APTP returns to Home Depot to hold protest for women’s lives stolen by police terror

(Oakland, CA) – On Thursday, May 21st, from 4:30-6:30 pm, the Anti Police-Terror Project will hold a rally and action to uplift the stories and faces of Black and Brown women stolen by state terror in the parking lot of the Emeryville Home Depot.

“We are holding the action at Home Depot because that is where the series of events that led to the murder of Yuvette Henderson began,” said Rebecca Ruiz of the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP). “We have asked Home Depot repeatedly for the video footage of their security guard’s assault on Yuvette and they have continued to ignore us. We are hopeful that continued pressure will encourage them to do the right thing and tell Yuvette’s family what happened to her inside that store.”

APTP will also launch its Invisible Victims campaign on May 21st. This campaign will utilize communications, organizing, advocacy and policy to highlight the hundreds of forgotten women that die at the hands of police every year.

“Every month, we will highlight a different woman of color who have died at the hands of the police,” said Mollie Costello of The Alan Blueford Center for Justice and APTP. “If there is still organizing happening around the case, we will mobilize our base to support. If not, we will simply tell their story to anyone who will listen. We are determined that these women not be forgotten. Their lives mattered.”

Thursday’s event is in solidarity with a call from the Black Youth Project for a national day of action uplifting Black women’s lives.

“Most people can name the men killed by police,” said Cat Brooks, convener of APTP and co-chair of the ONYX Organizing Committee. “Women face a host of dangers at the hands of cops – everything from rape to murder – but no one is really talking about it.”

After a short (all-women) rally, event attendees will hand out flyers with the pictures and stories of Black and Brown women who have been killed by police, security guards or vigilantes.

“This isn’t about dividing Black men and women,” continued Brooks. “The liberation of Black people will only happen through the collective struggle for all of us. Women are half of the tragic story playing out for Black people in America. We must remember these women. We must speak their names.”

Following the rally, APTP will join the Oakland BYP chapter for a march in downtown Oakland.


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