(NOTE:  Donations that are solicited after signing this petition are being solicited by change.org -- not the organizers of this campaign and all monies donated will go to change.org, not Lisa Davis,  or The Black is Back Coalition.  Making a donation is not required to sign the petition, and if one chooses not to do so, please click the option to share instead.)

 

DEMAND THAT THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY DROP THE BOGUS CHARGES AGAINST LISA DAVIS, THE VICE CHAIR OF THE BLACK IS BACK COALITION.   (She is scheduled to go trial on 2/21/25 in South Orange, New Jersey.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On March 31, 2024, Lisa Davis, was the only African woman attending a demonstration in the predominately white suburb Of South Orange, New Jersey ,  These are weekly vigils, organized by the SOMA (South Orange /Maplewood) Collective for Palestine, which opposes the Israel-US genocide.   Lisa attends these vigils regularly in her role as Vice Chair and leader of the Black Is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations'  Political Action Working Group.   On the 31st she was violently confronted by a raving zionist, who ran out into the street when the crowd interceded.      

After police arrived they protected the white man, and chose to instead target Lisa Davis, who subsequently received two summonses in the mail where Officer Ryan Naturale maliciously and falsely accused her of organizing a special event without a permit and of engaging in loud, continuous, noise via the use of an amplification device.   And the State of New Jersey is now charging her and bringing her to court.  These allegations are untrue as she is not the organizer of these protests and nor does she lead the chants.  

Below are two videos from different angles of what happened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moreover, in the police report regarding the incident with Ms. Davis (it should be noted that she is referred to as the "suspect"), Naturale states that in the township of South Orange one does NOT need a permit to march; and that protestors had earlier approached the police about the route they were going to take.   Naturale further states that officers had observed protestors using bullhorns throughout the demonstration, including Ms. Davis.  But yet the police approached no one about using a bullhorn or about making excessive noise.   In fact, the only one the police detained at the scene was the unhinged man, who was then transported to a hospital.    Everyone else, including Ms. Davis was allowed to leave without apparent incident.    It wasn't until several days later, when Ms. Davis received these scurrilous, bogus charges that she learned that Naturale had filed false complaints against her. 

 

It is clear from these videos that it is the white zionist who was the aggressor, but that the state is protecting him, and is instead deliberately targeting Black activist, Lisa Davis.  New Jersey has a long and brutal history of police brutality against Black and Brown people.   It is the state that made racial profiling a part of the vernacular when in 1998 four Black and Brown young men were shot by state troopers multiple times while they were driving to a college basketball game.  

 

The Force Report, which is the most comprehensive database detailing the the use of force by police in New Jersey,  published a study showing that not much had changed since 1998  and that hundreds of police around the state were still  using brutal force and engaging in police brutality at alarming rates.   And in South Orange, it found that Black people were 844% more likely to encounter police brutality than white people. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Black Is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations demands the following: 

1.  That the false charges against Lisa Davis be dropped!   
2. That South Orange and the State of NJ pay reparations to Lisa Davis for violating her first amendment free speech rights; for racially profiling her; for harassment,  and for bringing false charges against her.     And that these entities also pay reparations to the broader Black community in South Orange for fostering a hostile climate of harassment, racial profiling and police brutality against the Black community. 
3.  That Officer Naturale, the officer who made the false complaint against Lisa Davis, be immediately fired and that a comprehensive criminal investigation be conducted against him for filing false reports.
4. That their be a comprehensive investigation into the  South Orange Police Department and the municipal prosecutor's office of Gracia Robert Montilus

 

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OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BLACK IS BACK COALITION THAT THE STATE IS DELIBERATELY TARGETTING. 

Omali Yeshitela - the Chair of the Black Is Back Coalition and the founder of the Uhuru Movement,  is facing 10-15 years in prison for speaking out against US Imperialism and for condemning the US proxy war with Russia.   Everyone should be very concerned about this case, because he is being prosecuted for issues pertaining to speech.  This prosecution is a clear violation of  everyone's first amendment rights.   He and two other members of the Uhuru Movement (known as the Uhuru 3)are facing 10-15 years in prison and the trial is scheduled to start on 9/3/24.   Please go to Hands Off Uhuru for more information. 

Amanda Wallace - a social worker who became a whistle blower to speak out against the unfair practices of  Child Protective Services.  She is the founder of Operation Stop CPS and the state of North Carolina is seeking to prosecute her for using office equipment during her employment with North Carolina CPS.   Please go to:  bit.ly/AW-drop-all-charges-toolkit

Belinda Parker Brown - CEO of Louisiana United International.   The State of Louisiana is unjustly coming after her for advocacy on behalf of the rights of incarcerated people, and poor people in her community in Louisiana.  Please click here.  

In addition to signing this petition, we ask you to stay connected to the Black Is Back Coalition to follow these cases as well.