Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

Activists Face Jail Time for Protesting Police Brutality at Gay Pride Parade

Activists face jail time for protesting police violence at gay pride.

Left Voice

March 12, 2018
Facebook Twitter Share

Last year’s Gay Pride parades coincided with yet another gross injustice perpetrated against Black people by the (in)justice system. The policeman who murdered Philando Castile was ruled “not guilty” by a court of law. Castile had a concealed-carry permit, and he informed the police he was armed before he reached for his wallet. He was shot in front of his girlfriend and his four-year old daughter. His girlfriend live-streamed the moments after the shooting, during which she continued to remain calm and controlled while interacting with the police officer who had just murdered her partner.

This police officer was declared “not guilty.” Once again, the courts demonstrated that it is legal for police officers to murder Black people in America. The police are the enemies of Black people, who are regularly harassed, imprisoned, and murdered at their hands.

At Pride parades around the country last year, Black LGBT people held actions, voicing their indignation at the injustice surrounding Philando Castile’s murder and also at the disproportionate murder of Black trans women. Last year alone, 27 trans people — mostly women — were murdered in the United States. In these cases, the police often persistently misgender the victims, re-victimizing Black trans women and our communities.

Police animosity toward LGBT+ communities has a long history. At Stonewall, LGBT people — mostly LGBT+ people of color — were being rounded up by police when they decided to fight back, sparking a three-day riot against police violence. The uprising was supported by groups such as the Black Panthers and Young Lords. At Stonewall, the birth of Gay Pride, the LGBT community fought back alongside allied people of color against a police force that victimizes both. And yet, all around the country, police forces today are allowed to march in LGBT pride parades. They decorate their cars with rainbows and march alongside the corporate sponsors.

At last year’s Gay Pride parades, Black people and others protested police participation in Pride in many cities, blocking parades to bring attention to both the number of trans women of color murdered and Philando Castille’s non-indictment. This occured in the Twin Cities, Washington DC, New York City, Chicago and Columbus. In Columbus, four Black and trans people known as BlackPride4 were violently arrested while peacefully protesting at the parade. Three have already gone to trial and were found guilty on February 12th, 2018, of charges ranging from disorderly conduct to resisting arrest. One of the protesters, Wriply Bennet, will be sentenced on March 13 and could be facing jail time.

Activists in Columbus have organized a petition and are asking for shows of solidarity today, the day before the sentencing. Sign the petition here and tell your friends/family/co-workers and other social justice advocates.

We must make our voices heard on behalf of Bennet and against the (in)justice system, against the police, and against a Pride parade that has turned its back on our history, choosing the side of police and corporate sponsors instead of those LGBT+ people of color most oppressed amongst us.

Facebook Twitter Share

Left Voice

Militant journalism, revolutionary politics.

Gender & Sexuality

Berlin Police Attack an Anti-Imperialist Feminist Demonstration on March 8

On International Women's Day, there were numerous demonstrations in Berlin, including: a union demonstration, an anti-imperialist demonstration, and a supposedly "leftist" demonstration in solidarity with Israel. As you would expect, police only attacked one of the three.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 14, 2024
Mobilization for trans rights at Brooklyn, June 2020.

The Working Class Must Fight for Trans Rights

As new anti-trans bills are introduced in the United States, it is imperative to take up the fight for trans rights using working-class strategy and methods.

K.S. Mehta

March 11, 2024

Rise in Forced Pregnancies Shows the Need for an Independent Movement for Abortion Rights

Post-Dobbs, research shows that many people in states where abortions are banned have been unable to get them. We need a movement to fight for free, safe, legal abortion on demand.

Molly Rosenzweig

December 19, 2023

Women’s Liberation in Revolutionary Russia

The historian Wendy Z. Goldman gave this talk in Madrid and Barcelona on September 12 and 15, presenting her book Women, the State, and Revolution.

Wendy Z. Goldman

October 1, 2023

MOST RECENT

A square in Argentina is full of protesters holding red banners

48 Years After the Military Coup, Tens of Thousands in Argentina Take to the Streets Against Denialism and the Far Right

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Argentina on March 24 to demand justice for the victims of the state and the military dictatorship of 1976. This year, the annual march had renewed significance, defying the far-right government’s denialism and attacks against the working class and poor.

Madeleine Freeman

March 25, 2024

The Convulsive Interregnum of the International Situation

The capitalist world is in a "permacrisis" — a prolonged period of instability which may lead to catastrophic events. The ongoing struggles for hegemony could lead to open military conflicts.

Claudia Cinatti

March 22, 2024

Berlin’s Mayor Loves Antisemites

Kai Wegner denounces the “antisemitism” of left-wing Jews — while he embraces the most high-profile antisemitic conspiracy theorist in the world.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 22, 2024

What “The Daily” Gets Right and Wrong about Oregon’s Move to Recriminalize Drugs

A doctor at an overdose-prevention center responds to The Daily, a podcast produced by the New York Times, on the recriminalization of drugs in Oregon. What are the true causes of the addiction crisis, and how can we solve it?

Mike Pappas

March 22, 2024