Heather ♿📷
@missjupiter1957.bsky.social
450 followers 550 following 34 posts
Independent photojournalist/protest documenter, bird watcher, gardener, wheelchair user with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome she/her Granite City, IL (St Louis Metro East) http://left-bank.com/wishlist/736
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A year ago tonight I received the most devastating call of my life telling me you were gone.
You cared & fought for me, & for so many others, & you encouraged my free thought & creativity & search for knowledge while anchoring me with your moral guidance.
I love you, Mom 💔
Photo of my mom, an older white woman with shoulder-length grey hair & glasses, wearing a blue St Louis University sweatshirt with a black & white keffiyah around her neck, leaning on a wooden walking stick in front of the Kajieme Powell memorial covered in stuffed animals, in St Louis on January 31, 2016.
Possibly, but I also can't completely dismiss the possibility of some protester or random citizen trolling with the sticker. One time after a protest at the now-closed Workhouse I found a "blue lives matter" sticker on the back of my van.
"The murder conviction came despite medical evidence showing that Ms. Shakur was shot with her hands in the air and physically unable to fire a weapon and despite the sole witness recanting the testimony that fingered Ms. Shakur as a shooter."
web.archive.org/web/20130606...
National Lawyers Guild Urges FBI to Respect Political Asylum Status of Assata Shakur | National Lawyers Guild
web.archive.org
Ferguson & St Louis activists have been using what's known as the 'Assata Chant' for over a decade.
I didn't expect it to be that big, but it just took off & now stretches across the entire length of the front yard. I just had to turn a couple vine sections to try to keep them growing into the neighbor's yard.
I have an 80ft pumpkin vine that has had just had one big pumpkin growing on one end, but there's finally some other babies starting to form now.
Large green pumpkin on vine starting to turn orange, partially covered by leaves. Baby pumpkin starting form under yellow flower on vine. Baby pumpkin starting form under yellow flower on vine.
Reposted by Heather ♿📷
10 years ago today, I covered the protest and aftermath of a police shooting of 18-year-old Mansur Ball-Bey.

It was a privilege to interview Mansur's father Dennis on our show this week. He took us inside the tragedy of his son's death, but also shared with us some of the story of his life.
10 years and $19M later, Mansur Ball-Bey's family is still fighting St. Louis for justice
A jury awarded Mansur Ball-Bey’s family nearly $19 million in a wrongful death lawsuit. Instead of paying, the city is seeking a new trial.
www.stlpr.org
Rest in Power, Miss Tonja
(6/8/1965 - 8/25/2023)
Black & white photo of Ferguson activist Miss Tonja Bulley —a Black woman with short blonde hair & black square-framed glasses— in Selma, AL for the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in March 2015.
Got it now. I see she's conflating the BLM movement with the national organization in order to erase the dozens of local organizations & individuals who came out of the Ferguson movement & have been doing tornado relief for 3 months now. 🤬
Tried that. Paywall graphic still pops up when I try to read it.
Is there a non-paywalled/archived link to that op/ed available?
I don't get out much these days, but we were lucky enough to get a ride from a friend.
Michael Brown Jr's family & supporters gathered at the memorial site on Canfield Dr this morning to commemorate the 11th anniversary of his killing by a Ferguson, MO police officer.
Former U.S. Congresswoman Cori Bush addresses a gathering of Mike Brown's family & supporters at the Michael Brown Jr. Memorial on Canfield Dr in Ferguson, MO on the 11th anniversary of his death. Mike Brown Sr. with supporters beside his son's memorial which is decorated with stuffed animals, blue roses, & a Black Lives Matter banner. Lezley McSpadden greets supporters at the Michael Brown Jr Memorial site, AKA Ground Zero, on the 11th anniversary of her son's death. Text of plaque mounted at the new permanent Michael Brown Jr Memorial that was installed on Canfield Dr in Ferguson, MO earlier this year:

"August 9, 2014, near high noon, marked a pivotal moment in my journey.

As I walked down Canfield Drive with Dorian Johnson, Officer Darren Wilson's harsh words and actions, ignited a chain of events that would forever change how the world viewed policing. Despite our compliance, he aggressively pulled me into his vehicle, and a shot rang out, taking my thumb.

Fear propelled me forward, but I chose to surrender, hands raised high. Though brutally wounded, I found strength in resilience. As I lay in the street for 4 1/2 hours, my family's pleas for justice and my community's outcry against injustice fueled a movement.

My mother's unwavering dedication, my father's unrelenting advocacy, and Bro. Anthony Shahid's powerful chant, 'Hands Up Don't Shoot,' echoed
through the streets. In death, I found purpose - to heal, to inspire, and to bring change. My legacy lives on, a testament to the transformative power of courage and conviction.

I Am Chosen for Change"
Michael Brown Jr's family & supporters gathered at the memorial site on Canfield Dr this morning to commemorate the 11th anniversary of his killing by a Ferguson, MO police officer.
Former U.S. Congresswoman Cori Bush addresses a gathering of Mike Brown's family & supporters at the Michael Brown Jr. Memorial on Canfield Dr in Ferguson, MO on the 11th anniversary of his death. Mike Brown Sr. with supporters beside his son's memorial which is decorated with stuffed animals, blue roses, & a Black Lives Matter banner. Lezley McSpadden greets supporters at the Michael Brown Jr Memorial site, AKA Ground Zero, on the 11th anniversary of her son's death. Text of plaque mounted at the new permanent Michael Brown Jr Memorial that was installed on Canfield Dr in Ferguson, MO earlier this year:

"August 9, 2014, near high noon, marked a pivotal moment in my journey.

As I walked down Canfield Drive with Dorian Johnson, Officer Darren Wilson's harsh words and actions, ignited a chain of events that would forever change how the world viewed policing. Despite our compliance, he aggressively pulled me into his vehicle, and a shot rang out, taking my thumb.

Fear propelled me forward, but I chose to surrender, hands raised high. Though brutally wounded, I found strength in resilience. As I lay in the street for 4 1/2 hours, my family's pleas for justice and my community's outcry against injustice fueled a movement.

My mother's unwavering dedication, my father's unrelenting advocacy, and Bro. Anthony Shahid's powerful chant, 'Hands Up Don't Shoot,' echoed
through the streets. In death, I found purpose - to heal, to inspire, and to bring change. My legacy lives on, a testament to the transformative power of courage and conviction.

I Am Chosen for Change"
Reposted by Heather ♿📷
The largest protest since BLM or Stockley. #stl #nokings #noKingsDay
Thousands
Reposted by Heather ♿📷
Huge turnout for #NoKings in #STL
A group of demonstrators standing outside in downtown saint louis, mo with the gateway arch in the background. Someone holding a sign that says “I like St. Louis neat - NO ICE”
Reposted by Heather ♿📷
I'm old enough to remember the FBI & police saying our defensive gas masks in Ferguson showed "intent to incite and engage in violence" back in 2014.
abcnews.go.com/Politics/fbi...
Within hours of the FBI issuing its bulletin, some police departments across the country issued their own internal memos urging officers to review procedures and protocols for responding to mass demonstrations.

Still, the bulletin's conclusions were blunt: *The FBI assesses those infiltrating and exploiting otherwise legitimate public demonstrations with the intent to incite and engage in violence could be armed with bladed weapons or firearms, equipped with tactical gear/gas masks, or bulletproof vests to mitigate law enforcement measures."
Reposted by Heather ♿📷
Reposted by Heather ♿📷
If you are a member of the US military and have questions about conscientious objection, you can reach out to the GI Rights hotline:

877-447-4487
girightshotline.org/en/military-...
If your conscience troubles you...
you may have options
Published 23 Jan 2025 by girights

In recent years, we have gotten calls on the GI Rights Hotline from service members concerned about having to police the US-Mexican border and/or police demostrations in the US. Others feel disturbed by US support for specific overseas operations, like Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank. Many call us with a troubled conscience, and some ask about applying for a conscientious objection (CO) discharge. Military regulations spell out very specific criteria for military members to qualify as a conscientious objector. Keep reading to see if a CO discharge may be appropriate for you. Even if you don't meet the definition of a conscientious objector, you may still qualify for a different discharge. You can call us on the hotline to discuss your options:
877-447-4487.
It's after noon, but still wanted to share my first successful pea harvest. 🫛🐶
Tan & white pitbull smiling & sitting on wooden deck next to 3 steel mixing bowls full of freshly picked pea pods.