03.27.2018 - By Playboy
After Ezell Ford was shot by police in 2014, a group of activists held an 18-day occupation at LAPD headquarters. One of them was Shamell Bell, a dancer and community activist who is now a PhD candidate at UCLA. She says being there day and night, and dealing with constant police harassment, took its toll on the protestors. In an effort to uplift everyone’s morale, she made a suggestion. “I said, ‘Let’s do something that’s going to make us happy.