Voices of Strength

A Note from Our Founder—Changes, Gratitude, and What’s Next

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 10:46:59 -0700

Dear Voices of Strength Family,

I want to take a moment to personally thank every one of you for your support, encouragement, and trust over the past five years. Whether you donated, shared our posts, joined an event, or just stayed in the fight, you’ve been part of something real and necessary.

Voices of Strength is moving into a new chapter. The work isn’t stopping—it’s just continuing in a new way, and under my own name. You’ll still see the same commitment to justice, truth, and community, but now through my personal advocacy, journalism, and direct support for impacted communities.

This isn’t goodbye. The VOS website and pages will remain up as a resource and legacy archive—there’s still so much value there, and people continue to discover those stories every day.

If you’d like to stay connected or keep supporting the work, here’s how:

I’d also love to invite you to join me live tonight at 7 PM PST on YouTube. I’ll be sharing more about this transition, what’s ahead, and answering any...Read More

Join Our upcoming Virtual Event – National Day Against Police Brutality

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 00:10:40 -0700

Join us on October 22 for a powerful virtual event marking the 29th National Day Against Police Brutality, hosted by Voices of Strength and Marissa Barrera.

Expect engaging panel discussions, impactful stories from survivors, and educational topics covering crucial issues like exposing sexual predator cops, suing the police, qualified immunity, self-care in advocacy, and more.

📅 Date: October 22, 2024
🕓 Time: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM PST | 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EST
🎥 Where: YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
🖤 Theme: Wear Black, Fight Back

This event is free, but registration is required to receive the program and joining link. Register now: www.tinyurl.com/oct22virtual

Submit your questions or topics in advance, and let’s stand together to demand justice.

We look forward to your participation!

In solidarity,
Marissa Barrera
Voices of Strength

Press release: Justice for Derrick Clark

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 19:47:36 -0800

The family of Derrick Clark and their attorneys have released a press statement along with their complaint against two Clackamas County deputies and one Oregon State Patrol officer in regard to the fatal shooting that took place on June 18, 2022 in which Derrick was shot in the back, denied medical aid, dehumanized and left to die. View the press release below.

Read the complaint here: Clark Complaint
Support the Justice for Derrick Clark Facebook Page

Sacramento : An Evening of Art, Music, Presentations, Friendship and Solidarity!

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 14:09:14 -0800

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Members of the public are invited to a provocative and historic cultural and social event to benefit the North Alabama School for Organizers (NASO). All proceeds will go to benefit NASO’s Free Car Repair Clinic in Huntsville, Alabama.

This one-day-only pop-up art show will highlight historical material and photographs from the history of organizing by the Young Patriots organization among poor whites who migrated from the South to the Chicago area. The evening includes live music performance, presentations, and lively conversation! This event represents a nexus for art and community organizing, offering an opportunity to learn about multi-racial organizing through an immersive art experience that includes photographs, video, presentations, and music.

Featured Speaker: Hy Thurman
Hy Thurman is a co-founder of the Young Patriots Organization. Based in Chicago, the Young Patriots mobilized poor whites against racism and poverty. Together with the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party and the Puerto Rican Young Lords, they organized the First Rainbow Coalition. Hy remains active today with the Northern Alabama School for Organizers. His book Revolutionary Hillbilly: Notes From the Struggle at the Edge of the Rainbow was published in 2021.

Live Music By:
Mike Hellman is a country and americana troubadour with a bent for the unconventional. Slinging songs with substance, conviction and grit, he’s on a mission to tell his truth and he insists on being heard. While firmly rooted in...Read More

Killer Cop Nahum Dorme of the Memphis PD

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 10:59:18 -0800

Killer cop Nahum Dorme of the Memphis Police Department in Memphis, TN killed 20 year old Jaylin McKenzie, cowardly shooting the young man in the back.

Learn more about what happened to Jaylin McKenzie and how you can support at: bit.ly/whathappenedtojaylin

Police Brutality and selective rage

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 02:44:39 -0800

Police Brutality and Selective Rage

Selective rage is a term that refers to the phenomenon of people expressing outrage or anger over some cases of police brutality but not others based on their personal or political preferences, biases, or agendas. Selective rage can be influenced by factors such as the race, gender, age, or criminal history of the victim or the officer, the media coverage and framing of the incident, the political climate and polarization of the society, and the availability and quality of evidence and information.

Some examples of selective rage when it comes to high-profile police brutality cases are:

Some people were outraged by the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by Derek Chauvin, a white officer, in Minneapolis in 2020, but not by the killing of Tony Timpa, a white man, by several officers, some of whom were Black, in Dallas in 2016. Both men died after being restrained by police officers who ignored their pleas that they could not breathe. Some critics argued that the media and the public paid more attention to Floyd's case. It fit the narrative of systemic racism and police violence against Black people while ignoring Timpa's case because it did not.
Some people were outraged by the killing of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman, by white officers who raided her apartment in Louisville in 2020, but not by the killing of Justine Damond, a white woman, by Mohamed Noor, a Black officer who shot her after she called 911 to report a possible assault in Minneapolis in 2017. Both women were innocent bystanders who were killed by...Read More

VOS August Newsletter

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 22:23:24 -0700

July 2023 Newsletter

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 12:15:23 -0700

Michael Barrera Killed By Woodland PD 4 Years Ago 2/8/21 - Press Conference

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 11:12:44 -0800

The family of Michael Barrera, a 30 year old Woodland man and a 2017 police homicide victim, will be gathering on the fourth year anniversary of his death at the hands of the Woodland PD.

Woodland, CA - A press conference will take place on Monday with the family of Michael Barrera to share details that have come to light regarding his death, while addressing the issue of police homicides on a statewide and national level.

When: 1 p.m-1:45 p.m. (PST), Monday, Feb. 8

Where: 1000 Main St. | Virtually: https://tinyurl.com/3cm969lm

Michael, a loving father, was killed on February 8, 2017 by multiple officers of the WPD, in a similar way to Mr. George Floyd, with his last words being “I can’t breathe.” Officials immediately released false narratives into the community and quickly justified his killing, without a proper investigation. He was an innocent man, stolen from his family by those who are supposed to protect and serve.

Voices of Strength, supporters and local activists will join the family to refocus on local efforts for justice and accountability while standing in solidarity with families impacted by police homicides from across the nation, many of which will be joining virtually.

Established in 2020, Voices of Strength (VOS) is a non-profit that supports and uplifts the voices of those impacted by police killings. Founded by Marissa Barrera, sister of Michael Barrera, it was created as a resource for the families who are often isolated after the loss of their loved ones, with little to no support. VOS hosts a weekly series that highlights a different victim with their family sharing their truths and experiences. (Read More