New BreakOUT! Video by Funders for LGBT Issues

Submitted by wesware
on Tue, 12/04/2012 - 15:50

Just in time for the holidays, check out a brand new video featuring BreakOUT! about why you should support BreakOUT!  Recently released by Funders for LGBT Issues, the video is part of their Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Boys of Color Initiative.  We are so honored to be a part of this project.  You can see all of the videos featuring GBTQ boys and young men of color here.

Happy Holidays from BreakOUT!

Submitted by wesware
on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 17:45

Holiday Message 2012

BreakOUT! in City Council

Submitted by wesware
on Fri, 10/26/2012 - 14:30

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Contact: Wesley Ware
c:  (504) 473-2651
 

TESTIMONY FROM BLACK TRANSGENDER YOUTH SHARED AT CITY COUNCIL IN SUPPORT OF PROPOSED LGBTQ POLICE POLICY

NOPD AGREES TO MEET WITH LGBTQ YOUTH BEFORE ADOPTING POLICY 

 
BreakOUT!, an organization dedicated to ending the criminalization of lesbian, gay,bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth presented at the New Orleans City Council Criminal Justice Subcommittee meeting today, October 24, 2012.
 
Courageous youth shared testimony on behalf of members who had been brutalized, targeted, and discriminated against by the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and were afraid to attend.  BreakOUT! also attempted to show their video, "We Deserve Better," which details the abuses of
File Attachment: 
BreakOUT! Proposed Policy.pdf
Press Release 10-24-12.pdf

BreakOUT! Receives Out in the Silence Youth Activism Award

Submitted by wesware
on Tue, 10/16/2012 - 16:26

 

BreakOUT! is excited to announce its selection for the 2012 Out in the Silence Award for Youth Activism!  The award was created to "encourage, highlight and honor creative and courageous young people and their work to call attention to bullying, harassment, bigotry and discrimination and to promote safe schools and inclusive communities for all" after the release of a PBS documentary called Out in the Silence.

BreakOUT! is joined by four other outstanding LGBTQ youth leaders from across the country in receiving this award, which was announced on October 11th, National Coming Out Day.

BreakOUT! will receive an honorarium of $1,000 and year-long outreach and promotional support for our work from the Out in the Silence Campaign.  Congratulations, members, for receiving this honor!

 

BreakOUT! Files Declaration in Support of NOPD Consent Decree

Submitted by wesware
on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 18:22

Also Advocates for Strengthened Provisions and Greater IPM Involvement

 
BreakOUT! filed a Declaration in support of the proposed Consent Decree with the New Orleans Police Department on Friday, which also expressed support for greater involvement by the Independent Police Monitor and strengthened provisions for NOPD oversight.  The Congress of Day Laborers also filed a Declaration in support and provided two witness testimonies.
 
(Left, community members from BreakOUT!, Women With a Vision, Brotherhood, Inc., and other concerned citizens meet with DOJ at WWAV offices during federal investigation, 2010.)
 
The Declaration, written by BreakOUT! director, Wesley Ware, cites national data about LGBTQ youth interactions with law enforcement, as well as member experiences with the NOPD.

Members Attend Allied Media Conference, Detroit

Submitted by wesware
on Sun, 07/29/2012 - 13:14

BreakOUT! would like to extend a very special thank you to our individual donors, the Open Society Foundation, and Common Counsel’s GXF for helping us get to the Allied Media Conference in Detroit, MI this year!  It was an invaluable experience for our members to connect with others across the country doing similar work and an opportunity to share with them some of our work, too.

Prior to the conference’s official opening, we participated in the day-long LGBTQ youth convening called Werk It!, convened by FIERCE, Branching Seedz of Resistance, and Reteaching Gender and Sexuality with other organizations such as Streetwise and Safe and Global Action Project.  At this pre-conference, youth developed a national network of LGBTQ youth, primarily youth of color, and goals for collaboration

BREAKOUT! WINS UNPRECEDENTED VICTORY FOR LGBT YOUTH IN DOJ CONSENT DECREE

Submitted by wesware
on Tue, 07/24/2012 - 21:13

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Wesley Ware, Director

cell:  (504) 473-2651

BREAKOUT! WINS UNPRECEDENTED VICTORY FOR LGBT YOUTH IN DOJ CONSENT DECREE

BreakOUT!, an organization that fights the criminalization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth in New Orleans, LA, applauds the Consent Decree between the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) released today.

File Attachment: 
BREAKOUT! CONSENT DECREE PRESS RELEASE 7-24-12.pdf
DOJ Consent Decree 7-24-12.pdf

From Vice to ICE, BreakOUT! and Congress of Day Laborers

Submitted by wesware
on Sat, 06/09/2012 - 18:13

Groups Attend Urban Congress Together to Fight Criminalization in New Orleans

BreakOUT! members attended the Urban Congress with National Right to the City Alliance and local organizations, Safe Streets Strong Communities, Voice of the Ex-Offender, the Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition, the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, and other local grassroots organizations on June 7-8th in New Orleans, LA.

On Thursday, five BreakOUT! members attended the Day of Action to stop the deportations of the Southern 32 and demand Mayor Landrieu to divest from Orleans Parish Prison.  On Friday, BreakOUT! members conducted a workshop with the Congress of Day Laborers on discriminatory policing and community I.D.’s.

BreakOUT! Awarded Propeller Social Venture Accelerator Fellowship

Submitted by wesware
on Wed, 06/06/2012 - 18:24

BreakOUT! is excited to announce that Director, Wesley Ware, recently received the 2012-2013 Propeller Social Venture Accelerator Fellowship.  Below is more information about the program from the Propeller website:  

"The SENO Social Venture Accelerator was designed in partnership with globally recognized social entrepreneurship nonprofit Echoing Green.  The Accelerator helps early-stage ventures become operational, reach financial sustainability, and meet social impact targets through hands-on support from paid consultants in areas of need, pro bono professional services (legal, accounting, graphic design, marketing, etc.), a network of mentors and experts, timely connections, peer learning opportunities, and increased exposure for the venture."

The fellowship will provide BreakOUT!

BreakOUT! Releases New Tools to Help Keep LGBTQ Youth Safe

Submitted by wesware
on Mon, 06/04/2012 - 22:41

BreakOUT! released two new tools recently to help keep LGBTQ youth, especially young transgender women, safe on the streets of New Orleans.  The first, the "BreakOUT! Guide to Street Safety and Preserving Your Rights with the Police" is a 4-page guide to knowing your rights with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD).  Unlike other "Know Your Rights" guides, the BreakOUT! guide recognizes the complexity and risk involved in advocating for your rights and is also a tool for member outreach and development.

If an officer feels their authority is being questioned or that they are being disrespected, it may escalate the situation or, in extreme cases, the officer may become retaliatory.  As a result, many young people may be fearful that they could become less safe with law enforcement

File Attachment: 
BREAKOUT! Comic FINAL.pdf

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