On the eve of the two month anniversary of the death of Mike Brown, another black life was taken at the hands of law enforcement in Missouri, the life of Vonderrit Myers, 18 years old. That's one more life in a list that adds up to a black life taken at the hands of law enforcement in the United States every 28 hours.

Across the globe in Gaza, during Israel's latest assault, over 2,100 lives were taken. Six UN schools and hospitals were flattened, 18,000 housing units destroyed, 108,000 people left homeless, 500 children's lives and potential cut short. These horrors are the result of Israel's “Operation Protective Edge” –– devastation the UN has labeled irreversible. Though shocking, these numbers pale when viewed in the larger scale of apartheid and resource deprivation that has been part and parcel of the Israeli occupation of Palestine; where thousands are internally displaced in an area referred to as the world's 'largest open air prison.'

Both of these human rights crises have been facilitated by militarized state authorities. They are characterized by arbitrary enforcement and brutality, and community meetings and spaces are often surveilled and raided. From Ferguson to Palestine, people are making the connections between the US-funded occupation of Palestine and the police occupying the everyday movements of communities of color –– of which Ferguson stands as a glaring example. Our work in solidarity with communities of color at home and abroad must move toward dismantling racism, especially in the context of American funded war-making and occupation profiteering. With fire in our hearts, we must tackle the tough questions of complicity and conscience to ensure a better future.

JOIN the conversation! Sign up for our Thunderclap NOW!

Ferguson called upon us as a nation to join them for a Weekend of Resistance and we responded. We will be supporting the work of Hands Up United, the Palestine Solidarity Contingent and others in the streets of Ferguson in solidarity. No one is free when others are oppressed.

Use your voice and join the conversation. For those of us who can’t be in Ferguson, we must amplify their message and build action in our own communities. We need you to speak to your neighbors, pause at your dinner table to reflect and exchange, and honor those who have died through committing to action. Join us in garnering national attention on this incredible Weekend of Resistance and this imperative work by posting, tweeting, and sharing this weekend using #FergusonOctober and #Palestine2Ferguson from Palestinian-led organizations and Black youth in Ferguson. Check out this livestream to watch what's happening on the ground, but keep an eye on our Twitter feed in case the livestream source changes. Sign up NOW for our Thunderclap HERE!

Email Demilitarize@codepink.org to join find out more about our Communities Organizing to Demilitarize Enforcement (CODE) campaign and gain support in getting the tools of war out of your community.

In solidarity,
Alli, Anastasia, Anna, Jodie, Janet, Jes, Kristin, Medea, Nathan, Nancy, Polly, Sergei, Sophia, and Tighe

PS: Get involved in Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS activism) with CODEPINK to support Gaza by emailing Sophia at sophia.codepinkla@codepink.org.