At Just Buffalo Literary Center, 468 Washington Street.

Wardel “Meech” Davis died in police custody on February 7, 2017 on Buffalo’s West Side. Meech’s family and friends have yet to recieve any information on what happened that night, except for what the Buffalo News reports was a “battle royale” and an autopsy report that was found to be “inconclusive”. Since then, those closest to Meech, and the community at large, have not had time or space to process what happened, to add their own experiences with law enforcement injustices, or to plan what comes next in the fight for answers and justice. Just Resisting, along with other community organizations/ groups, have been calling for accountability from the Buffalo Police Department and Mayor Byron Brown.
This has not been the first incident of state-sanctioned violence in Buffalo. We will be also lifting up the names of Arthur “AJ” Jordan, who was unconstitutionally arrested on July 14, 2016; and India Cummings, who died in the Erie County Holding Center on February 26, 2016.

As a community we are speaking out against state violence and to support the families and friends of Meech, India, and AJ. We also know that people of color are targeted in “high crime areas” by Buffalo Police (BPD) on a daily basis, that BPD routinely engages in unconstitutional “stop and frisks” and that they are “tough on crime”. These policies definitely resulted in Meech’s death, as well as the criminalization and incarceration of so many, like Arthur Jordan Jr., who was searched in a cell phone store in July and has been at the Holding Center since then.

A “Community Speak Out” is planned by Just Resisting (JR) to try and provide that space.

There will be:
+ Open Mic- come share your story!
+ Performances by local artists
+ A memorial to remember loved ones
+ A “Healing Corner” for folks to take time for themselves

Bring a picture of a loved one for the memorial.

We hope you will come build community with us.
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JR is a collective of organizers and artists who identify as Black, People of Color (POC) who believe in and work towards Transformative Social Justice.

JR believes in:

– being transparent about how we’re making decisions and collaborative democratic decision making amongst members
– healing and Transformative Social Justice organizing. We must heal our selves and each other in order to do this work in our communities
– learning and sharing skills and disseminating language
– honesty and doing the work in the room even if it’s uncomfortable
– leaning into conflict
– long term, sustainable organizing and leadership development
– challenging power structures
– political education