ARTIST STATEMENT
The world watched as a suburb outside “Sleepy St. Louis” caught fire with the outrage of a generation fueled by continued impunity for police racial profiling, harassment without probable cause, and flagrant excessive use of force. The Ferguson Uprisings were sparked by the August 9, 2014 shooting death of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown at the end of a police officer’s gun, the four hours his slain body remained uncovered in the middle of Canfield Street, an extended vacuum of unanswered questions, and the relentless aggression of a militarized police force equipped to slaughter protesting masses surrounded by the weaponry of the National Guard.
The fire shut up in the bones of Ferguson residents of all ages released onto the streets in sustained protests and quickly heightened in global calls for justice, rallies in protest, and demonstrations of solidarity. Local, national and international agencies and institutions converged on the ground to address the harrowing agony, galvanize under a shared blanket of peace, seek fundamental redress, and strategize a way forward for the community.
THE FIRE SHUT UP IN OUR BONES document seeks to capture through interviews and photographs the voices, vision and valuable work of the pivotal groups and individuals that emerged and prevailed on the frontlines of the 2014 Ferguson Uprisings. Launched by The AWARE Project in conjunction with RESPECT FOR LIFE, its global human rights public awareness poster campaign against street and genocidal violence, it reinforces principles set forth by the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. It advocates on the local and state government levels for five best practices in achieving healthy police-community relations within a human rights framework: (1) Early Prevention System to identify, support and counsel law enforcement officers who are triggering in potentially dangerous directions in their service and conduct; (2) Restorative Justice Programs to provide citizens, particularly youth, with preventive measures against criminal behavior and alternatives to incarceration for minor offenses; (3) Higher, Modern Standards for Use of Lethal Force that will amend and/or repeal statutes permitting the use of deadly force to apprehend fleeing suspects; (4) Independent Review of Investigations to ensure independent, prompt and thorough examinations of police conduct; and (5) Community Outreach and Sensitivity Training to bridge communication gaps and cultural diversities through respectful dialogue and sustainable engagement.
Dignity of life stretches across every human being as a birthright, whether believed or conceived to be divine or natural. It speaks our conscience and illuminates the intrinsic justification of our beings. True justice cannot exist where human dignity is abrogated, for violations that strike against this common humanity cut the deepest core of our beings – the flesh, sinew and spirit from which our beings take form. The advancement of solutions for healthy police-community relations grounded within a human rights framework inspires genuine compassion and broadens sensitivities that undergird peace and public safety in communities. Paradigms of peace can only emerge from laws and policies that preserve the indomitable human spirit and its enduring fire.
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