Page 25 - Florida Sentinel 7-15-16 Online Edition

Local
‘Black Lives Matter’ To Host Rally
On Saturday
Forum Planned To Discuss Healing The Community
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
People all over the coun- try are reacting to the recent deaths of two Black men at the hands of police. Since their deaths, rallies and protest marches have been held all over the country.
In retaliation of their deaths, a lone gunman am- bushed and killed five Dallas police officers. The man, who was killed by police, stated he wanted to kill white police of- ficers.
In recognition of these events and with the realiza- tion that it could happen any- where at anytime, Pastor Dwayne Perry will host a forum on Saturday, July 16th, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The forum will take place at True Sanctuary Of Praise, 6528 Highway 301, Suite 114, in Riverview, 33578.
Dr. Lewis Brinson will serve as the moderator of the forum entitled, “We Need Healing Hands.”
Dr. Brinson said, “We must first talk about what we can do as individuals to help ourselves. Then, we must ask ourselves how do we restore the trust of those who prom- ise to protect us? How do we
DR. LEWIS BRINSON
return to working together?” Dr. Brinson further said, “Blacks are only asking that we receive the same re- spect as everyone else and that is justice for all. We want to know that those who do wrong are held accountable for their actions and that the badge does not protect
them.”
He also stated that these
incidents have placed all po- lice in a bad light, but stated that it is wrong for the com- munity to advocate that all police are bad.
A panel session will also take place during the forum to obtain ideas on how police and the community can work
together.
Dr. Brinson said the
forum is designed using the Triangle of Hope and Sup- port theory of the school, church and community, and family all working in unison.
“We must resolve these issues in order to move for- ward. Innocent people are being hurt because of a few bad officers as well as a few bad citizens. We are putting too many people in harm’s way.
“We have to fix it, things cannot continue as they have in the past. This is a teach- able moment for a lot of peo- ple. And, we must make sure we have the right people teaching our adults and our students. It is not by coinci- dence that this is happen- ing,” Dr. Brinson stated.
Dr. Brinson has been an educator in Hillsborough County for more than 40 years. His most recent as- signment with the Hillsbor- ough County School District was in the role of Officer of Diversity.
The meeting is open to any member of the commu- nity who wants to share ideas on the improvement between law enforcement and the community.
MS. DONNA DAVIS
... National Organizer of the “Black Lives Matter’ Movement
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Last week, Tampa resi- dents held a “Black Lives Matter” Movement. On Sat- urday, the organizers will host another rally at Centen- nial Park, 1800 E. 8th Avenue, beginning at 4 p.m.
Ms. Donna Davis, or- ganizer of the movement said, “The movement is grow- ing. There was a huge resur- gence of interest in what we do recently. Thousands have visited our Facebook page.”
Ms. Davis said the mes- sage of the movement is sim- ple, “Murder is not acceptable. We must demili-
tarize, disarm, and defund policing as it is in its current form.”
She further said, “The movement is looking to culti- vate the discontent of people into a proactive agenda. Some people say it can’t be done, but it can be done.”
A native of Jacksonville, Ms. Davis said she has trav- eled all over the country or- ganizing the “Black Lives Matter” Movement. She moved to Tampa about 2 years ago.
In addition to holding the marches, Ms. Davis said the organization is also working with elected officials, includ- ing Congressman Allen Grayson, to change current laws. “There is a lot of money available and we want some of that money to be used to investigate cases of police brutality.”
When asked if the Move- ment has made a difference, Ms. Davis said it was instru- mental in obtaining the re- lease of a 14-year-old teenager who had been ar- rested in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ms. Davis launched the “Black Lives Matter” Move- ment in December 2014, on- line. In August 2015, it grew in popularity. And today, it has become a “boots on the ground” organization.
This lady is shown at a recent “Black Lives Matter” Rally. The message written in her left hand simply says, “Don’t Shoot.” The mes- sage written in her right hand says, “My Hands Up.” (Photo by Greg Cruz @ Flip Squad Photography)
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