Updated Sat, June 20th 2020
*UPDATE*
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Hey everyone,
I know we've been a bit quiet the past week or so, we've been "stuck" in Portugal after leaving our flat in Porto. Basically, we've been waiting to hear to see if we could get a ferry back to England from Spain, rather than having to drive my beaten up car all the way back to Calais in France.
We also got blocked from Instagram for a week so it's been an inevitable detox but definitely no good for the business. Turns out Instagram decided that we were a 'spam' account - basically they just want us to pay for ads but hey ho.
Anyway, enough about us.
I need to get back on to updating this master list with the latest resources, but we've just been rammed with everything especially as we only just recently launched the website. It also seems there are some really good in-depth resources out there already, so it might be worth us just linking you to those. We'll get on it. It's just been a hectic time as we've been tweaking, adapting, re-shooting, planning and just generally freaking out about everything but we finally got a date and we're leaving this Wednesday.
But here's the ACTUAL update.
We're super stoked to announce that we've not only just got one artist on board to work with us on a collaboration sneaker to raise money. And we've not just got two. We've got three!!
They're all super, super awesome and incredibly talented, we'll do a reveal super soon.
It. Is. Going. To. Be. Amazing.
They've just finished their designs and they are honestly another level. We'll be posting again from tomorrow (as the ban is lifted), so we'll be doing some previews of the sneakers and you'll soon be able to enter the raffle for between £5 and £10 a ticket to get your hands on a pair!
All of the money raised will be going to charities selected by the artists themselves. We are paying for the manufacturing + materials. We'll release some more information over the next few days.
Let's keep the momentum going to all do better and be better.
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ORIGINAL POST
Hello everyone,
As you may already be aware, we're looking at ways in which we, as a start-up, can get involved in helping fight the war against racism.
We recently wrote a blog, which you can take a look at here about an idea that we had. We were looking for a Black artist to collaborate with so they can showcase their work on our sneaker to create a custom pair. We are currently working on this right now and we'll be releasing an update soon! We will be donating all of the money, including our manufacturing costs to a relevant cause, chosen by the artist themselves, which is still to be confirmed.
We have received a few other offers and we are currently looking at what else we can do, as the sneaker will be put up on our website as part of a raffle, where tickets can be bought between £5 and £10 (tbc). If you're interested in donating something for the cause, please get in touch.
We'd like to use this space as a place to regularly update you with the latest ways you can help, where you can donate, sign petitions and more. Please, if you have any updates or suggestions, leave them in the comments below.
We are only a small, two-person team, so any help would be greatly appreciated.
take action now
Here are the petitions we've found so far below, which you can sign and get your voice heard! It only takes a few moments.
Black Lives Matter - Defund the Police:
https://blacklivesmatter.com/defundthepolice/
Justice for George Floyd:
Set up on May 26th by a 15-year-old girl, Kellen, who comes from a small town in North Oregon. Her goal was to get this petition in front of the Minneapolis mayor and district attorney to get the police officers responsible for Floyd's death fired and charged. The petition has now broken the record on Change.org for the most signatures in the world (13 million as of 17:00 on Wednesday, June 3rd 2020)! Let's keep it going!
Sign the petition now:
https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd
Sign the petition on Color of Change:
Raise The Degree:
This petition is to remove bail for Derek Chauvin, the murderer of George Floyd.
Sign the petition now via the whitehouse site:
or via Change.org:
Click here to sign the Change.org petition
Arrest The Other Three:
Whilst Derek Chauvin was arrested and charged for the murder of George Floyd on May 29th, 2020, three other officers involved were not.
Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng need to be charged for their involvement in Floyd's murder.
Sign the petition to help bring justice to George Floyd's family by prosecuting the other three.
Sign the petition now:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/arrest-other-three
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery (Requires a US ZIP code - use any number between 85001 to 85055):
Ahmaud Arbery, a fit athlete, was out jogging near his home on a Sunday afternoon in Brunswick, Georgia on February 23, 2020, when two white supremacists saw him, got their guns, got in a truck, chased him down, pulled up next to him, shot him at least two times, and killed him right there on the spot. Ahmaud was unarmed, broke no laws, and did nothing wrong. He was only 25 years old when he died.
The attackers were Gregory McMichael, a former police officer and retired investigator for the DA’s office, and his son Travis. When Gregory saw Ahmaud running in his predominantly white neighborhood, Satilla Shores, he and his son immediately armed themselves with a shotgun and a 357 magnum, hopped into their pickup truck, chased him down, and shot him.
Sign the petition now:
Justice for Tony McDade:
Tony McDade was a transgender Black man who got killed by police in Tallahassee. As of right now I haven’t seen many people talking about this, but I would really like to get his name out there. It would be very appreciated if you could sign this petition and encourage others to do so as well.
Sign the petition now:
https://www.change.org/p/black-lives-matter-activists-justice-for-tony-mcdade
Justice for Breonna Taylor:
Breonna Taylor was an award-winning EMT and model citizen. She loved her family and community. She worked at two hospitals as an essential worker during the pandemic.
One month ago, a division of the Louisville Police Department performed an illegal, unannounced drug raid on her home. Not a single officer announced themselves before ramming down her door and firing 22 shots, shooting Breonna 8 times, killing her.
Not only were the police at the WRONG HOUSE, but the man they were looking for had already been arrested earlier that day.
Sign the petition now:
https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor
Justice for Sheku Bayoh:
Sheku Bayoh was detained in police custody in Kircaldy, near Edinburgh in Scotland on Sunday, May the 3rd. He didn't leave alive.
The family have stated that he was only 31 years old when he was suddenly and cruelly taken. His mother and three sisters are devastated and still in shock. He has also left 2 small sons aged 3 and 3 months and a loving partner.
The family still do not know how he died. All they know is that he was taken into police custody in the early hours of Sunday morning and how he has died. His family and friends want to know how and why. They are disappointed, hurt and upset that the police refuse to give them clear information of what occurred. They need Shek to rest and then his family can also begin to heal. They cannot do this until the truth is known.
Sign the petition now:
https://www.change.org/p/police-scotland-investigate-the-death-of-sheku-bayoh-in-police-custody
Justice for Belly Mujinga:
This petition exists to help find and prosecute the individual who assaulted Belly Mujinga at London Victoria whilst knowingly being infected with COVID-19. This cruel and senseless act of unprovoked violence ultimately likely lead to her death at the hands of this relentless virus and the hospitalisation of her colleague.
Sign the petition now:
https://www.change.org/p/govia-thameslink-justice-for-belly-mujinga
Mandatory Life Sentence for Police Brutality:
After so many deaths at the hands of police brutality, this petition calls for a mandatory life sentence.
Sign the petition now:
https://www.change.org/p/department-of-justice-mandatory-life-sentence-for-police-brutality
where you can donate
George Floyd's Memorial Fund:
You are able to directly support George Floyd's family at this terrible time.
Here's the link:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
The Minnesota Freedom Fund (https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/) has recently closed donations. They released this statement yesterday, Tuesday, June 2nd: "a week ago we were a small bail fund struggling to get anyone to listen about the harms of cash bail and pre-trial detention. We are now flooded with resources and we are going to take a beat while we marshal those. We have some big plays in mind."
Reclaim the Block has also received a huge influx of donations and have recently released the following list of organisations that need your support, they have said that "if you’re considering donating to Reclaim the Block this week, please consider giving to some of these other groups instead."
Each organisation is listed in alphabetical order and the relevant links are next to the names. Scroll through, have a look at each one and give to an organisation (or many!) which speak to you. Make sure to give them a follow, some likes and some comments on social media to help them out too!
We will be updating this list daily, but it is available via a Google Doc, which we'll share at the bottom of the list. **Starred organisations have been added in the last 24 hours, so may not have received as much support yet.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING LINKS ARE CLICKABLE THROUGH THE ORGANISATIONS NAME.
**Al Maa'uun - Al Maa'uun is a nonprofit with deep roots in North Minneapolis, serving thousands of households each year with food and critical supplies.
Black Immigrant Collective - The Black Immigrant Collective amplifies and makes visible the voices of Black immigrants in Minnesota.
Black Table Arts - Gathering Black communities through the arts, towards better black futures.
**Black Women Speak - Gathering Black Women in Minnesota to share our experiences in order to heal, find joy and move toward liberation on our own terms!
Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha - CTUL is a worker-led organization where workers organize, educate and empower each other to fight for a voice in their workplaces and in their communities.
**Division of Indian Work - Division of Indian Work’s mission is to support and strengthen urban American Indian people through culturally-based education, traditional healing approaches, and leadership development. We provide many services to the community but the most relevant one right now is our food shelf.
Du Nord Riot Recovery Fund - Du Nord Craft Spirits is a Black-owned distillery with a building that was damaged. They’ve “received a tidal wave of love and support from across the nation and many have asked how they can help… Therefore, Du Nord is establishing this fund to support Black and brown companies affected by the riots.”
Femme Empowerment Project- Venmo @femmeempowermentproject. Skill shares and discussions led by and for QTIIBPOC femmes in the twin cities. Creating space for cultural resiliency, healing and ancestral wisdom. Currently organizing supplies and medic trainings.
**Joyce Preschool - emergency fund for families who had to evacuate their homes near Lake Street last week, and who are now coming back to a devastated neighborhood with no grocery stores within walking distance.
**Latino Community on Lake Street - fundraiser for Latinx owned businesses on Lake Street.
Little Earth Residents Association - Food and safety needs for residents of Little Earth of United Tribes.
Migizi Communications - MIGIZI Communications advances a message of success, well-being and justice for the American Indian community. Support them rebuilding after fire.
Minnesota Healing Justice Network - We provide a supportive professional community and mutual aid network for wellness and healing justice practitioners who also identify as IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, or People of Color).
Northside business support - support businesses on Minneapolis’s Northside that have been impacted by recent demonstrations.
Powwow Grounds - send via paypal to angelswann2021@gmail.com - Native-run cafe, currently providing meals to elders, protectors and community, purchasing medical supplies, fire supplies, cooking supplies.
**PPNA - Renters Support Fund - operated by the Minneapolis Renters' Coalition, a group of residents, community organizations, and neighborhood organizations committed to supporting renters in our community.
Southside Harm Reduction- Southside Harm Reduction Services works within a harm reduction framework to promote the human rights to health, safety, autonomy, and agency among people who use substances.
Spiral Collective - A volunteer full-spectrum reproductive options and support group comprised of doulas, birth-workers, and passionate reproductive justice advocates. based in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, occupied Dakhóta territories.
**TC Care Collective - South-Minneapolis based rad worker-owned childcare co-op working to provide easy access childcare by and for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and queer organisers and families.
**West Broadway Business and Area Coalition - WBC in partnership with Northside Funders Group will direct all donations to support Northside businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19 and the recent uprising.
Women for Political Change - Holistically investing in the leadership and political power of young women and trans & non-binary individuals throughout Minnesota.
Unicorn Riot - A decentralized media organization that has been live-streaming uprisings
You can also stay up to date with Reclaim the Block's list here. Feel free to bookmark this page and check back - we will be regularly updating and adding more to this page as much as we can.
how to donate with no money
*MAKE SURE TO TURN YOUR ADBLOCKER OFF*
If you don't have the money to donate to one of the causes above, then you can watch this video by Zoe Amira.
This video project was created to offer people a way to donate and financially contribute to Black Lives Matter without having any actual money or going out to protest themselves.
Investing in our future can be difficult for young people, so 100% of the advertisement revenue this video makes through AdSense will be donated to the associations that offer protester bail funds, help pay for family funerals, and advocacy listed in the beginning of the video.
PLEASE share this video, make sure to leave the ads running, repeat the video, and let people know about this as an easy way to help.
who to follow on instagram
Kingslee James McLean Daley, better known by the stage name Akala, is a British rapper, journalist, author, activist and poet from Kentish Town, London.
Black Lives Matter is an international human rights movement. It originated in the African-American community, but has grown to be one of the largest that now campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards Black people.
BLVC is committed to a long term vision in which ALL Black lives not only matter, but are able to thrive. Through the development of powerful strategic campaigns, they seek to expand the power of Black people across the Twin Cities metro area and Minnesota.
Color of Change designs campaigns powerful enough to end practices that unfairly hold Black people back and champions solutions that move us all forward.
Josh Rivers is the head of communications at UK Black Pride. He is also the creator, host and producer of his own podcast Busy Being Black, which explores life as a queer Black person. You can follow that on Instagram here or view his website here.
Kelechi is an actor, director and co-founder of her own dance studio near Peckham Rye Station in London. She is also a host of the Say Your Mind Podcast which you can also follow here.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund pays criminal bails and immigration bond for those who can’t afford to as we seek to end discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing.
Reclaim the Block is a coalition that demands that Minneapolis divests from policing and invest in long-term alternatives.
Reni is an activist and writer and author of the book 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race"
Temi Coker is a photographer and graphic designer based in Dallas, Texas.
UK Black Pride celebrates the LGBTQIA people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent, as well as their friends, lovers and families. Check out their site here.
Unicorn Riot is a decentralised, educational non-profit media organisation that is dedicated to exposing the root causes of dynamic social and environmental issues. They have recently been live streaming the uprisings and you can donate to them here.
can you help us to help?
We will keep updating this page so make sure to bookmark it and check back regularly.
If you have any feedback or suggestions on content then please put them in the comments below so we can add it to this master list. Alternatively, send us an e-mail here or get in touch with us on Instagram @trashplanetofficial.