#deaf activism

[dizzydispatch]

Deaf Americans and 9-1-1

It was sweet that he thought of me when he heard another police department over our region's shared police frequency, requesting the assistance of an officer fluent in American Sign Language with the arrest of a Deaf individual. Maybe the appropriate response would have been something along the lines of, hey, neat!

But I didn't think it was neat, and I still don't. In fact, it bothered me. the official symbol for ASL interpreters, based on the sign for "interpreting"

"That's super illegal," I texted Gabe back. "They can’t use an officer. A Deaf person has the right to a certified interpreter."

"Interesting," he sent back. "That's good to know."

But I wasn't done. "Just think about it," I continued. "If their Miranda rights aren’t read, correctly and in full, the entire arrest is bonk. How much worse do you think it could be if an un-licensed cop plays interpreter and screws something up? Even if they don’t, there’s no accountability. It’s a really risky game to play, as a department. You don't fuck with the ADA unless you want a serious lawsuit."

In 1990, then-President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA into law. The Americans with Disabilities Act was meant to protect individuals with a wide array of disabilities, a category that includes the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

“The ADA broadly protects the rights of individuals with disabilities in employment, access to State and local government services, places of public accommodation, transportation, and other important areas of American life. The ADA also requires newly designed and constructed or altered State and local government facilities, public accommodations, and commercial facilities to be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities."

There are a few different ways that dispatchers are expected to comply with ADA expectations. The first method is using TTY technology, with which our 9-1-1 systems are required to comply. There's also text-to-911 services, some of which work better than others, and silent call procedures, in which a party unable to unwilling to speak aloud can still communicate with dispatchers. 

But even after the call, there are a thousand different ways that a deaf person can be failed by emergency responders. From police interactions to neglect in the courtroom, the issue is broad and systemic, and fixing it is going to require more than just attention and awareness.  

For a d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing person, the right to an interpreter is probably the most important right protected by the ADA. After all, the primary barrier of deafness is communication. How are you supposed to know what you're in trouble for when you're arrested, or follow along in your own court case, or tell the police what happened if you're a victim of a crime?

The ADA is supposed to protect against these sorts of injustices, but unfortunately, as demonstrated by the fact that we heard one of our own local PDs requesting an officer with ASL knowledge over the radio, the follow-through just isn't always there. The resources allocated to teaching law enforcement how to deal with individuals with disabilities are severely lacking. As Professor of Sociology Alex Vitale of Brooklyn College states, “Police compliance with ADA provisions is pretty poor across the board. It’s clearly not a priority for a lot of police leaders." 

In some places, in spite of the ADA, violations happen all the time. In 2012, St. Louis police tasered a deaf man on the side of the road, only for it to turn out he was having a diabetic emergency. Then in 2014, an elderly deaf man was dragged from his car and beaten by officers, before being charged with resisting an arrest by the same department that cleared the officers of all wrongdoing. A month later, a deaf man had been similarly beaten, tased, and choked out after being mistaken for a burglar. The officers had seen him signing, trying to communicate with them, and believed the movements to be signs of aggression, and had responded in kind.

This problem has been addressed by independent journals, such as The American Civil Liberties Union and The Atlantic, as well as in a humorous episode of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, guest-starring Deaf activist and entertainer Nyle DiMarco.

However, there hasn't been much coverage of D/deaf interactions with law enforcement in the mainstream media, with the exception of those reports where things do get out of hand. Like with many issues of civil rights, pleas for systemic change continue to go unaddressed, or are only addressed after tragedy occurs. More often than not, too, these are underwhelming measures that smack of PR damage control, and are unlikely to maintain traction after the initial outcry dies down.

There is a reason the law requires anyone who is serving as an interpreter in any official capacity to be certified. Without those protections, children may be coerced into interpreting for parents, which opens up all sorts of issues, both for the child and for the efficacy of services being provided.

Many of the same issues arise when unqualified third parties are asked or compelled to serve in the same way. Interpreters are held accountable to standards of care, much in the same as their doctors and judges are. They are trained in the language's nuance, in skills for effectively communicating complex ideas to and for their Deaf clients. Furthermore, there is a code of ethics, compliance to which can help ensure privacy, regulate appropriate intervention, and serve as a framework for professionalism.

Of course, a national interpreter shortage is part of the issue. In college, I chose the ASL Linguistics track, which focuses on the science of language with ASL as a model, rather than the ASL Interpreting track. This was a decision that many of my peers and even some professors expressed disappointment in, as there is such a profound disparity between the needs of the community and the available resources. I chose dispatch over working directly in the Deaf community, but my background both through my education and in the jobs I worked between the years of 2018 and 2023 has given me insights that I assume the department making the request did not have.

However, as a hearing person with no experience trying to run a law enforcement agency, I am far from qualified to decide what is and is not an acceptable risk. I don't know what was going on at that department. I don't know what kind of attempts may have been made to locate a certified interpreter before they put out that request over the radio. What I do know is that it's still unacceptable. 

Unfortunately, I don't have the answer. I'm just one dispatcher, in one small-town PSAP, with one set of ideals that I wish I could see reflected in the big wide world outside. But I can write, and so I do. I write to inform, to entertain, to commiserate with you, dear reader, dear stranger. I write in hopes that someday, somebody with more power than me understands what needs to be done, and sees it through. 

In the meantime, we can write. We can write to our representatives, calling them to action. We can write to police departments out of which atrocities are born, and demand justice for those wronged. We can write, and we can speak up. We can learn sign language and support organizations that support our local disabled communities. We can listen to the voices of those who experience the world a little differently to us, and maybe, just maybe, we'll be part of the force of change that makes the world a better place for all.

For Americans who want to make a difference, to find and contact your state representative, visit the U. S. House of Representatives website and search by your state and district. The same can be done for state senators here. The National Association of the Deaf has a great letter template that you can use as well. If you are able to and wish to donate financially to local or global Deaf activism groups, the bottom of this Wikipedia page contains a list of organizations from all over the world.

#dispatch #dispatch diaries #911 dispatcher #911 dispatch #disabilit #disabilities #disability #deaf #deaf rights #disability activism #deaf activism #deaf issues #Youtube

[redysetdare]

Maybe making jokes about "Invading" countries while we have multiple devastating wars that have massive invasions going on isn't the best look you guys.

#text #ace #asexual #maybe making military roleplay blogs for that sort of thing is a bit weird and tone deaf! #maybe “it's just a joke” doesn't actually matter in this case when actual countries are being actively invaded #and entire groups of people are facing genocide in said invasions #like maybe this isn't a joke we should be latching onto #maybe this joke is completely tone deaf and make the ace community look like a bunch of assholes #just a thought #if this upsets you or you think I'm overreacting I ask that you take a step back and think it over #and genuinely ask yourself why you so desperately want to defend a joke that says invading a country and expelling their people is funny

[curiousacademic]

The fact that sign language was BANNED world-wide for almost a century and nobody knows about it is scary.

Research the conference of Milan.

#deaf history #deaf education #oralism #history #academia #academic #activism #sign language #asl

[fungus-no69]

Little things on defiant pc (you/your pronouns) ft. Gn Bailey, Harper, Remy and Wren

pc bites a lot, Bailey typical human trafficking, pc is implied to have been attacked by/visited the wolves, mentions of Harper's medical malpractice, amab Harper???? (dick jokes), mention of the wolf tf in Remy's, mention of pc in prison in Wren's, pc is joked to (possibly) have rabies, pc is feral in general

Bailey

You're a little terror.

You're fucking impossible to wrangle. If Bailey does manage to force you into restraints and sell you somehow while you're still kicking and screaming like you're being murdered you show up again within an hour or two.

They sold you to a party of rich people why are you covered in twigs and fur??? Why do you have (wolf)shrooms?????

Half considers putting a bounty on your head. Might.

Daydreams about the day you finally pay them

Harper

Harper is fighting for their life over here- you're showing up after passing out, being sent to the asylum every now and again, get them riled up and just escape???? Kissing them while your hands wander to their-

Oh.

Oh.

You sneaky little shit.

Yeah sure, Harper can just..... not creep on you but they can't help it! :( you're so cute!!!!! So what if they get a bit close or stick their fingers in your mouth to test your gag reflex? (you bite them so hard it breaks the skin and they have to get their rabies shots)

They are not a masochist. Ignore the boner.

Always half hard and ready to go with you I'm sorry.

Remy

You get taken to the Underground farm and tell Remy to go suck a fat one

You get muzzled for that. Also the whole biting thing you've got going on I guess.

With the wolf tf they are going to try and turn you into cattle without letting you out with the others. They know you probably won't eat the cows but they're not taking any more chances here. You've already made sure that half of the staff needs vaccinations against several infections and diseases (advised by Harper, who seems all too acquainted with you and your 'habits')

Why can't you eat grass normally....

What the fuck do you mean you befriended the horses. You can't even get along with people- oh you escaped.

When they see you working with Alex they damn near have an aneurysm. They just smile at you, strained. Why must you torment them like this.

Wren

Please stop eating the blackjack cards

It's literally that image like 'the smart kid wondering how he's losing to me : me eating the pieces when he's not looking' yk the one except neither of you are winning because you're fucking eating the cards.

You guys meet up in the prison so much to the point that they're not even surprised anymore.

More shocked you got caught.

It would USUALLY be concerning how horny they get over you but it's Wren so yeah.

Expect to be teased and egged on

#dol #degrees of lewdity #dol pc #dol bailey #bailey the caretaker #dol harper #harper the doctor #dol remy #remy the farmer #dol wren #wren the smuggler #fungus.mag #fungus.writes #this is based off of one of my pcs (Cain) because i think he's funny #will NOT give up. max willpower skullduggery and physique. landry's most frequent pepper spray buyer. disappears at random #(kidnapped by eden/kylar/great hawk. visiting wolf cave. asylum. prison etc.) he's a menace to society #the more i look at this the less i like it but oh well #i wrote this while listening to invincible by deaf kev and hello by omfg #actively losing it

[thatdeaffeel]

genuine question— why is the “d” in D/deaf sometimes capitalized? i’ve seen people say Deaf but i’ve never seen like any explanation as to why so i’m just curious

deaf is the condition

Deaf is the community

coda (child of deaf adult) often speak sign as a first language and consider themselves as culturally deaf so a lot of them use big D only because they aren't hearing impaired in any sense

in general i think it's a word game that i dont take part in largely, i say deaf and i write deaf and i specify deaf community when i need to, specifically to avoid this confusion

#hoh #that deaf feel #hard of hearing #tdf #deaf #actually deaf #feel #that hoh feel #apd #thanks anon! #good question #its been asked before and i will patiently answer it every time #id send you to deafaq but idk if they are active or run by the same people i trusted back at its founding #so feel free to ask questions here

[stuckinapril]

To answer your tags about that other anon, I think some people have decided to be aggressively indifferent towards the situation. Some of it is a contrarian response to the ‘do this or you are an evil person’ kind of online activism that is popular, and some of it is just a genuine desensitisation and nihilism.

Being so rude like that anon is not acceptable, but online activists do well to remember that some people are allies but simply are not aware of the latest online rules concerning posting about the situation. I have seen many people like that turn off when their humanity is questioned by strangers online for disobeying directives they did not know existed.

Ok I know you think you’re trying to be nuanced about this but I think in typing this you forgot you’re talking about a genocide

#It doesn’t take keeping up with ‘online rules’ (?) to recognize why saying something like that is not only tone deaf but clearly wrong #Youre forgetting that when it comes to genocide the approach really should be binary & people should know better by now #The language you’re using is making it seem like advocating for Arabs not to be killed is just an online activism circlejerk #I don’t appreciate your implication and I think you should evaluate why you decided to be a devil’s advocate in the midst of an ongoing #Genocide #im serious. I think you should evaluate.

[featherymainffins]

Peace and love on planet Earth but if I see one more post NOT about recovery and, in fact, encouraging eating disorders in the ed recovery tag, I might just turn into a chimpanzee and tear everyone's faces off.

#ed recovery #are you people for real? #ONE. I'm asking for ONE tag. #how tone-deaf and cruel do you have to be to post your active ed behaviour absolutely without any trigger warnings #or forewords #you know what i foolishly expect in the es recovery tag? ed recovery. yes i know very presumptuous of me. #i expect people who are trying to recover or are in recovery sharing their experiences and maybe some body positivity #talking about how hard recovery can be; for example. etc etc. #you know what happens in the tag? of course you do. ana meal diaries. posts about nothing but how much you body check #talking about how much you hate yourself because you're trying to lose 10kg and yesterday you had a salad and now you're asking #for tips how to get better at restricting and continuing your ed. #everyone who does that is a ghoul. and I'm done being nice and ignoring that shit. #like. some fucking room check maybe? I'm sitting in my flat shaking from cold which is caused only partly by the room temperature #and I'm doing my best to avoid everyone i know because i can't stand the thought of them seeing my form and when someone #i know accidentally meets me on the street or somewhere i feel like shit because I'm disgusting and if it were up to me #i wouldn't even leave this flat at all. so you know. naturally. i try to get myself at least some form #of support. i try to look for positivity for people like me; who are trying to recover. i want an outside source to affirm that I am not #repulsive. that I'm not insane when i think that all bodies are cool and fascinating and that there's no way or shape anyone is #expecting me to be in order to earn their love or at least their lust. and what do i get instead? you ghouls #wonderful. lovely. think about all the people like me next time you decide to post that shit in the recovery tag. thanks.

[isan0rt]

Good Lord. Okay. Listen. We all agree that pre-timeskip Houses Dedue is not doing so great in the mental health department. We all agree on that. My guy needs therapy about his survivor's guilt and his PTSD and we're all agreed his self deprecation is Intense but like.

Listen. You can't…address that without also acknowledging he's like that because people have been Fucking Racist To Him Constantly for the Last Four Years of his Goddamn Life. And not like, just ‘microaggressions at the workplace’ racist, though also that too. Like, ‘somebody might fucking murder him’ kind of racist. He's not just insecure or whatever. This man is trying not to get hate-crimed.

It's rational, actually, for Dedue to assume that Any Given Faerghan is gonna be racist to him, because before going to Garreg Mach every given Faerghan except Dimitri HAS BEEN super mega turbo racist to him everywhere he goddamn goes. There's no reason for him to believe his classmates are gonna be different. Like, he doesn't know Mercedes is from the Empire! He has no reason to believe Chivalrous Knight Fanboy Ashe doesn't hate Duscur and everyone from there for regicide. Annette is the only one with a pass and only because Dedue respected Gustave until he went out for cigarettes and never came back, abandoning not only Dimitri but also Dedue in the process. The safest thing is to assume people are gonna come at him hot and preemptively deescalate the situation.

Like, he suffers from the “you can get C and B supports after the time skip” weirdness for sure, but even in his C supports, even if you get them before the skip, he is fully willing to tell Felix where to stick his fucking grapes, and he's willing to tell Ingrid she can be as big of a bitch about it as she wants but he's still going to do his job on the battlefield even if that means keeping her alive. He's consistently assertive of his boundaries with Dimitri in all their supports, including when Dimitri wishes that he did not have a particular boundary (using Dimitri's name and calling each other friends, things it's actually physically not safe for pre timeskip Dedue to do).

Because he is confident Dimitri isn't gonna fucking lose his mind at Dedue about it. He's also confident Felix, Ingrid, and Sylvain won't do a hate crime at him if he's acting in capacity of Dimitri's Vassal because of their fundamental loyalty to Dimitri, so he can safely tell them to shove it also. He tells Gustave he's a disappointment to Gustave’s face in their support!! Dedue isn't just a shrinking violet or whatever, he's just judicious about what shit he's gonna start, and how likely it is that talking shit is gonna get him hit.

(Also, yes he's a quiet guy... But also he's interacting with all these people in his second language, which he has no formal training in and which he learned from Dimitri. He really has to think about what he's going to say before he says anything because there is very little margin for error for him to misspeak without consequences and he knows it.)

Honestly unpopular opinion because like while I'm under no illusions that they did clearly fake out killing him for reasons other than his personal growth, I actually think it was in Dedue's personal best interest that he spent the timeskip in Duscur. This man hates Faerghus, he says that to Dimitri in their supports, but he's been stuck with them and having to just put up with it because he had nowhere else to go (even aside from the fact that Dimitri is literally the only living person in the world who loves him and he's terrified of losing that).

He's very clearly much more self-actualized when he returns, and in a much more relaxed and self-assured emotional place after the timeskip. Probably because he wasn't the one and only Highly Visible Do A Racism Here target and instead was with his own community, where he could actually unpack all that shit safely. Dedue needed that time outside the Racist Aggression Bubble of Faerghus to deal with his survivor's guilt properly.

You really can't address Dedue's self-image issues without also digging into the way dealing with constant racism reinforces those issues. You super cannot. Race and racism and how he deals with it is critical to the character. Is it always handled gracefully by the narrative?? No, absolutely it's not, but it is in fact in the narrative and you HAVE to engage with it if you're going to engage with Why Dedue is Like That.

#Dedue Molinaro #fe3h #disclaimer that I'm a white lady and I'm not trying to get out of my lane here but like. #I keep seeing fic that wants to address Dedue becoming more self-actualized but which. Absolutely refuses to touch the topic of race #like. hey maybe his experience with race and racism is fundamental to Why he is the way he is #Dedue is complex it's not as simple as he just has poor self-esteem or whatever #also tbh one of those was just so tone-deaf like there was one line that was i guess supposed to be positive but i was like #good lord author you are this close to actively calling him a slur without any awareness of it at all #actually tbh the tone deafness seems to be a recurring problem in fic featuring Dedue let me not lie #anyway. #racism

[heretherebedork]

THAI SIGN LANGUAGE LESSONS. We have SIGN LANGUAGE LESSONS! We have Pluem teaching Kawin sign language and giving him a sign name and signing together so he can practice because Pluem is friends with a young Deaf boy because of his sister and Kawin just wants to know more. I am blown away. I destroyed. I do not know how to put into words how beautiful this is to see in a show. To see them teach each other a language with such respect and such care and such enthusiasm.

#ghost host ghost house #thai bl #thai bl drama #thaibl #bl drama #bl series #asianlgbtqdramas #asianlgbtqdramas gif #asian lgbtq dramas #asian lgbtq drama gif #asian lgbtq drama #pluemkawin #pluem x kawin #kawinpluem #kawin x pluem #thai sign language #sign language #i love it so much #and while i'm not sure Pluem should be giving a sign name #I don't actively know anything about Thai Deaf culture to comment

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

So, I'm watching some training videos at my new job, and the active shooter course has a fucking meme in it

I don't think this means what they think it means.

#my job #work #job training #meme #innapropriate #tone deaf #active shooter

[beetleviolet]

You have CURSED me forever- why would you do this to meeeeeeeee?!?!?! *starts working on your art requests*

*see's sign language joke*

*spends hours researching sign language and learning sign jokes*

Hehhee!

You can find a whole playlist that goes through them sign by sign with correct grammar on YouTube. Just look up dad jokes asl bill vicars and you'll find A BUNCH!

I LOVE sign language and want to become an interpreter so I love that you are getting into it!

If you want to learn a little ASL (American Sign Language, its not universal so if you don't live in the US there is a different signed language) then check our Lifeprint.com, it's a free website made by a deaf professor (the same one who made all the dad joke vids) and has a dictionary and lessons. He posts videos of him teaching ASL to his college students, so you really get a good experience! If a sign can't be found on Lifeprint, then another good one is SigningSavvy, I'm just not a huge fan of them because some of their info, like exact hand shape and stuff, is behind a pay wall :( not cool.

Sorry I got rambling, ASL is just like my fav thing ever so I love that you are doing research!

Also IM DO EXCITED YOU DRAWING LEO ESPECIALLY HIM SIGNING!

#SLALDKXKSKWNE #ITS A HUUUUGE PASSION OF MINE #YOU HAVE ACTIVATED INFO DUMP MODE #FR THOUGH I COULD TALK ABOUT ASL ALL DAY LONG #tmbt asks #teenage mutant beetle teetles #tmnt #asl #american sign language #tmnt leonardo #deaf character

[poisonousquinzel]

sorry but if you actually think Cancel Culture ™ is a thing then you're kinda a dumb fuck. Cancel culture isn't real, holding people accountable for their actions is a thing, but this whole narrative around Canceling that's evolved over the past few years isn't real. It's never been an actual thing. Its just a fear mongering tactic to further vilify the groups who were being harmed in the first place and victimize the person who did something wrong.

Your fav being called out for playing an antisemitic video game that directly gives profits to a hugely influential TERF, who's said openly she sees getting profits / royalty cheques from her franchise as endorsements for her bigotry, is not "cancel culture". It's called the consequences for your actions.

You have every right to do and play whatever the fuck you want, but that goes both ways. If you go out of your way to build up and financially support these people who're openly advocating to take away trans people's rights, then you get to deal with people not trusting you because of it. You get to deal with trans and Jewish folks not feeling safe around you, not wanting to be around you or not wanting to talk to you. Because you have shown that you care more about nostalgia and temporary personal emotional gratification over the wellbeing and safety of those communities in the real world.

People have explained why supporting HL is wrong, people have explained why it's harmful, people have explained in detail the issues with this situation. You. Just. Don't. Care. You don't listen, or read, because in the end, you can't be bothered enough to put in the effort of having 1 moment of critical thinking.

It's not that folks don't have arguments or evidence, it's that it clearly does not matter to you. It's that the value of an antisemitic game full of one horrific thing after another is worth more to you than the real, living breathing people who are going to be, and have been, affected by this.

You come across as a bad person. Not because some person on Twitter determined you must be, but because your actions speak far louder. And they're screaming red flags.

I'm not going to argue with you over your own bad decisions and life choices. You've made your bed and are mad that people are telling you to lie in it.

#not dc #i need to not focus on this but it makes me so annoyed #and like the constant 'well hp has been a comfort thing of mine since childhood!' like bitch do you think Harry Potter was a niche little #thing???? #a fucking lot of us had Harry Potter as something important to us growing up #i remember getting all the legos sets for Christmas in 2011. getting the lego video games and i loved them! #but. that. doesn't. matter. #we're not children anymore and she's not on our side. #JKR made it clear that a large portion of her previous fan base are not welcome around her and that frankly #that she would rather them be dead. #she's a horrendous human being who is causing so much pain and anguish for communities that're just trying to exist #and its built upon the empire she crafted. the one full of stereotypes and offensive imagery and tone-deaf themes. #we aren't kids anymore and it's shameful to gloss over what she is actively doing Right Now because You have fond memories of her world. #a lot of people don't get the luxury of pretending like she's not an awful person because they're the ones she's harming #they're the ones she's spreading hateful rhetoric and stereotypes about. the ones that she's pushing to get their rights taken away. #just put down her shitty fuckhng series and read another book. #i promise you there's hundreds upon hundreds of better ones out there with better plots and better world building. #anti harry potter #anti jkr #anti hogwarts legacy #tw transphobia mention #tw antisemitism mention #figure I'll tw tag just in case ya got it filtered 💖

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

is there anything worse than an unfamiliar grocery store

#HEB is great but so loud #i am actively going deaf and it is So Loud

[disabled-character-showdown]

BRACKET 2, ROUND 1, FIFTH SHOWDOWN

#i dont know how long i’m going to be active for but hi #disabled-character-showdown #polls #percy jackson #pjo #hoo #heroes of olympus #adhd #dyslexia #hawkeye #clint barton #mcu #marvel #marvel comics #marvel cinematic universe #deaf

[whiterosechrista]

Thought

It's kinda funny how some people will get all weird about people with "disabilities" working jobs or having sex or whatever when there were people like Helen Keller, blind and deaf since infancy, who nonetheless wrote books, got up on stage to speak, and fought for the rights of people like her. "Disabled" doesn't mean someone is completely inept. It just means they've gotta do some things differently.

(Spawned from seeing posts about Autistic people being infantilized, and that one post where op stumbled upon someone on Quora asking if people with ADHD should do anal, since they "wouldn't be able to understand the consequences of such an act". Which then reminded me of a text convo I saw in a Reddit compilation where a lady thought this artist wouldn't be able to fulfill her commission because she's Autistic. Just. Have people never learned the concept of "research"?)

#thoughts #late night thoughts #Helen Keller #activism #disabilities #disability rights #blindness #deafness #ablism #autism #autism spectrum #neurodivergent #ADHD

[meatlessmcmuffin]

twitter suspends me for "violent speech" seconds after i make a joke about tapeworm physiology but the overwhelming amount of people who responded to wednesdays shooting by blaming lewistons somali community are just fine? fuck offff

#like getting suspended was funny for a second and then i remembered the actual droves of violent speech under headlines whilei was trying to #make sure my classmate and her children were safe and checking in with my coworkers who go to lewiston auburn all the time. #when the pictures came out immediately somebody expressed disappointment that he wasnt black #every other comment stated “hes obviously middle eastern look he has middle eastern features” on a super blurry security cam screenshot. #im so sick of it. people died. we lost 4 members of the deaf community and at least 2 more were injured. one of the victims was 14 years ol #this is jjust i mean. on top of horrific zionist comments that go undetected because people controlling media and censorship just dont care #and actively promote israel propoganda and censorship of palestinian voices and resistance #sorry my thoughts are all oer the place. i am trying to continue to spread awareness and updates on palestine but this shooting happened #literally less than half an hour from where i live and work. lewistons community is intertwined with my daily life so i will be pretty voca #about it on top of sharing as much as i can on palestine #okay also to clarify i do not want to suggest what happened here is more important than what is going on in gaza rn. #i do not want to draw attention away from this genocide and i firmly believe focusing as much energy as possible into spreading awareness a #and donating/protesting/campaigning anything whatever is possible is most important right now. #overwhelmed as i am by the tragedy in my community it will never stop me from advocating for palestines freedom. i do not believe anyone #not directly affected has a right to “take a break” from this issue