“Without ever planning to, my parents, who had come from Germany and had lost so many family members in the Holocaust, taught me the value of advocacy. “They taught me that if a situation feels wrong, it probably is wrong. They taught me about the need to join with allies to speak up and, especially, to speak up for equality and rights in the face of discrimination and injustice. Eventually, the time came when I needed to become my own advocate. Some of you would say, ‘stand up on your own.’ I would say, ‘sit up in my own wheelchair.'”

-Judith Heumann, Disability Rights Activist, Social Justice Leader, recipient of the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

Brooklyn is one of the most culturally diverse places in the United States. For decades people from all over the world have migrated to this borough and carved out a future for them and their children. This proud borough has been the starting point for Biggie Smalls, Dr. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Spike Lee, Bernie Sanders, Shirley Chisholm, Adelaide Hall, Bobby Fischer,  Jay Z, Chuck Schumer and more. Brooklyn is still a place where social justice and activism thrives. We as a borough have a responsibility to stand together and raise our voices to protest the cruel and inhumane practices that our current administration has implemented.

According to a recent report done by the ACLU:
"Children allege that agents assaulted them with their feet, fists, flashlights, and Tasers. In one case, an agent ran over a 17-year-old with a patrol vehicle and then got out and punched the child in the head and body. Often, children noted that other agents witnessed the abuse or saw the injuries but refused them medical attention. In one case, agents accused a pregnant minor of lying about the pain — which turned out to be labor cont...reactions preceding a stillbirth.

The abuse was also sexual. During an arrest in the desert in Phoenix, Arizona, an agent grabbed a child’s buttocks and only stopped when she screamed, and another agent approached. In another incident, a 16-year-old girl reported that a Border Patrol agent forcefully spread her legs and touched her genitals so hard she screamed in pain."

As a country, we have prided ourselves on being a refuge for victims of civil and human rights transgressions. This report not only sheds light on horrific and unconceivable abuse, it directly affects our ethos on the international stage. We are supposed to be far, far better than this. These actions need to STOP, immediately, and the people that have committed to them must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Join me on Thursday June 14th and raise your voices with me. Let us send a message to Congress that these transgressions will NOT be tolerated. If we remain silent, we send a message of complacency and acceptance. This abuse cannot go on. Let us, the citizens of Brooklyn send a message to our capital.

We will meet at Borough Hall at 5:30pm. Our rally will at the Borough Hall municipal building. Signs are permitted, but this is a Peaceful protest, so please limit the profanity (for the children present) and leave any and all pepper spray or any objects that could be considered dangerous at home. We do not have a permit for projected sound, so there are no bull horns or amplifiers permitted. Our voices will suffice.

The Borough Hall municipal building is accessible to all Brooklyn Applicants. You can take the 2,3,4,5 and R Train to Borough Hall/Court Street. The F will take you to Smith Street and Borough Hall is a short walk from there. The A/C will take you to High Street, which is a short walk away from Borough Hall. The B41 bus drops you off right in front of the municipal building.

If you have any questions or concerns please to not hesitate to reach out. My email is amandaelizabethsawyer@gmail.com

FB: Amanda Sawyer

IG: Dedimus Potestatem