In the last week, we’ve been watching in horror as George Floyd was suffocated to death at the hands of the Minneapolis police (all over unsubstantiated claims that he paid for cigarettes with a counterfeit $20), and protests across the country in response to his murder have been met with further police brutality and overaggression. There are more appropriate places to find this information than a site that covers indie film, but we strongly support #BlackLivesMatter and the right to address injustice with peaceful protest. If you’ve wondered, as we have, how to be of help at this time, these links could help:
In Minneapolis, you can contribute to the following organizations:
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund, to pay for memorial services and to put aside for Floyd’s children, organized by his brother Philonise Floyd: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
Black Visions Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to help the African-American community in Minneapolis: https://secure.everyaction.com/4omQDAR0oUiUagTu0EG-Ig2
Communities United Against Police Brutality, a Twin-Cities based organization created to deal with police brutality: https://www.cuapb.org/
Reclaim The Block, an organization dedicated to rerouting police funding to more pressing needs such as violence prevention, housing, resources for youth, emergency mental health response teams, and solutions to the opioid crisis: https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2
North Star Health Collective, an organization that provides health care to activists on the ground:
https://northstarhealthcollective.org/donate
Additionally, while some community funds such as the Minnesota Freedom Fund and Brooklyn Community Fund have been overwhelmed with donations and have now begun rerouting to other parts of the country in need, you can find the bail fund associated with your neighborhood here through the National Bail Fund Network directory.
Currently, other cases in need of attention are currently collecting signatures to seek justice in the cases of Breonna Taylor and Armaud Arbery and many others who have been failed by the system have been listed here.
