We invite you to participate in our rally and march, “Defund the Police: Stop Police Violence”. Our rally will include speakers from the Joshua Flores family and the Chaplin family. Joshua Flores was killed by police officer, Fredrick Mercer, in Centralia in 2019. André Thompson and his brother, Bryson Chaplin, who were unarmed, were shot by Olympia Police Officer, Ryan Donald, in 2015. There will also be speakers from the Blaq Elephant Party and E4E speaking on the history of police violence and police racism in Olympia and nationally; on the growing Black Lives Matter led movement to defund the police and develop alternative budgets and alternatives to armed police; and building a movement against racial capitalism.
Following the rally, there will be a spirited march beginning from Sylvester Park.
Statement of Support of the Uprising June 8th, 2020
Economics for Everyone (E4E) stands in solidarity with the uprising and rebellion against racist police violence. We actively support the struggle for self-determination that has rocked the status quo. We recognize that the current battle is part of an ongoing historical fight against police brutality that dates back to slavery and the indigenous genocide. George Floyd’s murder by members of the Minneapolis Police Department sparked the latest round of resistance. The people of Minneapolis fighting back inspired uprisings all over the country. This uprising has spread worldwide. We support a diversity of tactics. People are expressing their justified rage through a variety of means. We condemn any collaboration with the police and/or right-wing militias. Long live George Floyd! Let us not limit our focus and become pacified by minimal police reforms. We must continue to build a multi-racial movement against racism and capitalism. We demand collective liberation and justice for all oppressed peoples.