“The police spend very little of their time dealing with violent criminals—indeed, police sociologists report that only about 10% of the average police officer’s time is devoted to criminal matters of any kind. Most of the remaining 90% is spent dealing with infractions of various administrative codes and regulations: all those rules about how and where one can eat, drink, smoke, sell, sit, walk, and drive. If two people punch each other, or even draw a knife on each other, police are unlikely to get involved. Drive down the street in a car without license plates, on the other hand, and the authorities will show up instantly, threatening all sorts of dire consequences if you don’t do exactly what they tell you. The police, then, are essentially just bureaucrats with weapons. Their main role in society is to bring the threat of physical force—even, death—into situations where it would never have been otherwise invoked, such as the enforcement of civic ordinances about the sale of untaxed cigarettes.”
— An excerpt from Ferguson & the Criminalization of American Life by David Graeber (via actjustly)
since i think many will have had the memory slip with just how many other atrocities have occured in the past 11 years, or are simply too young to remember, the last bit about the sale of untaxed cigarettes isn’t just some hypothetical, it’s a reference to the killing of eric garner
this is the origin of the slogan “i cant breathe”, which was revived in the wake of the killing of george floyd.
Graffiti Queers, a series of greeting cards photographed by Ephemeral Studios and released by Blac Gurlz Ink in 2009. Blac Gurlz Ink, launched by Spring Opara in 2008, aimed to bring authentic lesbian representation to the greeting cards and calendars market.
This was an idea that sprang out of a moment where I was tired, and REALLY was regretting the decision to start coloring the comic strip. It was a whole lot easier, but the color really seems to be clicking with folks, so there's no going back. That SAID, I could still poke fun at the idea like this.
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y’all are obsessed with assuming every black person online critiquing ur antiblackness is american. it’s sick, knowing how y’all treat your black compatriots and fellow countrymen. so quick to erase them from the conversation. but don’t worry we’re assembling the african diaspora voltron and setting the record straight.
the zendaya thing isnt even a new phenomenon by any means!! the article mentions margot robbie wearing the taj mahal diamond as well, and in addition to that i also want to remind people that diljit dosanjh's request to wear the patiala necklace for the 2025 met gala was denied by cartier because they said it was in a museum and could not be loaned. however they had no issues at all loaning it to emma chamberlain, a white woman, for the 2022 met gala, while they turned down the request of a punjabi man who wanted it to honor his heritage.
this behavior is nothing new. the global south and everything in it - the people, the culture, our heritage - is seen as nothing more than a decoration or commodity to colonizers. i don't even need to bring up the koh i noor or the entire british museum; these examples are recent and egregious enough on their own.
of course this is not to imply that any of the people involved here - zendaya, margot robbie, or emma chamberlain - had any sort of malicious intentions. but the ignorance is just as bad in my opinion. the ignorance is just as harmful, if not more. because it means we are not even an afterthought. it means that the real people and histories and heritages of the global south do not even register when these people are putting together looks for their movie premiers and met gala appearances. everything is just reduced down to a shiny piece of jewelry whose history they need not bother with. it's just a continued reminder of the way colonization affects us all even long after independence, of how barely-healed wounds keep being reopened even decades later. even now, we are being denied connections to our histories and heritages while they are freely being given out to those that have nothing to do with it and don't care for it. and i'm sick of it.
My name is Bilal. I am a 35-year-old father of four children 👨👧👦 from Gaza. I lived a simple life with my family. I worked hard every day to provide my children with a decent life and a better future.
But the war took everything from us… 💔
In a sudden bombing, my home was destroyed, and the place that once brought my family together became nothing but ruins. I lost several members of my family, and I, my wife, and my daughter were injured, leaving us with deep physical and emotional suffering.
After losing my home, my job, and my only source of income, I became unable to work because of my injuries. My responsibilities became greater than my ability to provide. Today, I live with my children in a small, worn-out tent ⛺ that does not protect us from the heat of the sun ☀️, the cold of winter ❄️, insects 🐜, or rats 🐭 that have become part of our daily struggle.
Even the little food we manage to get 🍞 does not remain safe for us, as the rats eat it, and my children cannot eat it afterward. We are living in extremely difficult conditions, trying only to survive through fear and hardship 💔.
The tent where we live is located near the yellow line, and we have nowhere else to go or a safe place to shelter. It breaks my heart to see my children suffering while I cannot provide what they need 😢.
I ask kind-hearted people ❤️ to stand with me and help us provide medical treatment for my wife and daughter 🏥, secure the basic needs for my children, and help us overcome these unbearable circumstances after losing everything.
Because of the war in Gaza, I lost everything — my home 🏚️ and my work in law, as I am a law graduate ⚖️. My wife and my daughter Malak suff
Please donate whatever you can to help us and stand by us during this difficult time 🙏. Your support can give my family new hope and help my children have a safer and more dignified life 🤍.
Please share our story with anyone who may be able to help 🤲.
Thank you to everyone who extends a helping hand and feels our pain ❤️.