When the video of the cold-blooded execution of Daniel Shaver by a barbaric cop, Philip Brailsford, was released to the public, we all saw yet another case of abuse of the monopoly on violence that is possessed by the state. We saw the court system confirm this atrocity when it absolved the officer of guilt, and brought continued suffering to a family longing for justice. This situation is not unique; every similar case results in compounded violence.
While the white supremacist system’s foundation relies on the destruction of black life, the Daniel Shaver execution demonstrates the continued and gradual expansion of state violence. The most gratuitous and systematic violence from the state, like the murders of Tamir Rice or Eric Garner, are fundamentally rooted in the anti-black nature of the social/political system. It is this violence that we relentlessly combat. However, this violence will often stray from its original target either by creating new ‘enemies’ or by empowering the members of its armed forces to go to any length to shore up their authoritarian control.
When the system fails to bring about justice, people must bring about justice themselves. For this reason, Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement chapters dropped banners in four areas: the Inland Empire and North Bay in California, Connecticut and New York. We dedicate our actions to Daniel Shaver, to Dwayne Jeune, to Andy Lopez, to Jayson Negron, to Zoe Dowdell and to all those murdered by the state.
No more state terror!
No more police violence!
Justice for Daniel Shaver!
-Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement
Jan 2018