of color on the WMoW Facebook page is testament to the tensions that persist.

While the WMoWs white protesters are willing to accept women of color in support of their cause, many arent willing to return the favor by supporting BLM: only 51 percentof white Americans aged 18-30 support BLM, and far fewer actually show up at protests.

It would be a huge wasted opportunity if these movements couldnt bridge the gap between them. We should expect more and more protests during the Trump Administration, and the time is right for action.

Clearly, WMoW has something to learn from BLM. Here are five core lessons.

The WMoW must be inclusive of all women, regardless of race, class, religion, age, political beliefs, sexuality, or their possession of a vagina (yes, trans women are part of this movement too). BLM has done this very well: spearheaded by LGBT women, many of the movements leaders are to this day young, queer, and trans women of color. If the WMoW wants to succeed as a movement, it will have to live up to that standard.

The key to mobilizing a movement beyond one march is to organize self-sustaining sub-groups across the country. This will include local organizations coming together under the banner of one name, whether the WMoW, the Resistance or something else. It also means lobbying local and state politicians. Activists can do this by asking their mayors to designate their cities as sanctuary cities for immigrants, or by calling state representatives to oppose legislation that would limit womens reproductive health options.

BLM has deliberately represented itself as revolutionary in political orientation, often supporting left-wing candidates but not aligning itself with a particular political party. That helps it push candidates harder. From before the primaries even began in early 2016, its protesters were highly visible throughout the campaign, making their demands a constant issue. If the WMoW wants to match its power, it will have to step away from partisan alignment and push policy demands across the spectrumespecially once the 2018 midterm elections start to ramp up.

A variety of nonviolent civil disobedience and peaceful protests must be used to have the greatest effect. Civil Rights campaigners in the 1960s used civil disobedience to resist Jim Crow segregation by sitting at whites-only lunch counters, resisting efforts to remove them; today, BLM protesters have taken to stopping traffic on busy highways. In short, peaceful protests are fantastic for bringing awareness to a problem, but they dont disrupt the status quo or bring pressure on lawmakers to make changes.

Angela Peoples photo speaks a very particular truth: many of these white middle-class American cisgender women are new to protest politics. That is not a bad thingbut if the WMoW is going to effectively challenge the Trump Administration and Congress on womens rights, they are going to have to keep showing up. Even when they dont feel like it. Even when its inconvenient. Even when they might get arrested for civil disobedience. Successful social movements are not all sunshine and pussyhats;much of the work is tedious, tiresome, and thankless.

BLM protesters understand this. They show up day in and day out to have their voices heard. The Resistance, or whatever were calling it, will have to do that, too.

Laura Grahamisassistant professor of sociology atTrinity College Dublin.

Originally posted here:
Five Lessons the Women's March Movement Can Learn From Black ... - Newsweek

Black Lives Matter Plea Deal Falls Apart

An agreement reached between the Cumberland County district attorneys office and a group of Black Lives Matter protesters fell apart Wednesday in a dispute over a required restorative justice session. Now it appears prosecutors will reinstate misdemeanor charges, which had been put on hold.

Last July, police arrested 17 protesters after they blocked off a busy street in Portlands waterfront commercial district. In exchange for having criminal charges against them put on hold, the protesters agreed to participate in the restorative justice meeting with Police Chief Michael Sauschuck and other officers. It was supposed be held at a neutral location the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church.

According to prosecutors, the deal included a provision that the meeting would be split into two groups, with separate sessions held over the course of the day. If that proved a success, and the protesters each paid a fine, the charges could eventually be dropped.

Chief Sauschuck and I arrived there and it became very clear that they were not coming to the table with the conditions that we had laid out ahead of time, says Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Ackerman.

Ackerman says the 17 demanded that they all stay together in one group for the meeting. For law enforcement, that was a nonstarter.

The process of restorative justice is really about the bigger picture. And having a meaningful discussion about how can we address your concerns and understand them and how can you address ours and where we are coming from. That was not their attitude when we walked in unfortunately, Ackerman says.

None of the protesters could be reached for comment. Stacey Neumann, a lawyer for one of them, says she believes the conflict can be resolved outside of court.

Nobody, as far as I am aware of, has done a restorative program at this large of a scale before, so I think there was a lot of moving pieces how information was shared or not shared so I dont think it was about goodwill on anybodys part, I really dont, she says.

I didnt see a group that arrived with good faith, I saw a group that came in with demands and changes to a written agreement with the district attorneys office, and that just sends a poor message from the very beginning, Sauschuck says.

He drew a contrast between this particular groups style of protest and open lines of communication between police and participants in many other recent protests and rallies in Portland, including the womens march two weekends ago that drew as many as 10,000 but had no arrests or significant conflicts with police.

We do it all the time, so I am absolutely disappointed that an issue like this, which had very important messages at its core, turned into an example of how not to do a protest, how not to do a rally, how not to do an event, Sauschuck says. Because I think you lose the message and its too important of a message to have it lost that way. We just have to do a better job, and were more than happy to talk with people or work with people in any of those settings.

Ackerman says theres still a possibility that the two sides could return to the restorative justice model. But she and her boss, District Attorney Stephanie Anderson, both say they expect theyll move toward motions and a trial.

Read more:
Black Lives Matter Plea Deal Falls Apart - MainePublic.org

Minneapolis Police Department

A Minnesota man charged with felony first-degree assault and riot charges in the November 2015 shooting of five people at a Black Lives Matter protest was convicted by a jury Wednesday.

The Star-Tribune reports that the jury deliberated for seven hours before finding Allen Lance Scarsella, 24, guilty on all counts following two weeks of testimony.

Scarsella was charged with 12 counts of first-degree assault and one count of riot in connection with the shooting at a Nov. 23, 2015, Black Lives Matter protest over the police-involved death of Jamar Clark.

The verdict surprised many in the black community who expected to hear not guilty, Minneapolis NAACP President Jason Sole told the Star-Tribune.

One of those surprised by the verdict was Cameron Clark, one of Scarsellas shooting victims, and Jamar Clarks cousin. He reportedly nodded in relief as each decision was read, and a few others in the courtroom cheered.

Im so happy for the four other brothers who were shot, Cameron Clark said. Im glad we got justice, but the fight isnt over.

According to the Star-Tribune, protesters had formed an encampment at the Minneapolis Police 4th Precinct following Jamar Clarks death at the hands of police in 2015.

Scarsella and three friends went to the encampment to live-stream as they trolled the protesters. Scarsella had done so previously with another friend a few days earlier when they wore masks and drove by, hurling racial slurs at those gathered.

A video of Scarsella showed him holding up a gun and saying, Were locked and loaded. Were going to make the fire rise.

From the Star-Tribune:

That video circulated online, causing protesters to become suspicious of anyone who came to the encampment with a mask.

Scarsella and his friends covered their faces when they showed up a few days later. Protesters quickly went up to them and demanded they take off their masks, according to trial testimony. When they refused, the four went north up a street as protesters followed. The pursuit stopped, but then several protesters said they heard someone from Scarsellas group shout the n-word.

Me and a group of people started running toward them, said Wesley Martin, one of the shooting victims.

About a block from where the group of four started, Scarsella opened fire and unloaded his magazine on a group of about seven protesters.

Martin, Cameron Clark, Tevin King, Walter Hoskins and Draper Larkins were all shot that night. King suffered the most serious injuries and required emergency surgery; the bullet remains inside him because a doctor deemed it too dangerous to remove.

In addition to Scarsella being charged, Nathan Gustavsson, 22; Daniel Macey, 27; and Joseph Backman, 28, were charged with second-degree riot and aiding an offender.

Scarsella testified that he shot in self-defense because his life and Gustavssons were in danger, and that he fired when he thought he saw one of the protesters pull out a knife.

Scarsella has been jailed since the shooting in lieu of $500,000 bail and is scheduled for sentencing March 10, when he faces a maximum sentence of nearly 20 years in prison.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman lauded Wednesdays verdict.

As I said at the time we charged Mr. Scarsella and his companions, the racist language he used in the videos and on social media is just not acceptable, and the actions he took as a result of those racist beliefs were heinous, Freeman said. The jury obviously saw it the same way.

Read more at the Star-Tribune.

See the article here:
Minn. Man Found Guilty of Shooting Black Lives Matter Activists During Protest - The Root

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The financing is listed on the Foundations website. It includes a June 1, 2016 grant to the International Development Exchange, which is in a contractual relationship with Black Lives Matter to process donations for the group.

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The Associated Press reported the International Development Exchange, also known as IDEX, has been acting as a mostly unseen financial arm of Black Lives Matter, with the ability to receive grants and tax-deductible donations on the groups behalf.

More recently, the relationship evolved into a contractual partnership that will run through at least mid-2017, the AP reported.

According to the Foundations website, the purpose of the $900,000 grant was to:

Enhance local and place-specific interventions to address issues impacting the lives of Black community members, families and children by building the infrastructure and capacity of the national #BlackLivesMatter to support and strengthen their local chapters organizing capacity.

On June 1, 2015, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation provided $30,000 to the Praxis Project, Inc. to support, according to the charitys website, the inaugural BlackLivesMatter Chapter Retreat.

On Tuesday, the Kellogg Company announced its decision to pull ads from Breitbart News, explaining its 45,000,000 monthly readers are not aligned with our values as a company. In response, the news agency launched a #DumpKelloggs petition and has called for a boycott of the famous food manufacturer.

Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alexander Marlow encouraged the boycott of Kellogg products:

Breitbart News is the largest platform for pro-family content anywhere on the Internet. We are fearless advocates for traditional American values, perhaps most important among them is freedom of speech, or our motto more voices, not less. For Kelloggs, an American brand, to blacklist Breitbart News in order to placate left-wing totalitarians is a disgraceful act of cowardice. They insult our incredibly diverse staff and spit in the face of our 45,000,000 highly engaged, highly perceptive, highly loyal readers, many of whom are Kelloggs customers. Boycotting Breitbart News for presenting mainstream American ideas is an act of discrimination and intense prejudice. If you serve Kelloggs products to your family, you are serving up bigotry at your breakfast table.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, meanwhile, was founded in 1930 by breakfast cereal pioneer Will Keith Kellogg, and has gone on to become one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the U.S.

Kellogg himself set up an endowment for the foundation by donating Kellogg Company stock and other investments to fund the charity.

The stock continues to fuel the foundation.

The foundations website relates some of the strong ties between the charity and the company, both of which are based in Battle Creek, Michigan:

The foundation receives its income primarily from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Trust, which was set up by Mr. Kellogg. In addition to its diversified portfolio, the trust continues to own substantial equity in the Kellogg Company. While the company and the foundation have enjoyed a long-standing relationship, the foundation is governed by its own independent board of trustees. The foundation receives its income primarily from the trusts investments.

Aaron Klein is Breitbarts Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, Aaron Klein Investigative Radio. Follow him onTwitter @AaronKleinShow.Follow him onFacebook.

With additional research by Joshua Klein and Brenda J. Elliott.

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Black Lives Matter - breitbart.com

A restorative justice meeting that had been planned between Portland police and the 17 protesters arrested this summer during a Black Lives Matter protest was called off at the last second Wednesday, according to an attorney involved in the case.

The collapse of the agreement between prosecutors and the protesters will likely mean a return of criminal charges for the group, who could have avoided such penalties under the deal.

The two sides could not agree on how the meeting should proceed in two groups held separately, or as one and who should be allowed to observe the process. The district attorneys office attempted to enforce part of the agreement to divide the protesters into two sessions; the protesters wanted to remain together.

The protesters also objected to the presence of an observer from the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, and to the presence of Rachel Talbot Ross, a state legislator and head of the local chapter of the NAACP, who was asked by the protesters to leave.

It became very clear that they were not coming to the table with the conditions that we had laid out ahead of time, said Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Ackerman, who prosecuted the cases.

Ackerman said she gave notice to the protesters attorneys ahead of time that she would be inviting the ACLU and the NAACP to observe. It was unclear why their presence became an issue.

Part of the dispute seems to stem from the lack of specificity in the agreed-upon terms filed in court.

The two outside groups were never explicitly included in the agreement signed by the protesters, and the restorative justice process was to be completed as directed by the district attorneys office, according to court documents.

Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson said that, in hindsight, her office should have spelled out all of the terms more clearly.

Anderson, who did not speak at the news conference but answered questions from a reporter afterward, said she was disappointed.

We should have had every single one of the defendants signs a contract, Anderson said. We bent over backwards to resolve these charges, and let me tell you, this left a bad taste in police officers mouths.

Each of the protesters who were arrested was charged with one count of obstructing a public way. Some were also charged with other offenses, such as disorderly conduct and failure to disperse.

The deal with the District Attorneys office allowed the protesters to admit to violating a city disorderly conduct ordinance, a civil infraction which was discharged by the court, in exchange for the chance at a future dismissal of all charges if the protesters fulfilled their end of the deal.

Each protester would have to donate $140 to the victims compensation fund and $60 to pay for the restorative justice meeting.

The plan had been for the 17 protesters to meet with Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck in two separate groups over the course of the day. But the protesters said they wanted to remain together during the meeting, said Attorney Stacey Neumann, who represented protester Shadiyo Ali.

Fred Van Liew, who was scheduled to facilitate the restorative justice meeting, agreed to the change, Neumann said, but Ackerman then canceled..

The original incident arose after demonstrators blocked a section of Commercial Street last July 15, a busy Friday night in the Old Port. Portland police said the protesters failed to get a permit and discuss their plans with police, unlike a similar protest the week before.

The leaders of the earlier protest had met with police beforehand to discuss their plans and the route their march would follow. By contrast, Portland police said they tried to contact the organizers of the July 15 march before it began, but were rebuffed.

The protesters gathered in Lincoln Park early in the evening and then marched, chanting, down Pearl Street to Commercial Street, with a police car in front of the group and two cruisers behind. There were a few shouts back and forth between protesters and some bystanders who objected to the Black Lives Matter chants, and a handful of drivers were delayed when protesters holding a banner blocked Custom House Wharf.

The demonstrators removed the banner when asked to by police, who watched the protest for more than three hours before making arrests when the demonstrators refused to disperse.

Other protesters continued the demonstration and those arrested were released a few hours after they were taken into custody.

This story will be updated.

Read more:
Plea deal between prosecutor, Portland Black Lives Matter protesters collapses - Press Herald