Your Voices

Are You Ready to Die for Justice? Frisco Five Were.

May 18, 2016May 18, 2016 Jamal Carter #HungerForJustice, frisco5, hungryforjustice, thefriscofive

Over the last few years, American Black community has witnessed too many police killings of women, men, and children of color. We are tired of it, and all around America, we stand up against police violence. Two recent police shootings of Black men in San Francisco became the final straw for the citizens of the city. On April 21, a 17-day hunger strike began. Five demonstrators, called the “Frisco Five”, have been refusing to eat until San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr resigns or is fired. I managed to have a telephone interview with Edwin Lindo, one of the Frisco 5 activists. It is funny that when I reached him he said that he was busy having lunch. That's how I knew that the hunger strike is over. Maybe because of this, maybe because of the tiredness of the protester the interview came out short but emotional.

blackmattersus.com

Hello, Edwin! We are glad to have you with us today! Could you please tell us the reason for your joining the Frisco 5?

Edwin Lindo

I joined because of the increase in racial discrimination, huge challenges dealing with police brutality especially against the people of color. The issue had gone unnoticed and we needed to raise it and we sure needed to start with the leadership of San Francisco police department.

blackmattersus.com

Are you afraid of any persecution from police or people who didn’t like the idea of the hunger strike?

Edwin Lindo

We thought about it. That’s very well possible and that might happen. But if we are going to be scared of any type of retribution then they are winning, and we don’t want to allow that to happen. The fact that we are willing to put our safety and our lives on the line says a lot about how much we are prepared to deal with this issue.

blackmattersus.com

What was the reason for the brutal encounter with the police when 25 protesters were arrested? How could police attack you if you were just sitting in the community hall on a hunger strike? What happened to the police involved? Were they reported?

Edwin Lindo

We weren’t there but there were supporters of the Frisco 5 and police got incredibly aggressive with them. Actually, there was a public disorder which ended up with one hospitalized with the bruised rib. Nothing was done about it. The police involved walked free!

blackmattersus.com

The hunger strike lasted 17 days. What led to the ending of this protest?

Edwin Lindo

The community came out and said that they and the police chief won’t let us die. The community saved us saying “We can’t have you hurt yourself, we can’t have you die, so we are going to save you and we will continue this – fight together to end injustices in this country.”

blackmattersus.com

Thank you for your time, Edwin. BlackMattersUS team wishes you a good health. My last question will be whether you have any regrets for joining this protest.

Edwin Lindo

Thank you! Not at all. I’m nicely privileged to have the opportunity to join hunger strikers. It changed my life forever!

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