Social justice resources

WE STAND WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF COLOR, THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, AND THOSE PROTESTING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE.

IN HONOR OF GEORGE FLOYD, MICHAEL RAMOS, TONNY MCDADE, ATATIANA JEFFERSON AND ALL VICTIMS OF POLICE BRUTALITY, LIMBO WILL BE DONATING 10% OF PROCEEDS FROM ON-LINE SALES TO LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS FIGHTING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE.

STATEMENT FROM LIMBO AUSTIN:

All of us at Limbo Austin are outraged about the murder of George Floyd by police officers back in May and by the recent murder of Jacob Blake. The constant and brutal abuse perpetuated against people of color and the continued violent response by police against protestors has to stop.

We all have to speak out. We all have to stand together with the victims of murder, marginalization, and repression because of their skin color, and with those who seek justice through protests across our country.

These murders are the result of inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy. These murders are not isolated incidents, they are the endemic and predictable consequence of a racist and prejudiced system and culture that has treated Black and brown bodies as the enemy from the beginning.

We must embark on the complicated work of delivering justice for all the victims of state sponsored violence and racism.

We want to be clear about the urgent need to take concrete steps to dismantle white supremacy in all its forms. To do that, we are calling for Six actions:

#1 We call upon President Trump, elected officials, and political parties to commit our nation to a formal process of healing and reconciliation like the "truth and reconciliation commission created in South Africa after the end of apartheid. Instead of calling for the use of aggressive tactics on protestors, the President must take the first step by condeming and disavowing white supremacists and nationalist groups that overtly support him.

#2 We call on the Supreme Court to repeal and replace "Qualified Immunity". This doctrine from the late 1960's is the cornerstone of our culture of near-zero accountability for law enforcement.

#3 We call upon the Congress to pass H.R.40. legislation that would create a commission to study the effects of slavery and discrimination from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies. We cannot move forward together as a nation until we begin to grapple with the sins of our past. Slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation were systems of legalized and monetized white supremacy for which generations of Black and Brown people paid an immeasurable price. That cost must be acknowledged and the privilege that accrued to some at the expense of others must be reckoned with and redressed.

#4 We support George Floyd’s family’s call to create a national task force that would draft bipartisan legislation aimed at ending racial violence and increasing police accountability. We can’t continue to fund a criminal justice system that perpetuates mass incarceration while at the same time threatens the lives of a whole segment of the population.

#5 We call for a re-structuring of police departments to address these issues: Establishing mandatory Civilian Oversight Committees to end corrupt internal investigations, Enact universal training standards for officers, Enact mandatory mental health screenings and stress management training for police, Require officers to be licensed akin to doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc.

#6 We call on the Department of Justice to reinvigorate its Civil Rights Division as a staunch defender of the rights of Black and Brown people. The DOJ must also reinstate policies rolled back under the Trump Administration, such as consent decrees to curb police abuses.

Unless and until white America is willing to collectively acknowledge its privilege, take responsibility for its past and the impact it has on the present, and commit to creating a future steeped in justice, the list of names that George Floyd has been added to will never end. We have to use this moment to accelerate our nation's long journey towards justice.

We have to say their names: Jacob Blake, George Floyd, Mike Ramos, Ahmaud Arbery, Atatiana Jefferson, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, Oscar Grant, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Stephon Clark, Laquan McDonald, Ezell Ford, Michelle Shirley, Redel Jones, Kenney Watkins, Dreasjon Reed, Botham Jean, Emmett Till, Martin Luther King Jr, etc...

Sincerely, Anne Rutt, Edson Enriquez and all of us at Limbo Austin.

(Limbo Jewelry, Little Limbo, Triple Z Threadz & Potigy)

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS TO SUPPORT:

Austin Justice Coalition

Mission: To educate and build community power for people of color who live in Austin that need support, community, and liberation during a time of systemic injustice in America.
Donate here.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Austin

Mission: To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
Donate here.

African American Youth Harvest Foundation

Mission: To effectually address disparities and ensure low-barrier access to vital educational, economic, and enrichment resources to underserved, at-risk youth and their families on their path to self-sufficiency.
Donate here.

Six Square

Mission: To preserve and celebrate the historic legacy of the African American community that once thrived in Central East Austin.
Donate here.

Austin Area Urban League

Mission: To enable African Americans and other underserved urban residents to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights, and to provide tools for them to build a foundation for social and economic equality. Donate here.