Those that make a difference: #Black Lives Matter South Florida, March For Justice

Those that make a difference: #Black Lives Matter South Florida, March For Justice

Satchell and Bryson

Staff Writer

         As 2015 rolls in many in the south Florida region are focused on New Year’s resolutions, workout regimes and back to school activities.  Yet, two women in the heart of Fort Lauderdale, Florida have been stead-fastly working for the last 30 days to make sure that the legacy of some of our greatest leaders and activist does not get diminished,  and the future of new activist is ignited by put-ting together the #BLACK LIVES MATTER SOUTH FLORIDA, MARCH FOR JUSTICE.

When Jocelyn Satchell, a 30 year old full-time wife, hair-dresser and college student received a call from her Pastor about having a March in Broward County all she could think of was the words she had been seeing everywhere #BlackLivesMatter!

While contemplating an already packed Christmas schedule, hair appointments and a upcoming full course load for January, she could have easily said no.

She could have said that she was honestly just too busy.

Then she realized one thing, “my social posts are not enough”.

According to Jocelyn, she began to ask herself a few questions, including “Can I do anything to improve this issue? How fed up do I have to be before it calls me to action?  I realized I can no longer make a few posts and complain to my family that I can’t take watching any more Black husbands, brothers, and sons be killed off with no more regard than cattle. I realized that the time for action is now!”

“Broward County has been my home over 25 years. My grandfather was a business owner of Jones Appliance on Sistrunk Boulevard.  My father, Herman Jones served over 25 years in the military and my mother, Patricia Jones grew up in Mount Olive Baptist Church and has been a pharmacist for over 20 years. She was also my home school teacher! I am strongly tied to and passionate about this community.”

Dr. Rosetta Bryson, who conceived the idea for the Florida March for Justice, says, “making a difference is never comfortable or convenient.

“ Injustice and inaction are kissing cousins. I specifically ask Jocelyn to be a part because she has passion.  One person with passion can outsmart, out think, and out hustle 100 people who love to talk but never try to change their situation. I believe the newest thought leaders of our time are not just in Silicon Valley, but are right here on the streets, making a difference”.

So two women who are the epitome of the word “GIRL POWER” then began to plan South Florida’s biggest Black Lives Matter March for Justice.  Within a small office and an all volunteer staff they are staging what will be a call to action for people in the South Florida Region.  Initially their attempt to address a national issue seemed overwhelming.

According to Reverend Bryson, “Leaders Lead.  Period.”

“Nearly everyone we called said the same thing, “I’ve been waiting for something to happen here. So here we are. We now have small and large businesses supporting our cause. She went on to say ‘Jocelyn and I were happily surprised by the universal support of various pockets in this region who believe white silence equals white consent.”

Black Lives Matter South Florida now has the support of lawyers from the Dream Defenders, National Lawyers Guild, National Action Network, the National Panhellenic Council, local bail bondsman and coalition of Non-African American supporters not including increasing support from elected officials.

So with a little perseverance and some radical young people, what started off as a grassroots desire to address the injustice in this region has now become a full fledged group with a mission and desired results.  All of which can be seen on their website www.blacklivesmattersouthflorida.com.

Their issues include:

• Demanding the State of Florida to appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute all criminal cases involving the use of force, including deadly force, by police officers, and in particular, immediately appoint a Special Prosecutor.
• Demanding The State of Florida create comprehensive statewide training for all officers – to include crisis intervention, harm reduction and de-escalation skills that eliminates racial bias and police brutality, and  an immediate end to racial profiling, which overwhelmingly targets Black and brown communities with aggressive quality of life policing and enforcement
• The end of “school-to-prison pipeline” that targets youth of color and has created a generation of youth growing up incarcerated, and end the criminalization of young people in the Florida school systems,
• And the immediate passage of a Florida Right to Know Act. The state of Florida and all localities engage in complete transparency in regards to profiling, search and seizure practices, and to provide all public data on police practices including summonses, arrests and detention practices, just to name a few.