HOCO FOR JUSTICE

We are a multicultural, youth collective in the Howard County area dedicated to the liberation and success of Black and Brown lives locally and nationally. Our primary objective is to dismantle white supremacy and its resulting oppressive systems through coadaptation, education, and legislation. We aim to empower our marginalized communities, reallocate resources to equity programs, end the school to prison pipeline, and change the racist narratives that continue to criminalize Blackness.

PRESS RELEASE ︎ CONTACT ︎ FACEBOOK︎INSTAGRAM ︎TWITTER

CALL TO ACTION

We are calling on Howard County residents and the greater state of Maryland to come together as we mourn the murder of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, India Kager and the countless other victims of police brutality. We are calling on our community to condemn the violence against Black lives. In addition, we are standing in solidarity with the numerous national and local movements combating white supremacy.

It is necessary that we shed light on the many grassroots organizations that are devoted to fighting injustices in our community year-round. We are calling on residents to support and defend the missions of Baltimore Ceasefire, Good Kids Mad City, two organizations that are dedicated to preventing gun violence. Hoco residents cannot continue to live in a bubble, ignoring the struggles of our neighbors.

We are also calling for racial justice in schools and the shifting of money away from police forces and back into the community. Fund counselors not cops. You can get involved with the movement by supporting the organizations: Dignity in Schools, Racial Justice Now, and the Advancement Project. These three orgs are fighting to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.

To our non-Black allies, we thank you for your support, but we are calling on you to be actively anti-racist. Your support must be sustained and unwavering. Do not limit your allyship to a social media post. Do not be motivated by guilt or shame, build trust through personal accountability. Stop reproducing images of black trauma. Educate your peers, educate your family, educate yourself. For far too long, Black people have carried the burden of defending their humanity. That ends now.

We are calling for donations to be given to George Floyd Memorial Fund, Baltimore Ceasefire, Run With Maud, The Okra Project, Columbia Community Care.

As we continue to march, to speak out, to support, to empathize, to organize, to break down and to rebuild, we believe the future is hopeful as we disrupt any inherently racist spaces and protect Black Lives. This does not mean the journey will be easy or simple. We must keep fighting injustices in our world, as our persistence will lead to our very liberation.

GENERAL INFO

︎March against white supremacy and vigil to honor George Floyd and all the victims of police brutality

︎March from AMC Theatre parking lot to Columbia Lakefront for the vigil

︎June 2nd March @ 4 PM

︎Who: Organizers, allies, youth, residents, and non-residents of Hoco

STATEMENT

We need your help. Recently there have been a lot of untrue accusations made in bad faith about our movement from different avenues, some expected, some not. Baseless and harmful claims that are exponentially more dangerous than the intentions of any single protestors that will be present. Claims that we are violent. Claims that we are juvenile. Claims that we are groundstanding. We have reiterated through every step of this event that it is a peaceful event and violence is not welcome. We are not juvenile, we are youth-led, we are capable of trying to protect our futures. We are not grandstanding. We are raising awareness and calling for action. We are not pandering to the media, we are demanding justice.

So we need your help. It is the burden of us all to fight these claims that attempt to derail the movement. It is our responsibility to not engage with opposition who intends to misconstrue our intentions and harms us and our perception. It is our duty to have a safe, peaceful, and powerful protest.

WHO WE ARE

In response to many questions and concerns about our identity and legitimacy as the youth collective “Hoco For Justice” and “Hoco 4 Floyd”:

We are a predominantly Black and Brown youth collective residing in the Howard County area.

We are not officially sponsored by any organization or corporation and will be trying to keep our organizers safe by keeping their personal information private. However, in collaboration with different on the ground organizations, we will be using our platform to highlight their efforts in supporting Black lives and working tirelessly for their justice.

We assure you that this is a movement of the people and for the people.

In saying this, we are reiterating that our event and our collective does not condone any sort of violence or looting.

This is a peaceful march and vigil and our main efforts are to come together as a community to honor the lives stolen at the hands of white supremacy and police brutality.

Hoco 4 Floyd.

PRESS&MENTIONS

Youth-led group behind Columbia’s Black Lives Matter protest discusses what it takes to organize in 2020

THINGS YOU CAN READ

︎The New Jim Crow
︎Washington Post on Racism in Glenelg/Howard County
︎Baltimore Sun on Racist Video from Mount Hebron Students
︎Mother Jones on Racists Protesting Redistricting.
︎Black Revolutionary Texts

PLACES YOU CAN DONATE

︎Cashapp
︎Venmo
︎Gofundme
︎George Floyd Memorial Fund
︎Baltimore Ceasefire
︎Run with Maud
︎The Okra Project
︎Columbia Community Care
︎Good Kids Mad City Baltimore - Venmo - Paypal - CashApp.