The State of State of Injustice (Week 1)

How the campaign is going and how you can help

Our crowdfunding campaign for season one is doing decent, at 31% of our goal at the end of the first week. We still need lots of help to make sure this documentary reaches the audience it deserves. To that end, I’ve put together a handy guide on things you can do to help us reach our goal, followed by some updates on campaign coverage and status.

*UPDATED*
Save the Date: Episode 2 will premiere at 7pm on March 12th, the eve of the fourth anniversary of Luke Stewart’s death

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How to Help

1. Watch Episode One (preferably with others)

I’ve made it pretty easy for you, it’s embedded in the top of the post! Until you’ve watched our first fifteen minute episode, it’s a little weird for you to share or donate, right?

If you would like to organize a formal screening or even a small watch party for friends, just email info@stateofinjustice.com and we’ll be happy to set one up, including a QA with myself, the director, or a rep from BLM Cleveland.*

*Schedules permitting

2. Social Media

Follow / Subscribe:

YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok

Super Fan Bonus Action: REALLY Follow Us

Here’s how to ensure you see our posts so you can like and share to help our engagement and organic reach (this goes for any page you want to support without interference from the Almighty Algorithm):

Facebook

1. Click on the … button for the page, all the way to the right of the Like button, and select “Follow Settings”
   

   

2. Select “Favorite” for your News Feed setting
   

   

3. If you’re the Super Fan we hope you are, change notification settings for posts to “Standard”, and videos/live notifications to “All”. Once you’ve done this, here’s how they should look before you click Update.
   

   

Twitter

Twitter makes it so much easier. Just go to our profile, click Follow and then the little bell.

YouTube

Click the SUBSCRIBE button, then click the notification bell icon that appears to the right and select “All”

Content to Share

We have an excellent teaser trailer for episode one, available on Vimeo, Facebook, YouTube, and this Twitter thread about the origins of the series.

State of Injustice @StateInjustice

This project started out small. We intended to interview family of #LukeStewart, their attorneys, and activists outraged by his case, and shine a little light on it. Here's a bit about why it sprawled into a larger endeavor to look at systemic issues that affect all of Ohio.

I’ve created a shared Google Drive folder here where you can download images and media to post to your own profiles and pages. More to be added all the time.

Most importantly, keep a close watch on our social media. We had quite a doozy of a development land today (Facebook, Twitter):

State of Injustice @StateInjustice

Officer Don Ivory already appears in our forthcoming third episode as he was previously charged with domestic violence, was fired, but got his job back through binding arbitration. @fox8news reports shocking news about officer Ivory, and we have more...

fox8.comEuclid police officer indicted on multiple charges, including attempted rape of a 13-year-old girlEuclid police officer Donald Ivory has been indicted by a Cuyahoga County Grand Jury on seven counts, including attempted rape of a juvenile.

State of Injustice @StateInjustice

Despite his dodgy record it did not stop the @Euclid_PD from putting him on their YouTube channel, as part of their "Books with Badges" program. With him (we shit you not) reading a children's book on camera.

Hashtags

On Twitter it’s best to never use more than two, but go wild on Instagram. Here are the tags we’re using for Episode 1:

• #StateOfInjustice

• #LukeStewart

• #EuclidPD

• #MatthewRhodes

3. Reviews

Send any positive thoughts or reactions that we can add to the website to info@stateofinjustice.com. Additionally, you can leave them as comments here or on Vimeo, YouTube, or the official review section of our Facebook Page (with the stars and everything).

4. Volunteer

Got any skills you can bring to the project? Let us know! Even having a social media account can be a huge help if you’re willing to join a private “amplification group” that coordinates social sharing.

5. Donate

I’ve saved the best and hardest ask for last. If you have already watched and shared, please consider donating any amount to the project.

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Press Coverage & Mentions

There are a lot of lines cast in the press, but so far only Cleveland Scene has come through with coverage like they champs they are.

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“This important documentary exposes the staggering depth and breadth of the systemic injustices within the Euclid Police Department.  Euclid PD’s unchecked culture of excessive force, inadequate training, supervision, and discipline, and a decisive failure of leadership puts the community in danger. Too many lives have been destroyed by their flagrant disregard for the law, and more will be harmed unless Euclid finally takes drastic, immediate efforts to reform their police department.”

-Sara Gelsomino, Attorney for Stewart Family

della ~ lesbianics instructor @della_morte_

This is a really in-depth and fascinating and important project that deserves a few minutes of your time and attention to learn about.

State of Injustice @StateInjustice

This project started out small. We intended to interview family of #LukeStewart, their attorneys, and activists outraged by his case, and shine a little light on it. Here's a bit about why it sprawled into a larger endeavor to look at systemic issues that affect all of Ohio. https://t.co/FjiIgLnACI

Matthew Ahn @ahnbrand

Hey, remember how policing in this country is still an abject failure? @BLM_216 has a new series looking at policing in Ohio, starting with Euclid, a suburb of Cleveland, which is a fitting choice for a number of reasons. Mini-thread. 1/

State of Injustice @StateInjustice

While there are many systemic issues to be focused on as this series moves forward, what we uncovered in Euclid does not seem to be an anomaly. Euclid also has the same flavor of Ohio racism we will find in other cities, but that's for another thread. https://t.co/xikhorY6Fh

Project Status

This week I will be adding motion graphics and finishing touches to episode two, which will premiere on March 13th, the fourth anniversary of Luke Stewart’s death. Details on the premiere are being worked out tomorrow, but it will definitely be virtual.

Thank you for your time and any support you can lend to this important project.