After police officers shot and killed 18-year-old Antonio Martin two miles from Ferguson, DC, activists call for an emergency action to protest the latest police killing. The group of activists, mainly black women, have been living by one motto since the police officers who killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner were not indicted: Shut it down.
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Story Transcript
TEXT ON SCREEN: After police officers shot and killed 18-year-old teenager Antonio Martin two miles from Ferguson, D.C., activists call for a surprise action. They meet at the local metro and head toward their target location. They walk through Pentagon City Mall and prepare for the action. It’s December 24, and the mall is packed last-minute Christmas shoppers.
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Got it.
ERIKA TOTTEN, ACTIVIST, THINKMOOR: Okay.
So you want us to go over there?
TOTTEN: Go head over there right now.
~~~
I will tell you when.
~~~
TOTTEN: No justice–.
No peace!
TOTTEN: No racist–.
Police!
~~~
TOTTEN: Every 28 hours, a black person is killed by police, security guard, or vigilante. Every 28 hours.
Every 28 hours.
TOTTEN: Black people like you, like you, like me, like my son, like my kids, like my husband.
If you don’t get it,–.
Shut it down!
[incompr.] don’t get it,–.
Shut it down!
[incompr.] don’t get it,–.
Shut it down!
[incompr.] don’t get it,–.
Shut it down!
If we don’t get it,–.
Shut it down!
Shut it down! Shut it down!
Shut it down!
~~~
I mean, I’m not disrupted by it. I’m interested by it.
~~~
TOTTEN: –seven years old that are killing our babies, and you are not outraged? Why have you not joined the movement yet? Wake up!
Wake up!
TOTTEN: Because when it happens to you, [we’re (?)] going to be out here for you. I am a mother. And I’m tired, I am tired of seeing these babies killed all the time with impunity and nothing happens. They’re saying that our lives aren’t worth shit. And that’s okay? You think that’s okay? Why would we do that? Stand up with us. Stand with us. Join the movement. Make your voice heard. Make your voice heard. Let them know that we love our kids too, that you can’t just come in and take our kids and take our husbands and take us, that it’s over.
Fight back!
Fight back!
Stand up!
Fight back!
Wake up!
Stand up!
Stand up. Stand up. And put your fist in the air. Let us know that you are with us.
Thank you, brother.
~~~
Well, you know, this is a public announcement of reality. I would call it a stand. But I would definitely, you know, want to listen in, show my daughter. She may not understand right now, but she’ll remember it.
I’m not for any type of violent protest. So in that respect I don’t like the disruption.
It’s a shock to everybody that all of this is really going on. Like they were saying, like, everybody was sleeping; now they’re awake now.
~~~
Send them killer cops to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell!
Indict! Convict! Send these killer cops to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell!
We’re coming! We’re coming! We’re ready! We’re ready!
Fist up! Fight back! Fist up! Fight back!
End
DISCLAIMER: Please note that transcripts for The Real News Network are typed from a recording of the program. TRNN cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.
