Juneteenth Noise Demo at Washtenaw County Adult & Child Jails

There was a solidarity noise demo at the Washtenaw County Adult & Child jails on Juneteenth to show solidarity with the prisoners there, who are disproportionately Black and working class. Abolitionist, Anarchist, and Communist demonstrators marched around the two jails for two hours drumming and chanting phrases like “Free them all,” and “We love you, we miss you, we won’t stop fighting for you.” Noise demonstrations have a radical history to show prisoners that they are not alone or forgotten as mass incarceration and poor prison conditions are the norm across this country. Some prisoners were confirmed to have heard the demonstrators on the inside.

Approximately 10 county sheriffs responded to harass demonstrators and move them further from the jail. They were met with boos and chants of “Quit your job,” and “Pigs go home.” When a demonstrator asked the cops “do you even know what Juneteenth means?” one responded “the end of slavery for Black people,” clearly unaware of the 13th amendment, which makes slavery legal for prisoners – who are disproportionately Black.

A poem of solidarity between Palestinians and Black Americans was played to highlight the connection between the U.S. police state and israeli military: Two ideologically aligned white supremacist entities that use the same technology, weapons, and tactics to murder or imprison Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized people deemed sub-human by their doctrines.

As all levels of governments repeatedly fail to make any meaningful changes to improve living conditions for the masses, they always find money for more police and military spending. The only path towards change is in the power of the people getting organized and taking action ourselves. Get plugged into fights against these systems of oppression, such as the military-backed quantum computing UM Data Center proposed for Ypsilanti Township.

As the fight for justice and liberation for all people continues, remember to take the advice of Lorenzo and JoNina Ervin (paraphrased): “Take care of each other and yourself. Look out for and love each other and hold each other accountable and stay ready because the people will rise up, our job is to support them when they do.”