Photo by Ira L. Black - Corbis/Getty Images
Bearing witness to the historic reckoning with systemic racism, and amplifying dialogue to drive change that delivers on the promise of racial equality.
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“But I’m gonna keep protesting, keep fighting. I won’t be intimidated because that’s a part of their tactics. They want me to be traumatized, they want us to be scared, they want us to give in, and we definitely won’t.”The following morning, Ingram, dressed in a red flannel shirt and black cap, addressed a crowd outside Bryant Park at 8 am. Upon the advice of his legal counsel, Ingram would be turning himself in to face the charges, but he did so with about one hundred other supporters marching uptown towards the 18th Precinct on 54th Street and Eighth Avenue, where he was booked on charges of assault in the second degree, a felony which carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years, and obstructing governmental administration in the second degree. While in his cell, Ingram said, he could hear the protesters outside.“I guess I am a little traumatized."
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Ingram laid out a few goals that he believes Black Lives Matter should work towards in New York, beginning with the ouster of Commissioner Shea. “I think Commissioner Shea and everything he did goes to show that we need to elect our police commissioner, how much power our police commissioner has and how lawless and corrupt Commissioner Shea is,” said Ingram. Another would be chipping away at qualified immunity, which has shielded police officers and public officials from civil action as the result of police brutality.To that end, Ingram said that Warriors in the Garden will be releasing a statement “soon” announcing a “legislative and operative coalition between us and every other Black Lives Matter group within New York City,” with the objective being to align their demands and goals.“I think if we’re all on the same page, sharing resources and knowledge, then we will be unstoppable, and we will propel the change that needs to happen in the city,” added Ingram.There was no sign-up sheet when Warriors in the Garden formed. Some of the members knew each other from being active in the local political scene, but none were particularly close. They met at the frontlines of a protest on May 28, following George Floyd’s death, responding to an Instagram post for a short-notice protest, and immediately vibed.“They vilified me before they even had a warrant. I think that’s a prime example of how the system works against people of color.”
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