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‘Obey,’ Abner Louima says, to survive police, but fight every day for change

Almost 24 years after the police brutality incident in Flatbush, survivor Abner Louima said he still worries about the safety of his children, when interacting with police. Yet, the Haitian-American activist sees reason for hope in the Black Lives Matter movement of recent years, that intensified after George Floyd’s May 2020 murder. Louima said that the movement needs to be consistent, not just something that arises in response to an incident. But on a more concrete level, he said change is needed in the judicial system, among police leadership and from individual community members.