Sadly, incidents of violence between African-American men and largely-white police, security guards, and vigilantes are nothing new. The Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo. is just the latest example of when confrontations escalate from simple misunderstandings into something far more serious, and all too often, deadly.
The advocacy group Dream Defenders has launched a campaign to raise awareness of these issues, putting up the above billboard in Tallahassee, Fla. as part of their “Vote or Vest” initiative. While they are not advocating for any one particular ballot question or candidate, the campaign encourages voters to educate themselves and use the power of democracy to defeat police brutality.
They also have been using this video as part of their message:
The group’s website implores readers to “Vote on November 4th (and earlier, in Florida and most states), and let’s together take a stand on laws, like Stand Your Ground, that create fear and insecurity in our communities.” Their attention-getting advertisement sends a powerful message, but it will be interesting to see if it drives any dramatic reform come Election Day.
[via TPM]
