“It was so unjust to shoot a man six times! And then to leave him on the ground for multiple hours with no sheet covering him and blood spilling all over the streets. This isn’t a race issue; this is about the police murdering someone and then we have the police antagonizing people for no reason. I have been out here every day since Monday and during the daytime there are peaceful protests calling for justice. It isn’t until the nighttime, when the TV cameras are gone, that the police push people to the point of rioting and looting. I was with a group of guys that was trying to de-escalate the situation and prevent any more local businesses from being destroyed.”
“I asked 17 times, ‘Why am I being arrested?’ and no one told me anything. The lieutenant was gone—even though his name was on the paperwork as the arresting officer—and I heard the riot police talking amongst themselves trying to figure out what to write on the arrest paper. While I was inside county jail, I heard a couple of officers mocking the protesters. The one that stood out for me was an officer who started laughing and said, “Yeah, I had this one jackass ask me how I sleep at night, and I just said, ‘I don’t, I actually work for a living,’” and it hit me that this is what they’re doing on the clock, gossiping like we did in middle school. This is just a joke to them, it’s a game.”
“This isn’t just a black vs. white issue, this is about what is right and what is wrong, killing innocent black teenagers is wrong, having a legal system that protects only the wealthy few is wrong. If we do not stand up now nothing will ever change or be right in this country.”
“I come from Honduras, I left on April 22nd, I brought my daughter with me, because in Honduras they killed my brother, they had already killed my dad, there is no safety, two years later they killed my cousin just because. My daughter was studying and already those of the organized crime had told us that they would hurt our family, we were afraid because only myself and a brother who was handicapped oversaw taking care of the family. My brother lost one foot when one time, to come here, fell from the train and lost one foot. The people from the organized crime threatened him because they knew he couldn’t defend himself because of his condition. We have suffered a lot to get here…”
“While in detention we were made fun of, insulted, treated like common criminals, and had food and water withheld. We would ask for help but no help would come. Instead, they kept us uncomfortable and tormented…waking us up at random hours, flicking the lights on and off constantly so we wouldn’t rest, and telling us incorrect information about what was going to happen.” ”
“We left Guatemala at the end of April. It was more of a need than a choice to leave, we had nothing back home and no way of knowing if our lives would ever improve…so, for our children’s sake we left it all behind and walked two months (2,000 miles) to get to the U.S”
“They (Mexican police) stopped me, asked me where I was heading, and when I told them, and let them know I didn’t have much money they beat me unconscious. I woke up naked in the desert with nothing left. Thankfully, a nice Mexican woman took me in, helped me recover, and even helped me get a Mexican visa so I could continue to the U.S. Once at the border checkpoint, I presented myself, got a number, and was told to wait, so I waited. Turned out, that the number I was given had already been used that day, so I was never called. I felt like I had no choice but to jump the wall and beg for asylum.” ”
“You know, we used to have over 100,000 members at GM, now we’re down to what, 48,000? Our jobs keep getting shipped overseas or cut for profit’s sake, and I’m tired of losing. It seems like we’ve been losing a lot lately, and it’s time we change that. I’d rather stay out on strike than go back in. Let’s keep putting pressure on GM and get these younger folks paid so they can take care of their families, and maybe buy a union-made car too”
“My biggest concern is my job security…this is my livelihood, and it’s the livelihood of a lot of the people who live here. And when it comes down to it, we’re talking about our families—being able to provide for our families in the way that they need.
’m not trying to get rich here, I just want to get enough to be able to survive and take care of my family, is that too much to ask?”
“(When I was little) one summer day, we decided to visit uptown New Orleans, the nicer area, and as we kept walking and walking, I eventually got thirsty. Now mind you I was only a little girl and didn’t know much about how segregated things were. I just wanted a drink of water…So, when my grandmother got caught up talking with someone, I slipped away to get a drink from a fountain. Out of nowhere, I hear my grandmother shouting ‘No, no, no!’ and she pulled me away. I was about to drink from the ‘WHITES ONLY’ water fountain”
“We are getting destroyed because of police brutality and discrimination, my son right now is at his grandmother’s house, my mother’s house, because of the pandemic and the violence here in the city. My son fears the police…. Our kids are being shaped by hate, off what color we are…we need to stop, we are supposed to be making the world better not worse…. Why do they hate our skin tone? Is it because we find it to be beautiful? Because it shimmers like gold in sunlight?”
“It had been several years since I was on a timeclock—I worked at a grocery store for a bit when my kids were tiny, but if anything, now all this is just a reminder of how things never change. Bosses are bosses wherever you go, and they always have subtle ways of trying to get as much out of you as possible in a ruthlessly efficient manner…. Also, it’s taken a bit of time to adjust to the fact that I am not profoundly physically disabled and am still trying to process what I can and can’t do.”