If you've been to a rally in the Capital Region, you've probably seen Jamaica Miles.

Miles, a Schenectady native, has been a community advocate for the past decade. She co-founded “All of Us” in February. The group has more than 2,000 likes on Facebook.

What You Need To Know


  • All of Us was started in February and has organized a number of local rallies

  • Since then, their base has grown, as the group now has more than 2,000 likes on Facebook

  • All of Us made a list of 13 demands to create systemic change, including banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants

"Every single day we have people calling and e-mailing and texting saying, 'How can I get involved? What is it I can do?' " says Miles.

The group has been the organizer of a number of local protests demanding change across the Capital Region, including in Schenectady.

Miles says she's listened to Capital Region residents and people who attend the rallies. She and others from All of Us used that input to create a list of 13 demands.

"I'm not saying anything crazy," says Miles. "I'm not saying anything that dozens, if not hundreds, of people have not said before me."

The list of demands includes a ban on chokeholds and no-knock warrants, prosecution for law enforcement who violate someone's civil rights, and the automatic firing of an officer who damages their body camera. A full list of demands is on the All of Us Facebook page.

Miles says the list is made entirely of actions the police chief, mayor, and county district attorney can implement on their own.

The city of Schenectady hasn't publicly responded to the demands, but has said it's interested in painting "Black Lives Matter" on a street like Jay Street. Miles says that symbolism needs to be followed by action.

"It's not enough to take a knee or to walk around the block with us or to write something on the street that says “Black Lives Matter” if you're not going to actually change policies to prove that black lives matter," says Miles.

All of Us is hosting a virtual "Community Organizing 101" event on June 23, in hopes more people get involved.

Miles says All of Us will keep being a presence until there is change.

"There are organizers and people who are not going to let the moment go, that said 'I'm going to show up today. I'm going to show up tomorrow, next week, next month.' We're going to be a constant presence and demand structural change," says Miles.