06/19/2020
The members of HAVN posted a statement in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement on Tuesday, June 9th. The statement was taken down without explanation or notice.
Find it reposted below.
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Along with many of you, the members of Hamilton Audio Visual Node (HAVN) have watched the devastating events of the past few weeks – the numerous examples of state-sponsored brutality and injustice against racialized bodies – unfold in real time, and we are distressed, saddened and furious. Unfortunately, we are not shocked by the reality of white supremacy and the disproportionate violence our Black and Indigenous communities continue to face, though these actions leave us outraged.
Our members unequivocally denounce the despicable police violence that has led to the deaths of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, D’Andre Campbell, Eishia Hudson, Jason Collins, Stewart Kevin Andrews, Everett Patrick, Chantel Moore, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, as well as Phonesay Chanthachak and Quinn MacDougall in Hamilton. We mourn the loss of all these young lives at the hands of those mandated to “serve and protect” our communities. We demand justice for the families of these victims, and all who are murdered through police violence.
HAVN members call on our supporters and the greater arts community in Hamilton to recognize our complicity in the daily realities of systemic oppression, to stand vocally and actively against institutionalized anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, and to do better now and in the future. We encourage Hamiltonians to listen to organizers across the city who have worked tirelessly on anti-oppression and decolonization initiatives, to learn from these voices, and to support organizations working to dismantle white supremacy. We encourage you to look for ways to help: financial donations, signal-boosting, volunteering, attending protests, signing petitions, writing support letters, endorsing progressive candidates who share the same goal of defunding the police, fundraising for social justice organizations, having difficult conversations with friends and family, reflecting on internalized racism, holding ourselves accountable, and taking actions to dismantle and resist white supremacy. We must all find ways to use our platform to change the system.
HAVN is committed to creating a community that treats everyone equally and with dignity. We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment or racism. We support the BIPOC artistic community in Hamilton and beyond, through partnerships, space for exhibitions, and amplifying the work of local organizations. Though we are committed to making HAVN a diverse and inclusive place for all who come through our doors, we know we have more work to do, individually and as a collective. For now, we are listening to local organizers and supporting campaigns to defund the police through protesting, petitions and letter writing. As well, our pals at HAVNrecords are donating all revenues from digital and physical album sales to Black Lives Matter - Toronto and National Bail Out. We encourage you to support these organizations, or donate locally to the Disability Justice Network of Ontario, Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, and/or the Coalition of Black and Racialized Artists (COBRA).
Neither the City of Hamilton nor the Hamilton Police Service (HPS) are innocent of perpetrating the state violence we have collectively witnessed. At the Hamilton Pride events last year, uniformed on-duty police officers willfully refused to serve and protect attendees who were under attack by white supremacists, out of spite for a small contingent of organizers who requested that they not place a recruitment booth at the event. Following Pride, white supremacist groups began an undisturbed weekly presence outside Hamilton City Hall even after numerous community members expressed feeling unsafe and threatened. Additionally, the HPS continues to engage in racially and socio-economically biased carding practices that have repeatedly been shown to disproportionately affect Black and houseless Hamiltonians, both minority populations in the city.
Petitions:
Sign onto the demand to defund the Hamilton Police: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4RDFMG4uisiE_OBN2-zbGURBBKjKxYjSkQJHwC5be4nl9Kw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR2ivCc6e23fUlLh9sdKNcMHTWqjkNZ-KGNRjc8ETOP83eXg0yquMk5BADI
Demand Justice for Regis Korchinski-Paquet: https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-regis-korchinski-paquet
Email McMaster University administrators and request the removal of constable DeCaire. A template, including a list of relevant emails, can be found here: https://pad.riseup.net/p/r.9e0cee735150b76cf3288a5224abb086?fbclid=IwAR3ZRlQcoDRtn3AUdY5CRkyg_M1I-L5D2KjY8pllr1dVXAudsqYttawkRak
Donate:
Black Lives Matter https://blacklivesmatter.ca/
National Bail Out https://secure.actblue.com/donate/freeblackmamas2020
Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion https://hcci.ca/
Disability Justice Network of Ontario https://www.djno.ca/
Coalition of Black and Racialized Artists (COBRA) https://cobrahamilton.weebly.com/
Other resources:
Black Youth Helpline https://blackyouth.ca
Afro Canadian Caribbean Association Hamilton
Rafiki Hamilton https://rafikihamilton.com/
The SPACE Youth Centre https://spaceyouth.ca/
Hamilton Regional Indian Centre https://www.hric.ca/
Empowerment squared https://empowermentsquared.org/
Hamilton Youth Poets http://www.hamiltonyouthpoets.org/
In solidarity,
Hamilton Audio Visual Node
Hello and welcome to our multicultural Helpline & Services for Children, Youth, Families, School Boards & other youth serving organizations. First established by volunteers in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1992 and since 2003 In Ontario, Black Youth Helpline (BYH) has been grounded in a spirit of service to...
