Who We Are
In 2018, the family member organizations decided to define their association as a loosely affiliated network. A group of family organization directors developed a planning committee to create membership criteria and a structure to guide the work of the members. The first 15 official members of the Network were chosen on February 27th 2018. Twelve Executive Board Members and three Auxiliary Board Members.
Families United 4 Justice is a growing frontline collective of families affected by police violence who has committed their lives to assist impacted families of police violence. In 2011, the National Coordinator of October 22nd Coalition, the longest-running anti-police brutality organization in the US, Monica Shay, was brutally gunned down along with other members of her family in a mass shooting over Independence Day weekend. Monica was an incredibly powerful and loyal advocate for families affected by police violence in New York and across the nation, and her death severely interrupted the advocacy work being done to service and support families. For years, along with the Anthony Baez Foundation and National Lawyer’s Guild, she spearheaded the Stolen Lives Project an archival project documenting thousands of police violence cases across the nation. The youth of October 22nd Coalition scrambled to re-organize the organization and delegate tasks but their efforts were ineffective. For the first time in years, active family members reported there was no longer an organizing space for them.
In 2013, Niece of police violence victim Alberta Spruill (killed by NYPD in Harlem, NY, May 16, 2003), Cynthia Howell, attended an October 22nd Coalition event in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she was not acknowledged as a family member of a police violence victim. When she brought this up to the organizers, they responded with, “police brutality affects everyone, not just family members.” Enraged, she decided it was time to create a safe organizing space for families where they can organize collectively while comforting each other. In the Fall of 2014, with the aid of long-time family advocate, Vanissa W. Chan, Cynthia called for Families United 4 Justice initial meetings at the May Day Space, a convergence space for activists in Brooklyn, New York. The name Families United 4 Justice (FU4J) was decided upon democratically by several family members present at these meetings.
Like Cynthia, Uncle Bobby was enraged that there was no real and sustainable support system for impacted families of police violence. He launched the Families United for Justice Campaign on the West Coast, Oakland California in 2013.
On October 25, 2013, at the Eastside Art Alliance in Oakland California, Uncle Bobby and his wife Beatrice X, under their organization, Love Not Blood Campaign, held one of many campaigns to unite families from different parts of the country.
Cephus “Uncle Bobby X” Johnson, uncle of police murder victim, Oscar Grant of Oakland California, and his wife, Beatrice X Johnson co-founded the California chapter of FU4J in 2013; and the late Cynthia Howell, niece of police murder victim, Alberta Spruill of Harlem, New York, co-founded the New York chapter in 2014. Cynthia Howell and Cephus “Uncle Bobby X” Johnson were featured panelists at a Forced Trajectory Project presentation at the Allied Media Conference in 2015, where the collaboration to create a joint national Families United 4 Justice network began.
This collaboration led us to organize our first FU4J National Network Gathering Conference that took place at the Allied Media Conference hosted by Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan last June 2017. With hard work and the support of our vast community that stretches farther than the nation’s borders, we successfully raised enough donations that supported 50 family members impacted by police murder to attend; paying for their registration, travel, accommodations, and food.
At our first self-organized National Network Gathering, we were joined by concerned citizens, community organizers, artists, legal services professionals, mental health care professionals and alternative healers, to collectively contribute to the discussion. Our experience was so fruitful that we have decided to expand our growth and network, and continue in the tradition of convening annually. This year we will be hosting our 2nd National Network Gathering Conference in Oakland, California, on June 28th-July 1st. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to subsidize 50 family members impacted by police murder to partake, paying for their, travel, accommodations, and food. Reimbursing, all registration paid by impacted family members.
Mission:
Our collective vision is to build a united nationwide movement of families impacted by police violence and be at the front line of the anti-police brutality movement. It is also a part of our vision to build a toolkit to serve as a resource to families affected by police violence, and distribute it nationwide.
Vision:
“Collective” means everyone, and that means your input matters too. What do you envision as being a part of our collective vision as Families United 4 Justice?
Knowing that Cephus “Uncle Bobby” X Johnson, the Uncle of police violence victim, Oscar Grant, had been actively connecting and organizing with families on the West Coast, FU4J reached out to him to discuss the potential of expanding FU4J nationally. In October, 2014, Uncle Bobby called into one of the first meetings where we discussed establishing and expanding FU4J.
Thus cumulating to this historic Families United 4 Justice Network Gathering, the largest convening of families affected by police violence ever, organized FOR families BY families.
Families United 4 Justice is a growing frontline collective of families affected by police violence who has committed their lives to assist impacted families of police violence. In 2011, the National Coordinator of October 22nd Coalition, the longest-running anti-police brutality organization in the US, Monica Shay, was brutally gunned down along with other members of her family in a mass shooting over Independence Day weekend. Monica was an incredibly powerful and loyal advocate for families affected by police violence in New York and across the nation, and her death severely interrupted the advocacy work being done to service and support families. For years, along with the Anthony Baez Foundation and National Lawyer’s Guild, she spearheaded the Stolen Lives Project an archival project documenting thousands of police violence cases across the nation. The youth of October 22nd Coalition scrambled to re-organize the organization and delegate tasks but their efforts were ineffective. For the first time in years, active family members reported there was no longer an organizing space for them.
In 2013, Niece of police violence victim Alberta Spruill (killed by NYPD in Harlem, NY, May 16, 2003), Cynthia Howell, attended an October 22nd Coalition event in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she was not acknowledged as a family member of a police violence victim. When she brought this up to the organizers, they responded with, “police brutality affects everyone, not just family members.” Enraged, she decided it was time to create a safe organizing space for families where they can organize collectively while comforting each other. In the Fall of 2014, with the aid of long-time family advocate, Vanissa W. Chan, Cynthia called for Families United 4 Justice initial meetings at the May Day Space, a convergence space for activists in Brooklyn, New York. The name Families United 4 Justice (FU4J) was decided upon democratically by several family members present at these meetings.
Like Cynthia, Uncle Bobby was enraged that there was no real and sustainable support system for impacted families of police violence. He launched the Families United for Justice Campaign on the West Coast, Oakland California in 2013.
On October 25, 2013, at the Eastside Art Alliance in Oakland California, Uncle Bobby and his wife Beatrice X, under their organization, Love Not Blood Campaign, held one of many campaigns to unite families from different parts of the country.
Cephus “Uncle Bobby X” Johnson, uncle of police murder victim, Oscar Grant of Oakland California, and his wife, Beatrice X Johnson co-founded the California chapter of FU4J in 2013; and the late Cynthia Howell, niece of police murder victim, Alberta Spruill of Harlem, New York, co-founded the New York chapter in 2014. Cynthia Howell and Cephus “Uncle Bobby X” Johnson were featured panelists at a Forced Trajectory Project presentation at the Allied Media Conference in 2015, where the collaboration to create a joint national Families United 4 Justice network began.
This collaboration led us to organize our first FU4J National Network Gathering Conference that took place at the Allied Media Conference hosted by Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan last June 2017. With hard work and the support of our vast community that stretches farther than the nation’s borders, we successfully raised enough donations that supported 50 family members impacted by police murder to attend; paying for their registration, travel, accommodations, and food.
At our first self-organized National Network Gathering, we were joined by concerned citizens, community organizers, artists, legal services professionals, mental health care professionals and alternative healers, to collectively contribute to the discussion. Our experience was so fruitful that we have decided to expand our growth and network, and continue in the tradition of convening annually. This year we will be hosting our 2nd National Network Gathering Conference in Oakland, California, on June 28th-July 1st. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to subsidize 50 family members impacted by police murder to partake, paying for their, travel, accommodations, and food. Reimbursing, all registration paid by impacted family members.
Mission:
Our collective vision is to build a united nationwide movement of families impacted by police violence and be at the front line of the anti-police brutality movement. It is also a part of our vision to build a toolkit to serve as a resource to families affected by police violence, and distribute it nationwide.
Vision:
“Collective” means everyone, and that means your input matters too. What do you envision as being a part of our collective vision as Families United 4 Justice?
Knowing that Cephus “Uncle Bobby” X Johnson, the Uncle of police violence victim, Oscar Grant, had been actively connecting and organizing with families on the West Coast, FU4J reached out to him to discuss the potential of expanding FU4J nationally. In October, 2014, Uncle Bobby called into one of the first meetings where we discussed establishing and expanding FU4J.
Thus cumulating to this historic Families United 4 Justice Network Gathering, the largest convening of families affected by police violence ever, organized FOR families BY families.
