A Win, A Law, & A Spark: Powerful IMAN Arts Update
Jecorey “1200” Arthur Wins Historic Seat as Louisville Councilman!
On June 30, professor, musician, activist and IMAN Roster Artist Jecorey “1200” Arthur was elected to Louisville, Kentucky’s 4th District as the youngest metro council person in Louisville history!
Jecorey has proclaimed publicly that part of what sparked his interest and determination to run for public office was a community organizing workshop that he attended as a part of IMAN’s Artist Retreat in 2017. Jecorey has performed for audiences across the globe; educated thousands of students of all ages as a public school teacher and now college professor; organized countless community events; and most recently was deeply involved in the passing of “Breonna’s Law”, that bans “no-knock warrants” from the city of Louisville after a young woman was murdered in her home by undercover police officers earlier this year.
Among other things, this win emphasizes the critical role that artists play as organizers and leaders working to foster health, wellness and healing in their communities across the country. We congratulate our brother Jecorey and pray for his success in this important position.
Former Buffalo Police Officer Cariol Horne Receives Powerful Legal Representation Via New IMAN Effort
Acclaimed singer/songwriter, nonprofit executive director, and IMAN Roster Artist Drea d’Nur is one of the lead organizers attempting to seek justice for former Buffalo, NY police officer Cariol Horne, and to pass “Cariol’s Law”. In 2006, Officer Cariol Horne, a Black woman and mother of five, pushed another police officer off of an unarmed black man, preventing the officer from killing the man in a chokehold much like the one that murdered George Floyd. Aside from sustaining massive injury after the offending officer punched Cariol in the face, requiring reconstructive surgery, Cariol was then fired from the police force after almost 20 years on the job, and denied her pension. For the last 14 years, she has struggled to raise her five children while fighting for her rights without strong legal representation.
We are excited to announce that through Drea’s advocacy and an emerging effort led by IMAN, Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, Harvard Law School and University of Chicago Law School to provide legal support around criminal justice cases, police accountability, and other social justice issues, Cariol is now being legally represented by Kirkland & Ellis, LLP and Harvard Law School for the duration of her case.
Furthermore, the efforts to pass “Cariol’s Law”—which will mandate that police officers in the city of Buffalo intervene when they are witnesses to excessive force by another officer—have sparked national attention and have formed the basis for similar legislation to be drafted across the country.