US Attorney General Jeff Sessions is coming to Memphis this Thursday and we are asking the entire community to come out and join us as we call on our local elected and appointed leaders in our criminal justice system to stay at work and not attend.
The appointment of Jeff Sessions represents a major step backwards in our criminal justice system and to positive oversight and reform efforts in police accountability. His previous remark on crime which included Memphis seeks to use our serous problems and capitalize on them to feed into fear and division and lead us further into the arms of the prison industrial complex.
Our local leaders parrot the same lines when they should be protecting us and speaking out with us.
Jeff Sessions and his President use terrorizing language and cruel policies towards our undocumented brothers and sisters, which divides families and destroys lives.
Yet our local leaders are silent on the matter or pass the buck.
Jeff Session believes that violence inflicted on our LGBTQ neighbors is not a hate crime and has a record of supporting repeatedly supported laws that criminalize LGBTQ activity, and using them to harass LGBTQ couples and individuals
Yet our local leaders are silent on the matter or pass the buck.
Untested Rape Kits is a national crisis and is a local one as well. Jeff Session voted against the Violence against Women’s Act THREE times and opposed RAPE being listed as a hate crime.
Yet our local leaders are silent on the matter or pass the buck.
This is a man whose pronounced racism urged Coretta Scott King to write the words “Mr. Sessions has used the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters. For this reprehensible conduct, he should not be rewarded with a federal judgeship.” …and here in the city where Coretta Scott King’s husband was murdered as we approach the 50th anniversary of his murder it is almost sacrilege that anyone who calls themselves a public servant for the people of Memphis to allow themselves to be used for a cheap media stop.
That is why we say he should not be welcomed here in the city where every issue we grapple with locally is either taking a step back or issues already ignored will continue to be ignored under a Sessions term as Attorney General.
We call on District Attorney Amy Weirich, Shelby County Sheriff Bill Oldham, Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings and our City and county Mayors Mark Luttrell and Jim Strickland to serve your community by staying at your jobs and do not legitimize this photo op with our presence.
We urge all of you to come and bring your issues.
This action is hosted by Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, NAACP, Sister Reach, Official Black Lives Matter, Coalition of Concerned Citizens, Memphis Grassroots Organization, Indivisible Memphis, Our Revolution901, Comunidades Unidas en Una Voz, Tennessee Young Democrats, P.E.R.L, M.B.R.U. and our community members!
Please share the Facebook event page and invite your friends and family. We are in this together!!
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