#WhichEmergency Shows Activists Calling Out Issues Blacks Face
Hours after authorities declared a state of emergency in St. Louis, Black Twitter responded with one important question: "#WhichEmergency?"
Activists behind the hashtag are calling for attention to be brought to urgencies African-Americans continue to face in society.
"State of Emergency? You mean like the $ millions extorted through racist for-profit policing every year? #WhichEmergency," tweeted Hands Up United Monday night. The collective, based in Ferguson, Missouri, aims to improve and liberate the lives of Black, Brown and poor people through education and advocacy.
Color of Change, another advocacy group, also tweeted injustices America is guilty of committing and has not fully addressed. "Nearly 2 in 5 Black trans people have reported police abuse," one photo they tweeted read. "Police kill Black Americans at nearly the same rate as Jim Crow-era lynchings," read another.
There were reports of looting following peaceful protests surrounding the one-year anniversary of the death of Michael Brown. Tyrone Harris Jr., 18, was shot by police after police say he opened fire on the officers. He has since been charged with multiple accounts of assault on officers, armed criminal action and shooting a firearm.
"The recent acts of violence will not be tolerated in a community that has worked so tirelessly over the last year to rebuild and become stronger," St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger said in a statement Monday.
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