With hopes of lobbying a collective voice into a Police Accountability Council, a grassroots movement begins circulating a petition around Philly.
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Less than 72 hours after it was reported that three white cops in the Olney section of the city were caught harassing and terrorizing two African-American teenage boys who were waiting outside of a barbershop to get a haircut, more than fifty outraged youth in North Philadelphia, many belonging to a nearby college, gathered to speak out against police brutality.
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People’s Underground Revolutionary Progress, a movement started by Temple University students, took to the streets Monday evening after members of the grassroots organization had a brutal encounter with police officers. A petition, started by the group, has begun circulating around Philadelphia, with hopes of lobbying a collective voice into a Police Accountability Council.
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“We want a committee of people to have access to investigations, so that they can look into the records of cops who have been reported consistently as violent and ill-mannered, and have the officers legally removed out of the system,” explains Keantre Malone, a member of PURP, who says he’ll do any and everything for the organization.
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Malone said through the platform they provided this past Monday, so many stories came up about citizens and students who were attacked and harassed by Philly cops.
The messaging on the flyer for the event reads:
“On the night of October 4th, Sabrina Sample and JaLyn McClain, two Temple students and community activists, were walking home when a large group of police officers began to verbally harass them. The cops, both Temple police and Philly police, tried instigate a fight, but Sabrina and Jalyn just started to walk away. One police officer then ran out in the middle of the street and pushed them to the ground. The rest of the cops rushed them, kicking and arresting them on bogus charges. The racist police brutality is tragically not uncommon. As defenders of an institution that’s aggressively gentrifying the North Philadelphia community, the cops act with extreme racist hostility towards anyone they think does not belong. Also women, both students and non-students, are often targeted with verbal abuse and unwanted attention on the basis of their gender or appearance.”
Malone shares that it was because of this incident, and countless others, that they began organizing, and now “a movement has grown against the cops.”
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m DJ Reezey® & that’s the DJ’s Drop!™
Award-winning social entrepreneur Rashaun “DJ Reezey®”Williams, is the CEO/Founder of Phresh Philly, a Millennial-led volunteer organization that promotes sustainability through social entrepreneurship training and high-school activism.
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