BBHAGSIA President attends session: Anti-Black racism and police brutality: HRDs’ expectations from the UNHRC
On November 18, 20202, BBHAGSIA President Siphiwe Baleka attended the session, Anti-Black racism and police brutality: HRDs’ (Human Rights Defenders') expectations from the UNHRC (United Nations Human Rights Council) hosted by the International Service of Human Rights. Mr. Baleka’s cousin, Jacob Blake, was shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, WI back in August, 2020. The officers have not been brought to justice.
Panellists:
Salimah Hankins, U.S. Human Rights Network
Mireille Fanon-Mendès France, Fondation Frantz Fanon
Douglas Belchior, Uneafro Brasil and Coalizão Negra por Direitos
Rodje Malcom, Jamaicans for Justice
Esther Mamadou, Implementation Team for the International Decade for People of African Descent Spain
Deji Adeyanju, Concerned Nigerians
Below is the discussion that took place in the session chat:
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 09:29 AM
We must address that the old colonial “masters” have disproportionate influence in the UN at the expense of people of color globally.
From Yolanda Lewis to Everyone: 09:31 AM
We must also address the international laws against genocides, human trafficking, institutionalized slavery, and substitution of the autochthonous. There is no voice because they keep calling the autochthonous black and say their lives matter when black is a brand used for genocide.
From Siphiwe Baleka to All Panelists: 09:33 AM
The Lineage Restoration Movement is changing this "autochthonous" issue. 750,000 African Americans have taken the African Ancestry test and identified their maternal or paternal lineage ancestry and are now identifying themselves by their genetic ancestry. The movement is growing. https://www.balanta.org/news/lineage-restoration-movement
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 09:34 AM
From USHRN People of African Descent Working Group; Westside Justice Center, US. Sending condolences and strength to the mothers and families of our stolen ones. African descendent families in the U.S. are experiencing the genocide of racist practices via police brutality, police torture and murders, as these mothers have so eloquently shared. And also, to "death by incarceration". Wrongful incarceration, excessive sentencing, life in the criminal punishment system. We need international support and accountability to expose and eradicate the entire racist US law enforcement system. vcw.ushrn@gmail.com
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 09:35 AM
4 years later the US has not done anything to address the findings of the 2016 visit to the USA.
From Siphiwe Baleka to All Panelists: 09:35 AM
My cousin is Jacob Blake. He was shot seven times in the back in Kenosha, WI. The officers have not been brought to justice. https://www.balanta.org/.../statement-on-the-shooting-of...
From Yolanda Lewis to Everyone: 09:37 AM
Belligerent occupation is supposed to be temporary - the current occupation is well beyond temporary and unlawful.
From Beverly John to Everyone: 09:37 AM
…and, of course, we have actually increased violations since 2016.
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 09:37 AM
The Afro Descendants in the USA are currently a colonized people. we need the 1960 decolonization act to apply to us. We have requested to be added to the decolonization list with no response.
From Yolanda Lewis to Everyone: 09:39 AM
According to the Liber Codes Art. 2.
Martial Law does not cease during the hostile occupation, except by special proclamation, ordered by the commander in chief; or by special mention in the treaty of peace concluding the war, when the occupation of a place or territory continues beyond the conclusion of peace as one of the conditions of the same. So long as we keep the racial brand we are not protected private civilians.
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 09:41 AM
France is a hypocrite like the USA. look at its treatment of the alleged ex colonies. Its time for truth .
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 09:41 AM
Merci Mireille
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 09:49 AM
Brazil has a majority black population but look at who is in power? State sponsored terrorism similar to what we are experiencing in the USA.
it’s time for wherever we are we must be self determined. Self determination is our only solution
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 09:49 AM
obrigado
From Beverly John to Everyone: 09:49 AM
Brazil, the USA are using the same playbook…
From Fabiana Leibl to Everyone: 09:52 AM
Are there discussions in your countries on concrete measures for police reform or new models for security policies? Is there any specific ask for the OHCHR (either in this report, or moving forward) in that regard?
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 09:53 AM
We are prisoners of war. a war against black people launched by the papal bull in the 1400’s
From Me to Everyone: 09:55 AM
How can people who are the descendants of the people who survived the middle passage of the criminal European Trans-Atlantic trafficking and enslavement bring charges and receive remedy for the crime of "ethnocide"? What is the process?
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 09:59 AM
All of our ex colonies accepted a Trojan horse upon independence where we kept all these colonial vestiges and we wonder why we see the same system globally.
From Ann Marie Clark to Everyone: 10:00 AM
Thank you to all of the panelists. I am sorry that I have to sign off early.
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 10:00 AM
@Rodje - this is the same in the US. The system works exactly as planned, centuries ago.
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:01 AM
Originalism
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 10:03 AM
Can/will this collective consider broadening our human rights advocacy around "police brutality" to "law enforcement" accountability? It is the entire corrupt and racist system we must interrupt.
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 10:04 AM
how do we contact Rodje Malcolm?
From Yolanda Lewis to Everyone: 10:04 AM
How can we connect with participants and panelists afterwards? yolewis@digitalmobility.net
From Janvieve Williams Comrie to Everyone: 10:05 AM
Will the recording of this call be shared?
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:05 AM
https://systemicjustice.law.harvard.edu/
From Janvieve Williams Comrie to Everyone: 10:05 AM
How can we get in touch with the panelists?
From CO-HOST: Tess Mcevoy (ISHR) to Everyone: 10:06 AM
The recording of this event will be available on ISHR YouTube @ISHRGlobal after the event
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:07 AM
great
From Colleen Daniels to Everyone: 10:08 AM
We are looking at law enforcement expenditure versus national harm reduction budgets. The war on drugs has disproportionately impacted Black and Brown people, it has entrenched police violence as the norm and trillions of dollars has been wasted. In Thailand, for example, redirecting just 1% of the total drug law enforcement budget for 2019, would equal an estimated USD 17,670,895, an amount that would represent more than a fivefold increase on the 2015 allocation for harm reduction (which was the year when the greatest amount of funding was ever allocated to such efforts in Thailand). Redirecting 10% of Thai drug law enforcement budget for 2019 to support harm reduction would represent USD 176,708,957, an amount that could finance more than 10% of the financial gap for harm reduction across the entire planet for a full year. https://www.hri.global/contents/2051 We can and should call for defunding the police and moving resources to community based responses.
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 10:09 AM
^^^
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:09 AM
https://en.unesco.org/.../people-african-descent-and...
From Lamar Bailey to Everyone: 10:11 AM
Thank you Esther for this information
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 10:13 AM
thank you Cecile Johnson cecilejohnsonAihr@protonmail.com
From Mireille Fanon-Mendès France to Everyone: 10:14 AM
sorry I have to leave, thank you for organizing this dialogue, very informative and informative; hoping it will be followed by a second « round »
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:15 AM
merci Esther, good to see y'all
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 10:16 AM
Many thanks to all the panelists and Salma for organizing. Very informative update. Looking forward to next steps
From Beverly John to Everyone: 10:18 AM
Can we collect the hashtags from all the campaigns so we can share them on our respective websites and social media?
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:19 AM
oshe Deji … tell it like is
From Beverly John to Everyone: 10:21 AM
I like that idea…
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:21 AM
old colonial laws in place globally … systemic legal reform is imperative
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 10:22 AM
^^^
From Lydia Vicente to Everyone: 10:23 AM
You can also hear the voices and testimonies of victims of police brutality, profiling (Spain) with English subtitles here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA7OfbU6_qA
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:23 AM
gracias Lydia
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 10:26 AM
Here is pre-UPR testimony shared last month by directly impacted USHRN members and civil society allies https://www.aclu.org/.../universal-periodic-review-united...
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:28 AM
merci
From Lamar Bailey to Everyone: 10:32 AM
Rodje!! Thank you for speaking THE TRUTH!
From Salimah Hankins (she/they) to Everyone: 10:32 AM
Rodje, great point!
From Beverly John to Everyone: 10:32 AM
Excellent point!
From Ashley Emuka to Everyone: 10:32 AM
Yes Rodje! U.S. oriented reforms, but a global approach is indeed needed (aemuka@uua.org)
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:32 AM
Tell it like it IS ...
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 10:34 AM
so true
keeping it real . thank you
And a lot of police trained in the USA is from Israel
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:34 AM
well done Rodje
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 10:34 AM
TEACH
From Beverly John to Everyone: 10:35 AM
Alright now! That’s real talk!
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 10:35 AM
finally
From Isabelle Mamadou to Everyone: 10:35 AM
Thank you for this point of view Rodje Malcolm! Very interesting
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:35 AM
Some Police in Jamaica and Nigeria are trained by the UK Forces
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 10:35 AM
Thank you so much Rodje .
From Floriane Borel to Everyone: 10:35 AM
Really great points Rodje!
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:35 AM
not to mention the military
From Lydia Vicente to Everyone: 10:41 AM
COVID-19, systemic racism and global protests - Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent* https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/45/44
From Beverly John to Everyone: 10:42 AM
Excellent response Esther! Thank you.
From Isabelle Mamadou to Everyone: 10:42 AM
Many thanks Esther Mamadou!!
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 10:43 AM
Great presentation Esther
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:43 AM
good data as usual Esther, muchas gracias
From Lydia Vicente to Everyone: 10:43 AM
Very well said, Esther. We need to move to "enforcement", application, implementation
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 10:44 AM
^^^
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:44 AM
oui
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 10:45 AM
I agree on sanctions but all these countries represented here today need to be sanctioned
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:46 AM
... and others here in Europe ...
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 10:49 AM
https://breatheact.org/.../The-BREATHE-Act-PDF_FINAL3-1.pdf
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:49 AM
Can all participants be sent a link to the video of this event when it is prepared ?
From Salma El Hosseiny - ISHR to Everyone: 10:50 AM
yes
From Yolanda Lewis to Everyone: 10:50 AM
Free resources and training for equity www.digitalmobility.net
From Anastassiya Miller to Everyone: 10:50 AM
Thanks for sharing this
From DANIELLE SERRES to Everyone: 10:50 AM
Thank you Vicki. Very useful to understand what we are talking about
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 10:50 AM
merci
From Sarah Davila-Ruhaak to Everyone: 10:50 AM
Thank you for sharing that.
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 10:51 AM
Thank you for your excellent presentations Salimah!
From Salimah Hankins (she/they) to Everyone: 10:53 AM
Thank you Douglas and all of the panelists!
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 10:53 AM
that’s right black organizations want consultative status
From Anastassiya Miller to Everyone: 10:53 AM
And this is a very important point from speakers about acknowledgment - we have to acknowledge first publicly that this issue exists.
From Esther Mamadou to Everyone: 10:54 AM
Thank you ISHR, the panelist and all of you listening to us.
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 10:54 AM
and can the compilation of these suggestions be shared also
From JOYCE HOPE SCOTT to Everyone: 10:55 AM
The deafening silence of the AU around the state-sanctioned violence against Black citizens in the USA, Brazil, Spain, Nigeria and other countries is quite telling. Should they not be called to task to advocate for immediate reforms in these countries or make their position known? They have a powerful voice as an all-African organization that has yet to speak out on behalf of their brothers and sisters in these diasporas that are suffering police and other kinds of abuse. What are your thoughts on this?
Prof. Joyce Hope Scott/Boston hope2100@yahoo.com
From Mohammed Haque to Everyone: 10:55 AM
From Peace And Justice Alliance, Canada, Since 2009 we have been calling to UN and Int’l organizations to extend their support to halt extra judicial killing, enforced disappearances, corruption, intimidation, custodial death, illegal imprison in Bangladesh. Bangladesh vulnerable people feeling that their voice has been ignored, how you or your organization could assist to the victim people of Bangladesh for their human rights and social justice? Kindly extend your hand to us, www.peaceandjusticealliance.ca; please contact : peaceandjusticealliance@gmail.com; Thanks
From Anastassiya Miller to Everyone: 10:55 AM
Law reforms are very important but also important that people know their rights and can use law to protect themself, so law should works for all
From Tonya Teichert to Everyone: 10:57 AM
Just a note that the "defund the police" slogan is not widely accepted. The premise of reallocation is, but theslogan is being used to ensure that we won't be able to see the Breathe Act come into play.
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 10:57 AM
also in the US South, many/most of police are Black/African descendants
From Tonya Teichert to Everyone: 10:58 AM
This was an amazing panel and discussion! I really want to see this conversation continue. Thank you ISHR/UNHRC for doing this.
From Vickie Casanova-Willis to Everyone: 10:58 AM
@Tonya Agreed!
From Jackie Zammuto to Everyone: 10:58 AM
excellent panel, thank you!
From Isabelle Mamadou to Everyone: 10:58 AM
Well said Esther! We need effective actions.
From Tonya Teichert to Everyone: 10:59 AM
We also need to make sure that this conversation and the importance of Black lives are not lost on other people's agenda.
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 10:59 AM
yes the silence of the African Union is deafening
From Tonya Teichert to Everyone: 10:59 AM
What I have seen from this single discussion is that there is no place in the world where it is safe or okay to be Black. We need to keep that message front and center.
From Anastassiya Miller to Everyone: 11:00 AM
And also from my personal experience, it is important to use different approaches to talk about this - art can make things different. Like for instance street arts, documentary etc. Like this recently released movie from NYC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEie9YH0E4c...
From Cecile Johnson to Everyone: 11:00 AM
excellent panel. thank you so much for your words and wisdom
From Hugh Bankole Olaiya to Everyone: 11:00 AM
AU got wars in Africa on their plate presently
Panellists:
Salimah Hankins, U.S. Human Rights Network
Mireille Fanon-Mendès France, Fondation Frantz Fanon
Douglas Belchior, Uneafro Brasil and Coalizão Negra por Direitos
Rodje Malcom, Jamaicans for Justice
Esther Mamadou, Implementation Team for the International Decade for People of African Descent Spain
Deji Adeyanju, Concerned Nigerians
+ Videos by Dayana Blanco Acendra,Founder and Director General of Ilex Acción Jurídica (Colombia), and Mothers against Police Brtuality (USA)
Salimah Hankins, is the Interim Executive Director of the U.S. Human Rights Network. Salimah began her engagement with the Network in 2013 and has served as a human rights consultant advising domestic civil and human rights groups on their advocacy efforts before various United Nations human rights bodies. In 2014, Salimah organised the civil society side of the U.S government review before the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition to this, Salimah has produced the last six annual human rights reports for the Network which chronicles human rights abuses in the United States through the lens of local grassroots groups and national organisations. Salimah has also served as Director of Human Rights for a Brooklyn-based human rights organization working primarily with Black women survivors of sexual violence. Salimah began her legal career as an associate at the ACLU of Maryland, advocating for the rights of low-income communities of color living in Baltimore’s public housing. Admitted to practice law in Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, and California, Salimah most recently served as Senior Staff Attorney for Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, CA. While there, she worked on anti-gentrification and displacement issues and employed a community lawyering approach to legal representation. In this role, Salimah worked with community groups to secure a $20 million settlement from Facebook which created an affordable housing fund worth. $75 million. Salimah was given the Marriage Equality Advocate award from the ACLU of Maryland, served as a human rights fellow at the Urban Justice Center, and was selected for the Whitney M. Young fellowship at Columbia University
Mireille Fanon-Mendès France is the President of Foundation Frantz Fanon, former chair of the Working group on People of African descent, prominent anti-racism human rights defender and scholar on racial justice and decoloniality.
Douglas Belchior, is the founder of Uneafro Brasil, a grassroots organisation focused on educating poor, black youth and mobilizing around political issues in Brazil, and the co-founder of Coalizão Negra por Direitos (Black Coalition for Rights in Brazil), which includes more than 150 organisations across the country.
Rodje Malcolm is the Executive Director of Jamaicans for Justice. Jamaicans for Justice is a non-governmental human rights organisation that provides legal services in response to human rights violations, conducts research and advocacy to advance social justice, and conducts training and education programmes to build a more just society. Rodje leads the organization’s strategic direction and advocacy.
Esther Mamadou is a human rights defender expert in forced migration. Her experiences in the fight against Anti-Black racism from a human rights and gender perspective include working in the UK supporting refugees, in Ecuador supporting Afrocolombian women refugees in the context of the armed conflict and in Spain advising on migration and refugee law since 2004. She is currently the coordinator of the Refugee Programme at Movimiento Por La Paz in Valencia. As part of the implementation team of the International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2014 in Spain, she is supporting the efforts in fighting anti-Black racism and police violence suffered by people of African descent and Africans in the diaspora in Spain and internationally.
Deji Adeyanju is one of the leading human rights defenders in Nigerian who is dedicated to fighting for justice, preservation of democratic ideals, protection of civic space, rights of vulnerable groups and rule of law. He is a former unionist and prominent activist in Nigeria. He has been arrested and jailed severally by the government for leading protesters and fighting for the rights of persecuted journalists and civil rights campaigners. He is the Convener of Concerned Nigerians Group, a civil rights pressure group in Nigeria. Comrade Deji Adeyanju has led the #EndSARS campaign against police brutality in Nigeria with other activists since 2016 until the advocacy gained global attention. He has also led campaigns calling for electoral reforms, #SayNoToSociaMediaBill which is an advocacy against social media regulation in the country and several other campaigns.
Background information:
In response to global protests denouncing systemic racism and police brutality and to a request from the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile and Michael Brown, supported by over 600 NGOs, the African Group convened an urgent debate at the Human Rights Council in June 2020. The African Group had proposed the establishment of an international commission of inquiry on system racism and police brutality in the USA and other parts of the world. However, due to immense diplomatic pressure from the USA and its allies, the Council decided to instead mandate the High Commissioner with preparing a report, due in June 2021, on systemic racism, police violence against Africans and people of African descent, and government responses to anti racism protests and share regular updates on the issue at all Council’s sessions.