Civil rights activist DeRay McKesson on police reform, Twitter and presidential candidates

Civil rights activist DeRay McKesson on police reform, Twitter and presidential candidates
Civil rights activist DeRay McKesson on police reform, Twitter and presidential candidates

Civil rights activist DeRay McKesson on police reform, Twitter and presidential candidates

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When it comes to police abuses and the deaths of unarmed African Americans, we can all recite the cities: Ferguson, Staten Island, North Charleston, Baltimore. And the names: Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray. One of the reasons we know those places and names is that more activists are documenting police misconduct, and spreading information on social media. They still take their message to the streets, but they’re using Twitter to organize and amplify that message with hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter. One of the leaders behind this charge is Deray Mckesson. He’s an activist, organizer and educator, co-founder of the group We The Protesters, and one of the major voices calling for police reform in this country.