"A guy is beaten, he’s kicked, he’s stomped, he’s pepper-sprayed, gagged (because they didn’t want him bleeding on them), and then left in a cell. Well, that’s the sort of stuff you expect in Guatemala, but it happened just fifteen or twenty minutes from here." |
"It doesn’t make our world any safer, doesn’t make law enforcement’s job any easier. It increases the level of resentment against law enforcement. And it’s plain just wrong" |
"All of this was illegal and inhumane and yet it was going to be sloughed under the rug." |
About Van Jones
Van Jones, born September 20, 1968, is an American environmental advocate, civil rights activist, and attorney. Van Jones is the founding director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights founded in 1996. Jones is the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Reebok International Human Rights Award; the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader designation; and the prestigious, international Ashoka Fellowship. He also has written two New York Times best sellers and Jones worked as the special adviser for green jobs at the White House Council for Environmental Quality. Even though Van Jones does a lot of work for green jobs, one of his main focuses is to stop police brutality.
The Aaron Williams case, an African-American man who died in police custody, was the turning point in Van Jones’s life. Aaron was sprayed in the face with pepper-spray, beaten, kicked, stomped, gagged, and then left in a cell to die. Van stated "that’s the sort of stuff you expect in Guatemala, but it happened just fifteen or twenty minutes from here" after hearing about the case "All of this was illegal and inhumane and yet it was going to be sloughed under the rug"..As a result, Van Jones worked with the family to get justice. He used every resource and connections that he had, every bit of creativity that he had, all of the training in criminal law and community organizing that he had to fight not letting the authorities get away with this level of disrespect and disregard for human life. Van Jones had to go through the obstacle of people sending him death threats like “Who do you think is protecting you?” or “People like you don’t deserve to live”. Van Jones disregarded these threats and continued to fight for what he believes in.
Today, Van Jones and his foundation the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights work to help stop police brutality. Founded in 1996, the center challenges human rights abuses in the U.S. criminal justice system. A project of the Ella Baker Center, Bay Area Police Watch is committed to stopping police misconduct and protecting victims of abuse. Jones and his staff work directly with individuals who have suffered from police harassment, intimidation, and brutality. With his efforts as a human rights leader Van Jones is a major defender in the battle to stop police abusing their power toward human life and brutalizing human beings. "It doesn’t make our world any safer, doesn’t make law enforcement’s job any easier. It increases the level of resentment against law enforcement. And it’s plain just wrong".
The Aaron Williams case, an African-American man who died in police custody, was the turning point in Van Jones’s life. Aaron was sprayed in the face with pepper-spray, beaten, kicked, stomped, gagged, and then left in a cell to die. Van stated "that’s the sort of stuff you expect in Guatemala, but it happened just fifteen or twenty minutes from here" after hearing about the case "All of this was illegal and inhumane and yet it was going to be sloughed under the rug"..As a result, Van Jones worked with the family to get justice. He used every resource and connections that he had, every bit of creativity that he had, all of the training in criminal law and community organizing that he had to fight not letting the authorities get away with this level of disrespect and disregard for human life. Van Jones had to go through the obstacle of people sending him death threats like “Who do you think is protecting you?” or “People like you don’t deserve to live”. Van Jones disregarded these threats and continued to fight for what he believes in.
Today, Van Jones and his foundation the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights work to help stop police brutality. Founded in 1996, the center challenges human rights abuses in the U.S. criminal justice system. A project of the Ella Baker Center, Bay Area Police Watch is committed to stopping police misconduct and protecting victims of abuse. Jones and his staff work directly with individuals who have suffered from police harassment, intimidation, and brutality. With his efforts as a human rights leader Van Jones is a major defender in the battle to stop police abusing their power toward human life and brutalizing human beings. "It doesn’t make our world any safer, doesn’t make law enforcement’s job any easier. It increases the level of resentment against law enforcement. And it’s plain just wrong".