s1e15: co(sin)e series: embracing solidarity

I want to kick us off with, I'm curious, um, what's an example look like in your work that revolves around civic power.

So what's an example of something that you did with community that is around power? And I think I want to kick it over to you, Allie.

I feel like a lot of my work has been really rooted in community.

I feel like a lot of the things that we did starting out was showing up to city commission meetings.

And we had like a list of our own demands.

We were pretty cohesive about it.

But I feel like one example of which I saw the most strength in community would probably be when Patrick Leoya was killed by the Grand Rapids Police Department.

And there were protests for probably like a month straight.

People were showing up to city commission meetings.

People were protesting outside the police department.

People were getting arrested.

But so many people were talking about it to the point where the city had no choice but to press charges.

They could not sweep this under the rug because we didn't allow them to.

It

made national news.

Al Sharpton got involved.

Ben Crump got involved.

And I genuinely don't think that would have been possible had the community not spoke up about this.

And it's just been... a lot since then, honestly.

And I feel like because of the strength of community is why the police locally have been so hell bent on targeting activists because we have so much power collectively.

Absolutely.

And it's, it's interesting to hear your perspective coming from the West side of the state.

Cause a lot of, at least my work and I know a lot of folks on this, in this panel, like our work focuses on Southeast Michigan.

Um, and, Yeah, so it's cool to see, to know a comrade that's over on the west side.

Yeah, of course.