National Chalk the Police State Day

Calendar

When:

July 18, 2015 all-day

2015-07-18T00:00:00-07:00

2015-07-19T00:00:00-07:00

Where:

Everywhere

Contact:

Event website

Event

Time for the Third Annual “Chalk the Police State” Day is fast approaching on July 18th. Like previous years, Nevada Cop Block and the CopBlock Network would like to make this a national event with as many cities as possible making a statement about police brutality and accountability, as well as the continuing militarization and expansion of police forces and governments.

Originally, the call for Chalk the Police State Day was put out by members of Nevada Cop Block, dubbed the “Sunset 5” after we were arrested for legally and peacefully protesting. However, the use of chalk in Cop Block protests actually dates back to the “Manchester 8” arrests in 2011 and two subsequent annual “Chalk the Police Day” events. So, technically this could be called the fifth annual chalk protest by members of the CopBlock Network nationwide.

The number of people killed by police this year alone already stands at 590 (and counting rapidly), with the per day average death toll being three people. Of those nearly 600 people whose lives have ended at the hands of the police, some of them have gotten a lot of attention and inspired massive protests. But for every Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Antonio Zambrano-Montes, John Crawford, Kelly Thomas, Walter Scott, and Tamir Rice, there are many others, such as Michael Nida, Stanley Gibson, Manuel Diaz, Danielle Willard, and Erik Scott, in your own communities that don’t get the same sort of national attention.

July 18th will be an opportunity for local groups to highlight police brutality on a national level. You can choose who to talk about with a national audience ready to listen via the CopBlock Network. Bring so much attention to the crimes of the police that they have no choice, but to create meaningful change.

As a tool of protest chalk has many advantages. Chalking is an easy, effective, creative, and even fun way for groups to get their message out. It also requires very little preplanning, is inexpensive, and allows even a small group to have a large impact. It’s also a completely legal expression of free speach.

Last year, thirteen different groups from all over the country participated in Second Annual Chalk the Police State Day. With the spread of the CopBlock Network over the years into ever more cities and even internationally, it shouldn’t really be hard to get even more out onto the sidewalks this year. July 18th will be a day for everyone who is tired of police brutality and and the occupying armies that local police are rapidly turning into, regardless of where you are, to let them know that we won’t tolerate them any longer within our communities and against our friends and families.

If you haven’t already “liked” the CopBlock Network’s Facebook page, you should in order to get updates. Ideally, each individual city should set up their own event page to coordinate locally. However, you should also invite everyone you believe would want to participate (and stop hanging out with people that won’t) to the national event, especially those from a different city than you, in order to get the word out to as many people as possible.

Scheduled Chalk the Police State Events:

National Chalk the Police State Event created by Kelly on behalf of theCopBlock Network: This event is to share the concept of Chalk the Police State, allow people to join in solidarity and be a hub for suggestions/ideas regarding yours and others events.