Take This Play To Senate!
Donation protected
Hey California, August is a month of action! On August 16th, 2018, Bill AB 931 - a bill addressing use of deadly force by police - will be heard in Senate Appropriations in Sacramento. Then, it will need to pass the senate and assembly floor by August 31st.
Just four months ago, Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man was fatally shot by Sacramento police officers in his own yard. We have to ensure that this tragedy doesn't happen again. How do we do that? Theatre! Help us take the stories of the families affected by police violence to lawmakers. Senators need to watch this play... and then vote!
What is Bill AB 931?
This bill would permit police to only use deadly force when necessary not when reasonable. Notice the critical difference this shift in language makes to the safety of our citizens?
While the issue of police violence is a nationwide problem, California has for years, had the highest incidents of police-related deaths of any other state in the U.S. According to The Washington Post, 554 people have been shot and killed by police so far this year, and 59 of them took place in California. Do you consider this reasonable? It is time we do something about this. It is time to demand that our officers resort to lethal force as the last alternative.
Assembly members, Shirley Weber & Kevin McCarty deserve much of the credit for Assembly Bill 931. Other Sponsors include ACLU of California Center for Advocacy & Policy, Anti Police-Terror Project, CURYJ, PICO California, PolicyLink, Youth Justice Coalition.
About The Play
The (M)others is a documentary play that explores the stories of four Bay-Area women brought together by the unimaginable experience of losing a loved one at the hands of police. This performance weaves together verbatim excerpts from interviews conducted by Dr. Nikki Yeboah of San Jose State University, to explore the traumatic effect of the event on their lives.
Through their memories, we are introduced to a young man with dreams of playing professional football, a new father just getting to know his son, a former addict on the brink of turning his life around, and a sixteen-year-old boy shot just a day before his seventeenth birthday. The (M)others brings their untold stories to the stage. These are the narratives of those who are left to put back the pieces after their loved ones are gone.
Written by Nikki Yeboah & Directed by Oona Hatton, The (M)others was first staged at the Hammer Theatre in San Jose, CA to a standing-room only audience on May 9th, 2018. In front of an audience of families, students, teachers, activists, and lawmakers, the women’s accounts of motherhood, trauma, healing, and community activism were brought to the stage. Their stories were so powerful, community members have approached the cast & crew to stage these heart-wrenching accounts in front of lawmakers ahead of the vote on AB 931. Help us make this happen!
The Purpose
We need this bill to pass. However, without putting a human face to these statistics, lawmakers may be swayed by semantics and not the real life impact these deaths have on families and communities. That is where theatre comes in as a powerful tool for building empathy, understanding, and bridging the gap between lawmakers and the citizens their decisions impact.
Where Does Your Contribution Go?
Almost everyone on this journey is donating their time to the cause. All costs associated with staging this production are related to logistics of travel, food and accommodation expenses for getting 12 people from San Jose to Sacramento for two days of change!
Those 12 people include:
4 Mothers whose stories appear in the play
4 Actors portraying these mothers.
2 Crewmembers
1 Director
1 Writer
The $2500 Breakdown:
UPDATE: THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING US EXCEED OUR INITIAL GOAL. ALL ADDITIONAL WILL BE USED TO TAKE THIS PLAY TO OTHER CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
$200 = Transportation Day One
$200 = Transportation Day Two
$600 = 3 Airbnb rentals for 1 night in Sacramento (DONATED)
$400 = Food for 12 hungry volunteers DAY ONE
$400 - Food for 12 hungry volunteers DAY TWO
$1050 = Production team stipend
$250 = Marketing
$500 = Venue Rental (DONATED BY FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH)
How else you can help:
We need more than just cold hard cash, we need community support. All of the logistics mentioned above could also be donated.
Donate a venue for the show
Donate your car & gas for travel
Donate your home as accommodation
Donate a meal to our cast & crew
*Photo credit goes to Dr. Michael Cheers of San Jose State University.
What is Bill AB 931?
This bill would permit police to only use deadly force when necessary not when reasonable. Notice the critical difference this shift in language makes to the safety of our citizens?
While the issue of police violence is a nationwide problem, California has for years, had the highest incidents of police-related deaths of any other state in the U.S. According to The Washington Post, 554 people have been shot and killed by police so far this year, and 59 of them took place in California. Do you consider this reasonable? It is time we do something about this. It is time to demand that our officers resort to lethal force as the last alternative.
Assembly members, Shirley Weber & Kevin McCarty deserve much of the credit for Assembly Bill 931. Other Sponsors include ACLU of California Center for Advocacy & Policy, Anti Police-Terror Project, CURYJ, PICO California, PolicyLink, Youth Justice Coalition.
About The Play
The (M)others is a documentary play that explores the stories of four Bay-Area women brought together by the unimaginable experience of losing a loved one at the hands of police. This performance weaves together verbatim excerpts from interviews conducted by Dr. Nikki Yeboah of San Jose State University, to explore the traumatic effect of the event on their lives.
Through their memories, we are introduced to a young man with dreams of playing professional football, a new father just getting to know his son, a former addict on the brink of turning his life around, and a sixteen-year-old boy shot just a day before his seventeenth birthday. The (M)others brings their untold stories to the stage. These are the narratives of those who are left to put back the pieces after their loved ones are gone.
Written by Nikki Yeboah & Directed by Oona Hatton, The (M)others was first staged at the Hammer Theatre in San Jose, CA to a standing-room only audience on May 9th, 2018. In front of an audience of families, students, teachers, activists, and lawmakers, the women’s accounts of motherhood, trauma, healing, and community activism were brought to the stage. Their stories were so powerful, community members have approached the cast & crew to stage these heart-wrenching accounts in front of lawmakers ahead of the vote on AB 931. Help us make this happen!
The Purpose
We need this bill to pass. However, without putting a human face to these statistics, lawmakers may be swayed by semantics and not the real life impact these deaths have on families and communities. That is where theatre comes in as a powerful tool for building empathy, understanding, and bridging the gap between lawmakers and the citizens their decisions impact.
Where Does Your Contribution Go?
Almost everyone on this journey is donating their time to the cause. All costs associated with staging this production are related to logistics of travel, food and accommodation expenses for getting 12 people from San Jose to Sacramento for two days of change!
Those 12 people include:
4 Mothers whose stories appear in the play
4 Actors portraying these mothers.
2 Crewmembers
1 Director
1 Writer
The $2500 Breakdown:
UPDATE: THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING US EXCEED OUR INITIAL GOAL. ALL ADDITIONAL WILL BE USED TO TAKE THIS PLAY TO OTHER CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
$200 = Transportation Day One
$200 = Transportation Day Two
$600 = 3 Airbnb rentals for 1 night in Sacramento (DONATED)
$400 = Food for 12 hungry volunteers DAY ONE
$400 - Food for 12 hungry volunteers DAY TWO
$1050 = Production team stipend
$250 = Marketing
$500 = Venue Rental (DONATED BY FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH)
How else you can help:
We need more than just cold hard cash, we need community support. All of the logistics mentioned above could also be donated.
Donate a venue for the show
Donate your car & gas for travel
Donate your home as accommodation
Donate a meal to our cast & crew
*Photo credit goes to Dr. Michael Cheers of San Jose State University.
Fundraising team (2)
Nikki Oh Why
Organizer
San Jose, CA
Julie Lieberman Neale
Team member