Topic: Law and Order, and the Struggle in the African World.  The killing of Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina once again placed a spotlight on structural violence against people of African descent in the U.S.  In the context of January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2024 being the International Decade of People of African Descent, today’s topic Law and Order, and the Struggle in the African World attempts to connect the violence against African people across the globe and movement confronting it. Whether it is the killing of killing of students protesting in Soweto in June 1976; the killing of protesters in Rio de Janeiro in June 2013; the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson in August 2014; the killing of Mark Duggan in Tottenham in London in August 2011; and the killing of miners protesting in Marikana in August 2012; and countless others at the root is structural violence.  Joining Africa Now! to explore this topic is Mr. Eugene Puryear.

Guest: Mr. Eugene Puryear is a Washington, D.C.-based activist, and graduate of Howard University.  In nearly a decade of social justice activism, Mr. Puryear has been involved in the anti-war movement.  He has served as a key organizer around police brutality, prisoners’ rights and abuses in the U.S. criminal “justice” system.  He was the co-founder of the Jobs Not Jails Coalition in D.C. for the rights of returning citizens and is the author of the recent book Shackled and Chained: Mass Incarceration in Capitalist America, which analyzes America’s prison system.  He is a socialist and serves on the editorial board of Liberation newspaper.  He is also co-host of WPFW’s Community Watch & Comment on Tuesdays. 

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC.  Tune into Africa Now! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (Eastern).