November 10, 2020
Contacts: Robert Mitchell, MuckCityBLM@gmail.com, (323) 395-6895
**PRESS RELEASE**
Glades Area Black Lives Matter Organizes to Fight Back
BELLE GLADE--On Saturday, November 7, history was made on the steps of Belle Glade City Hall when the Glades community came together to announce the formation of Muck City Black Lives Matter (BLM). In honor of Henry Bennett III “Scooter,” Belle Glade resident killed by the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office in 2016, Muck City BLM organizers laid out their current focus issues -- local government corruption, voting rights, and responsibilities, economic injustice and exploitation, mass incarceration, police violence, community mentoring for at-risk youth, and environmental racism associated with pre-harvest sugar field burning -- and asked community members to bring their hearts and souls to the fight. The Cry of Black Youth (COBY) organization started the fight for Black lives from 1969 to 1971 and now the time is right and ripe for Muck City BLM in the Glades. The juxtaposition of the announcement of the Biden-Harris victory on Saturday was noteworthy; the power of the Black vote and the demand for change in the Glades is a reflection of the wider national movement for black lives.
Colin Walkes, Former Mayor
of Pahokee: "Muck City we need to stand up. We
have to be responsible for our vote. What does that mean? It means getting
involved in our community. That means we attend local commission meetings. We
need to organize in our community. We need to hold our voices together and hold
those we elected accountable to create policies that support us. We cannot keep
doing the same dance muck city."
Kina
Phillips, “Apostle” Community Organizer:
"For too long we've been silent. Whispering. Sitting in the comfort
of our homes about the effects of a very
outdated practice, and still we struggle to breathe. The sugar industry has banked on our silence
and has taken advantage of it. How long will we allow them to rape us of the
value of our lives, to put a death sentence on our loved ones? It is time to let
your voice be heard to help bring about a change. It is time to stop the burn."
Robert Mitchell opening remarks
Robert Mitchell closing remarks
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