The group is taking its 'defund the police' message to city leaders.<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON On the heels of the largest crowds yet flooding D.C. for the George Floyd protests, one local group is looking ahead to its next steps.<\/p>\n
Freedom Fighters DC was formed amidst the protests and pandemic by a group of seven young people -- 90% \"beautiful, amazing, talented strong black women\" -- according to co-founder Jacqueline LaBayne.<\/p>\n
After taking to the streets for two weeks, now they're demanding action from government leaders.<\/p>\n
\"We going to be out here boots on the ground every day,\" Zeus X, another co-founder, said Saturday. \"By any means necessary, we going to get what we want.\"<\/p>\n
The group plans to take their list of demands to decision makers.<\/p>\n
Its not only the protests -- its board rooms, its city council meetings, its school board meetings,\" LaBayne said. \"Its making sure that people are in positions to be treated equally and equitably.\"<\/p>\n
Their major push now is to defund the police -- a rally cry multiple other organizations have been echoing the last few days.<\/p>\n
To them, that means dismantling the department entirely and reinvesting that money in community policing and other programs.<\/p>\n
In the coming weeks, they plan to share their ideas with council members and are requesting a meeting with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.<\/p>\n
\"We really believe that redistributing that funding and putting it toward education, healthcare, mental health serviceswe really wont even need the police presence we have today at all,\" LaBayne said.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, she said they plan to give back to the community for whom they've been standing up, with outreach initiatives like voter registration.<\/p>\n
We want to really make sure those underserved communities have those resources available,\" LaBayne said.<\/p>\n
In the near future, they're working on an event to celebrate Juneteenth, the day Americans commemorate the end of slavery, which she said will involve black-owned businesses.<\/p>\n
The work is just starting, so get ready,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Freedom Fighters DC issued a list of the following demands:<\/p>\n
We demand that the appropriate capable officials in D.C. immediately vote to defund and demilitarize the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).<\/p>\n
We demand food and housing security for all persons in the DMV area.<\/p>\n
We demand that no new jails are built in D.C.<\/p>\n
We demand an immediate end to the use of Stop and Frisk, a violent policing tactic that is disproportionately targeted against Black people here in D.C.<\/p>\n
We demand the immediate abolition of Metro Transit Police (MTP).<\/p>\n
We demand the immediate end to the criminalization of protestors. This calls for an end to curfew here in DC<\/p>\n
We demand investment by D.C. government into non-police, non-punitive violence prevention services and mental health care in our communities.<\/p>\n
We demand all police presence to be out of D.C. public schools and for all D.C. universities to cut their ties with MPD.<\/p>\n
We demand that a full and independent investigation be conducted into law enforcement actions on Swann Street NW on the night of June 1, 2020, with full public transparency.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
More:<\/p>\n
'The work is just starting' | Here's Freedom Fighters DC's plan for action beyond the protests - WUSA9.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The group is taking its 'defund the police' message to city leaders. Continue reading