A PSA from Iwaku on recent events + Happy Juneteenth and Pride!

Status
Not open for further replies.

Iwaku

Edgelord
Original poster
SITE ACCOUNT
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Greetings Iwaku!

We are a site dedicated to roleplaying, a place where you can escape the real world for a little while and step into the shoes of another life. Because of this, we don't tend to make official statements on the world's calamities so you have a space to go to where you can recharge your mind and feel inspired to go back out and face the world again.

However, this year has been scary. The past few years have been scary! Besides natural disasters and worldwide pandemics, we've seen a rise in hateful and violent behaviors, bad government policies, and the kind of horrifying stuff that's made a lot of us scared to even leave our homes. It's gotten to a point where even good people are growing bitter with fear and lashing out.


Because of this, we want to make it clear what Iwaku stands for!


We are a community of writers that believe in an inclusive, varied, and multi-cultured world. We respect you, whether you're a man, a woman, non-binary, or a space dragon; if you are black, Latina/o/x, a vampire, or a necromancer.

We don't care if you're only into dudes or if you really want to bang a dragon. We DO care about your right to exist a long, happy, safe life--your right to live where you want to live without fear of someone trying to murder you for the color of your skin, the parts in your pants, where you were born, and who you want to love. While the world is still trying to get its shit together, at least HERE on Iwaku you will be treated with the kindness and respect that you deserve because you are a living (or undead) creature and your right to exist matters.

Iwaku's policies are very clear that we will not tolerate racism, sexism, or any form of bigotry. While we encourage you to write anything your heart desires, to use the tragedies of the world as inspiration to write good stories, we won't allow members to mistreat each other or perpetuate harmful behavior.

As you hang out on the site, especially in areas like General Chatting, the chat or Discord, make sure you're being respectful and mindful about your language. You are in a public space that is meant to be safe not just for you, but all of our members.


If you'd like to learn more about some of the hardships many of our members are facing right now and how to help show your support, here are a few links below. Feel free to share your own!

HAPPY JUNETEENTH AND PRIDE MONTH. BLACK LIVES MATTER. TRANS LIVES MATTER. YOU MATTER.


Sincerely from your admins, @Astaroth @Kitti and @Diana





DONATE:




SHOP TO SUPPORT:


REMEMBER:
Gwen Araujo
Ahmaud Arbery
Sean Bell
Muhlaysia Booker
Rayshard Brooks
Michael Brown
James Byrd, Jr.
Samuel DuBose
George Floyd
Luz Gonzalez
Freddie Gray
Lateisha Green
Carmen Guerrero
Fred Hampton
Bobby Hutton
Botham Jean
Lawrence "Latisha" King
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rodney King
Nireah Johnson
Trayvon Martin
Tony McDade
Amanda Milan
Aniya Parker
Marcus-David Peters
Alexa Luciano Ruiz
Matthew Shepard
Marcus Deon Smith
Breonna Taylor
Brandon Teena
Emmett Till
Shelby Tracy Tom
Agnes Torres Hernandez
Angie Zapata
The victims of the Pulse shooting
The victims of the Tulsa Massacre
The victims of the Wounded Knee massacre
The victims of the Holocaust
And every other victim of hatred, bigotry, bias, abuse of authority, and failure of protection or justice by governing bodies
 
i love y'all so much. thank you. ❤
 
Luz Gonzalez

I'm gonna drop this petition off here cause they definitely need to reopen this case.

This happened in 2018?

She died at the age of 4 when her mother bent down to tie her shoelace. A driver backed up and hit her. Kept going.

Around this time was when Trump was going crazy with ICE and her parents are immigrants. They were threatened by this woman and her family as she is related to someone who is an NYPD sergeant. As a result, they did not pursue charges as they felt their voices would be unheard so Luz' death went unanswered.

This was a crime. A child was lost and nothing was done about it. .

Please sign and share. They need to look into this case and bring justice for Luz and her parents.

I ALSO want to post this video of Breonna Taylor's mother. She did an interview and explains what happened on the night of Breonna's murder. This was an INNOCENT woman who was murdered in her apartment due to incorrect information and a no knock warrant. The way they handled this case was HORRIBLE and still is. This happened in March and there has still been no arrests made.

Breonna Taylor
 
Last edited:
Thank you guys for this. It makes me really glad I chose Iwaku as my rp home :heartbeat::heartbeat::heartbeat:
 
A couple more links.

^ Donate ad revenue by watching and educate yourself on ways to help

^Also donate ad revenue by watching
 
I honestly wondered whether this would receive mention here or not, and am extremely glad it has.
The last few weeks have been....especially difficult, so it's honestly uplifting to see this type of response.
All the more so as a black roleplayer who has spent quite a lot of time, and creative energy here over the years.
Thank you very much.
 
Also if you or your friends have an iPhone, a short cut they have is "Siri, I'm getting pulled over." This will have your phone go into a silent mode and record your interaction with whomever. It is suggested to be used for police interactions.

iPhone short cut
 
Some of those that work forces, are bad apples of course, yes
They don't need training courses, or to know what 'remorse' is
Some of those that work forces, are bad apples of course, yes
Up there on their high horses, with unending resources
Huh!

Karen is the name of!
Karen is the name of!

And now I'm coming to scold ya
About how cops should be soldiers
And type in capslock and bold, yeah
'Bout how we're for law and order
And call back ICE from the border
To quell this civil disorder
It's like my president told ya
When he inspected his bunker
All of these thugs from Antifa
They're just as bad as Al Qaeda
And while we're on it, Corona?
It's just a seasonal cold, yeah?
So now I'm coming to scold ya!

Those who died should just have tried, to follow the rules like the peaceful whites
I say "Blue Lives", they must be prized, cos wearing the badge makes 'em faultless knights
Those who died were suicides, their family and friends they don't protest right
You victimize the Thin Blue Line, when they are as pure as the Israelites

Some of those that work forces, are bad apples of course, yes
Pay no mind to news sources, or the Klan that endorses
Some of those that work forces, are bad apples of course, yes
Those old men and reporters, need to learn who their boss is
Uggh!

Karen is the name of!
Karen is the name of!

And now they're pushing you over
All while I sit on my sofa
And say your errant behaviour
Offends my lord and my saviour
I miss the days when a slaver, (You were under control)
Could have you all as free labour, (You were under control)
And if you bitched we could trade ya, (You were under control)
Unto our land-owning neighbour, (You were under control)
And all your violent natures, (You were under control)
Put all your rights on a waiver, (You were under control)
And there were zero race traitors, (You were under control)
And we all served the Creator!

Those who died should have complied, or not been on drugs or been more polite
We're justified to take your lives, cos wearing the badge make us free to smite
Those who died in slums reside, so why should we care 'bout their woeful plight?
You looter guys we must deride, your anarchy brings Liberals delight
Come on!

Yeah! Come on!

Fake news, I don't care what you tell me
Excuse all the Nazis around me
Fake news, I don't care what you tell me
No clue, reason won't overwhelm me
Fake news, I don't care what you tell me
Outdo all conspiracy theories
Fake news, I don't care what you tell me
Untrue, all the clips that you show me

Fake news, I don't care what you tell me!
Fake news, I don't care what you tell me!
Fake news, I don't care what you tell me!
Fake news, I don't care what you tell me!
Fake news, I don't care what you tell me!
Fake news, I don't care what you tell me!
Fake news, I don't care what you tell me!
Fake news, I don't care what you tell me!

Boot-lickerrrrrr!
Uggh!
 
After spending so many years in this site and finding such amazing people, I already know Iwaku is, in my opinion, the best place for role playing EVER. But reading all of this, man...

My cold heart and dark soul just melted.
1592605312985.png
 
  • Love
Reactions: Diana and Astaroth

May the Memory of Nancy Green live Forever...
 
May I add, Humble is doing a 30 dollar bundle which gives you games and directly donates the money you spend NAACP Legal Defense, The Bail Project and Race Forward. At the moment I am sending this message, thee are 3 days, 14 hours and 10 minutes.

Also HBO is streaming the Watchman series free all weekend long.
 
  • Thank You
Reactions: Diana and Astaroth
May I add, Humble is doing a 30 dollar bundle which gives you games and directly donates the money you spend NAACP Legal Defense, The Bail Project and Race Forward. At the moment I am sending this message, thee are 3 days, 14 hours and 10 minutes.

Also HBO is streaming the Watchman series free all weekend long.
The Humble Bundle is the one linked in the PSA! Thanks for the tip about HBO.

Another fundraiser: Artists & Labels Offering Donations, Special Merch, & More During Today’s NAACP Fundraiser
 
I have been using a plug-in called 'Tab for a Cause' to turn my excessive amount of tabs into donations for similar causes. It is worth looking into for those who want to help out, though I urge anyone to thoroughly read up through the ToS and how it works, because it does store a lot of data.

Since not everyone is American, and most of the sources linked are US-centred I also want to high light Europe. Racism, sexism, and all what has been mentioned is a world-wide problem, not just in the US.

For Europeans that are wondering what they can do, I suggest to read this article from Highsnobiety or to check out the infograph that @nnoorxo made on Instagram on what Europeans can do. She shares a lot of good documentaries that you can watch as well to inform you about the problems often ignored in Europe.

- European Network Against Racism
- How to report a breach of your rights
- Zwarte Piet Niet! [Zwarte Piet, Black Pete - a long standing discussion about an obsolete tradition that needs to be gone.]
- Wiki page on what Zwarte Piet is (English)
- Zwarte Piet: Black Pete is 'Dutch racism in full display'
- VERWIJDERING JAN PIETERSZOON COEN BEELD [The removal of a statue of J.P. Coen, officer of the VOC (Dutch East India Company). A misnamed hero who stands symbol for colonialism, ethnic brutality, and the slave trade during the Golden Era of the Netherlands.]

And there are so many more examples, because of the history of colonialism that Europe has, not only the Netherlands. There are countless figures that still have statues in place and are celebrated as heroes, but did horrifying things of which we can still feel the effects today. It is a huge problem that we never really address other than referring to it as 'a few black pages' in history and I'm not only referring to the colonial times, but also to more recent history, such as the Bosnian genocide that only rose to attention decades after, but is never taught or mentioned in history class.

And yes, the 'refugee-crisis', as some named it, is also worth the mention within this topic. Everything is worth the read and the attention to inform yourself. Racism is not black and white or black vs white, it is a spectrum.

As a Dutchman myself I always pride myself in the fact that the Netherlands was (one of the) first countries to allow same-sex marriages, but it doesn't stop there! The LGBTQ community still faces daily abuse. Many like to say that it has 'increased' over the years, I'm more of the opinion that the intolerance never faded away, but that we are too proud to admit that we still have work to do and thus rather turn our face away.

- What is ILGA-Europe | ILGA-Europe
- 10 ways to improve LGBT rights in Europe
- Stem voor LHBTI-rechten in de Grondwet! (Dutch LGBTQ organisation)
 
I have been using a plug-in called 'Tab for a Cause' to turn my excessive amount of tabs into donations for similar causes. It is worth looking into for those who want to help out, though I urge anyone to thoroughly read up through the ToS and how it works, because it does store a lot of data.

Since not everyone is American, and most of the sources linked are US-centred I also want to high light Europe. Racism, sexism, and all what has been mentioned is a world-wide problem, not just in the US.

For Europeans that are wondering what they can do, I suggest to read this article from Highsnobiety or to check out the infograph that @nnoorxo made on Instagram on what Europeans can do. She shares a lot of good documentaries that you can watch as well to inform you about the problems often ignored in Europe.

- European Network Against Racism
- How to report a breach of your rights
- Zwarte Piet Niet! [Zwarte Piet, Black Pete - a long standing discussion about an obsolete tradition that needs to be gone.]
- VERWIJDERING JAN PIETERSZOON COEN BEELD [The removal of a statue of J.P. Coen, officer of the VOC (Dutch East India Company). A misnamed hero who stands symbol for colonialism, ethnic brutality, and the slave trade during the Golden Era of the Netherlands.]

And there are so many more examples, because of the history of colonialism that Europe has, not only the Netherlands. There are countless figures that still have statues in place and are celebrated as heroes, but did horrifying things of which we can still feel the effects today. It is a huge problem that we never really address other than referring to it as 'a few black pages' in history and I'm not only referring to the colonial times, but also to more recent history, such as the Bosnian genocide that only rose to attention decades after, but is never taught or mentioned in history class.

And yes, the 'refugee-crisis', as some named it, is also worth the mention within this topic. Everything is worth the read and the attention to inform yourself. Racism is not black and white or black vs white, it is a spectrum.

As a Dutchman myself I always pride myself in the fact that the Netherlands was (one of the) first countries to allow same-sex marriages, but it doesn't stop there! The LGBTQ community still faces daily abuse. Many like to say that it has 'increased' over the years, I'm more of the opinion that the intolerance never faded away, but that we are too proud to admit that we still have work to do and thus rather turn our face away.

- What is ILGA-Europe | ILGA-Europe
- 10 ways to improve LGBT rights in Europe
- Stem voor LHBTI-rechten in de Grondwet! (Dutch LGBTQ organisation)
Thanks so much for all of this! Unfortunately being from the US makes it harder to know about and also to vet sources from out of the country, so I was concerned about that gap but didn't personally have a solution other than hoping our overseas members would be able to provide some. (Kitti, our one non-US-based admin, has a lot going on IRL due to health, family, and career stuff and was not able to contribute links.) This is amazing, thanks for coming through. I apologize if any of our overseas members felt we weren't supportive or acknowledging them. :[
 
Man, I love this website. Thanks for the PSA!
 
  • Love
Reactions: Diana and Astaroth
As a transgender Male, I really love this website because it’s safe and super fun. Thank you for the wonderful psa.
 
  • Thank You
  • Love
Reactions: Diana and Astaroth
The ONLY negative response to this PSA has been from a bad-faith actor angry that he got banned, but I'll clarify a few things just for the record:

Do we support white people?

If you are one of our members and are white but not LGBT, struggling with mental illness, or of Jewish faith/descent: OBVIOUSLY yes we care about and support you, unless you're the kind of asshole who implies the people already addressed explicitly here don't matter.

Do we support veterans?

Yes, absolutely. Many veterans are also PoC, LGBT, and/or struggling with mental illness. Veterans are also an overlooked group who do not get enough support. If you would like to support our veterans, you can go here to learn more.

Do we support cops?

While we do not condone violence against ANY innocent person, part of the problem in the US at least is that the law treats cops as mattering MORE than non-cops and cop culture encourages that mentality. Don't murder anyone, but saying "Blue lives matter" is not a helpful message in our opinion nor is it one we endorse. They already know their lives matter, and many think their lives matter MORE than yours (yes even if you're white).

Why didn't you mention white people here?

For the same reason you don't get a present at someone else's birthday party and the fire department doesn't go to every house in the neighborhood when one house is on fire.

If your takeaway from this is that your white straight cisgender life doesn't matter to us, you're being the problem.
 
I love all my stupid human babies and the only cock I discriminate against is a filthy one. Ò◇Ó
 
  • Bucket of Rainbows
  • Haha
Reactions: Kuno and Astaroth
Goddamn it, Diana. I can’t unsee that now. Thanks a lot.
 
  • Sympathy & Compassion
Reactions: Astaroth
Your adult baby loves you too!

Also don't forget to VOTE!

Your voice needs to be heard! It is important! Get out there and vote. Encourage your friends and family but most importantly, make sure you get all the facts. Do not waste your vote on a write in like a gorilla! That's what happened last election. It is very serious as this affects our lives.

Your vote matters! Please!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.