Life can be a real bummer

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Let’s continue to explore personal relationships with white supremacy. 

I encourage you to read through this list: White - Privilege Checklist

And watch these videos: Black In Bend: Being An Extreme Minority In Suburbia | Anyssa Bohanan Your Privilege Is Showing | Lillian Medville

“The incarceration rate for Black men and women more than tripled from 1960 to 2010.”

“One in three African-American men born in 2001 can expect to be imprisoned at some point in his life, compared with one in 17 white boys”

“The sons of Black families in the top 1% of America’s income distribution are as likely to go to prison as white sons from the bottom third.”

“The household income gap (between white and Black families) is the same as it was in 1968. So is the wealth gap. Crime and the criminal justice system are part of the story of stagnation, as is persistent, if lessened, racism.”

“Children who grow up poor -- as 32% of African-American children do, a rate nearly three times that of white children… Only 6% of white children born between 1985 and 2000 spent part of their childhood in neighbourhoods with at least a 20% poverty rate. For Black children the figure was 66%.” 

All from The Economist, The New Ideology of Race, Issue July 11-July17, 2020

“This lack of exposure to conversations about race has left you ill-equipped to handle the discomfort of racial conversations as an adult, leading to an inevitable response of white fragility.”-- Me and White Supremacy, Layla Saad

I understand that things may feel scary and overwhelming right now, but for privileged members of society, the responsibility now more than ever, is to be an ally. Now is the time to get involved in any way you can, whether in the streets or from your home. As our continued actions manifest changes within law enforcement and government structures, we must not forget to include the change needed within our society as well. Although the bravery many are currently showing, and the sustained and strong efforts of those partaking in the movement is incredible, it does not change the minds of those who are not currently with us. We must also focus our efforts to sustain the changes we are seeing and to ensure a lasting legacy of toppling white supremacy. 

Race is a social construct. What this really means, is that no one is born racist. Racism is taught, whether in the home or though the media and systems in place to keep certain members of our society in power. It is not enough to dismantle institutionalized racism if individuals within society still do not understand the pain and suffering it has caused. To unite and raise up all of humanity, we must focus not just on those who are most disenfranchised, but on those who lack education and understanding of the world’s power structures. With understanding we can achieve momentum and lasting change.

Just as we teach our children the importance of treating everyone equally, we must offer the same courtesy to those adults who were not afforded this same service as children. It is not always obvious to those who benefit from systemic racism the privilege they are afforded. And it is not always their fault. It is the fault of an underfunded and white washed public education system that serves to further the convenient and comfortable narrative of the white suppressors and their pillaging of what is now the United States. 

It is difficult for anyone to admit they are wrong, or don’t understand, and it is even scarier to admit to benefiting from another's pain, even unconsciously. People are afraid of change, it is uncomfortable. But that does not mean that change is bad. For this, we must work to educate others from a place of compassion rather than anger. Those who do not understand systemic racism are also products of a broken system that can only be dismantled when people truly understand its foundations and flaws. There is no excuse for hate, and racism should not be tolerated, but please I urge everyone who already agrees with me to greet others with compassion and courage. It is only through open dialogue and honest conversation that minds can be changed and communities strengthened. We must never tolerate racism but we must also never tolerate ignorance that leads to hate. 

Be strong in your sense of justice and equality for all. And be strong in educating others to the pains and horrors perpetrated by a racist system. Understand that change takes time. Those who are learning need time to process new information and work towards changing their scope and principles. The space granted to another to reeducate themself must not be confused with complacency. Patience should only be granted only to those actively working to understand their privilege and the foundations of white supremacy that the US was founded on. It must ultimately be understood that it could, sadly, take generations to undo the damage caused by an entire world history built on the backs of others. To those who are suffering, this is far too long. We all owe it to humanity to work to better ourselves and the society we live in. 

Black Lives Matter. If you agree with this statement but are white and don’t believe yourself to be part of the problem; that is the problem. Whiteness as superiority has been so deeply embedded into every institution within American Society, the message may go easily unnoticed by those without Black and Brown bodies. It is a responsibility to learn about systemic oppression and injustices and understand how we may benefit so we can effect change. It is powerful to be able to admit when we do not understand and it is even more courageous to admit the understanding to oneself and to others, that they may have benefited from another’s pain. The real power is in people learning the truth and working to understand the true history of genocide and slave labor that the US is built on. Let us use education to reframe racist points of view and create a community where the safety and prosperity of all is at the forefront. 

Learn about the lives that have been lost and what you can do to help. http://www.pb-resources.com/ If all you can give right now is time; that is okay. We have seen progress in numbers. Just click the megaphone at the top right of the page. Signing is easy. 

If you have more time to give, consider getting involved with the Grass Roots Law Projects and host a meeting to pressure your local officials to defund police.  https://www.grassrootslaw.org/ They have incredible resources for learning with wonderful individuals willing to walk you through the process of contacting your local government

Reading of Policing the Planet Continued -- Discussing Riots Although, for the most part, protests across the US in relation to defunding the police and the Black Lives Matter movement have continued peacefully, riots have played a major role in the history of systemic oppression in the US and it is important to discuss why. 

You cannot blame people for rioting “by a generation brought up on despair and systemic neglect” (page 76). 

We must attempt to understand the sentiment behind these actions. 

In 2015 in Baltimore, after crowds erupted over the murder of Freddie Gray, one person described the reasons for the destruction of property. “We’ve been down in Annapolis, we’ve been at the city council, trying to get reforms. We’ve pursued every one of the avenues we’re told to pursue in order to see changes come about. And we’ve gotten nothing significant. It’s unfortunate that only after buildings were burned and cars were smashed, only then did people start listening” (page 76). 

Countless murders of young people of color, at the hands of their own government, with no recourse from those involved, leaves many with little choice. 

Continuing our Reading of Policing the Planet The lives of those with Black and Brown bodies are threatened long before situations escalate to murder at the hands of police.

“Hyper-aggressive enforcement of minor nonviolent infractions that targets communities of color doesn’t make any of our communities safer” (page 64)

Since 2010 we have seen “an explosive rise in incarceration, a generation growing up with criminal records, the dismantling of communities, the shattering of trust in the police, and a police force trained to focus on the quantity and not the quality of arrests” (page 79). 

Lives of those in lower income communities, particularly for young Black men, are negatively affected by police, even without direct contact. Money and resources that should be spent on bettering community services and resources instead are used to increase policing and degrade the idea of a community. 

Policing the Planet: Why the Policing Crisis Led to Black Lives Matter, edited by Jordan T. Camp and Christina Heatherton 

Learn about how the policing systems we see today came to be, not just in the US but around the world. This book includes scholarly pieces about the popularization of broken windows policing along with interviews and statements from activists about the Black Lives Matter movement and its response to the political and social climate of the US and abroad. 

Perhaps the most important takeaway from this book should be a better understanding of broken window policing, and the deep pains and injustices it causes in targeting already disadvantaged populations. Broken windows policing focuses on preventing crime which more accurately means, profiling lower income individuals and people of color as being more likely to engage in criminal acts. 

“Broken windows is often presented as the milder, more community-minded alternative to more aggressive forms of policing.” Instead, it “produces such fatal encounters wherein one overfunded segment of the state dominates, assaults, and helps to reinforce the eradication of another” (pages 3,4). 

-- 

One note before you dive into this book, I would like to go back to my political theory background and define neoliberalism as it is mentioned frequently in the text without providing a definition. 

According to Encyclopedia Britannica neoliberalism is defined as:

“Ideology and policy model that emphasizes the value of free market competition. Although there is considerable debate as to the defining features of neoliberal thought and practice, it is most commonly associated with laissez-faire economics. In particular, neoliberalism is often characterized in terms of its belief in sustained economic growth as the means to achieve human progress, its confidence in free markets as the most-efficient allocation of resources, it emphasis on minimal state intervention in economic and social affairs, and its commitment to the freedom of trade and capital.”

In basic terms, neoliberalism is the idea that consumers vote with their dollars, meaning capitalism works well and rewards those who work hard. It has a focus on limited social spending and promotes the privatization of social services, enforcing the idea that those who struggle financially are products of their own misfortune. Neoliberalism was popularized by South American dictators in the later part of the 20th century. 

Neoliberalism should be most harshly criticized for upholding the idea that capitalism is the ideal economic structure and fails to recognize the inequality perpetuated by systemic oppression. 

A few things to know:

On average, only 672 hours of training are required to become a police officer.  More hours of training are required to become a barber, about 1500-2000 And about the same number of hours required to become a nail technician, 600 hours  

Although this is a disturbing fact, the real issue when talking about police reform is the protections provided to the police. 

We must focus on qualified immunity. Let’s better understand qualified immunity and how it came to be.

In short: qualified Immunity allows officers to act with extreme force, often in cases where it is unwarranted, without facing punishment. 

It “permits law enforcement and other government officials to violate people’s constitutional rights with virtual impunity.” 

Since its creation, qualified immunity has only leaned farther and farther into protecting the rights of harmful and blatantly murderous acts by law enforcement. It now leans so far that “unless the victim can point to a judicial decision that happened to involve the same content and conduct, the officer will be shielded from liability.” 

Learn more about its inception and how it is used today.

“Even as the proliferation of police body cameras and bystander cellphone video has turned a national spotlight on extreme police tactics, qualified immunity, under the careful stewardship of the Supreme Court, is making it easier for offers to kill or injure civilians with impunity.”

“In the cases it accepts, the court nearly always decides in favor of police. The high court has also put its thumb on the scale by repeatedly tweaking the process. It has allowed police to request immunity before all evidence has been presented. And if police are denied immunity, they can appeal immediately -- an option unavailable to most other litigants, who typically must wait until after a final judgment to appeal.”

See all the facts and some stats:  For Cops Who Kill, Special Supreme Court Protection 

Continuing to uphold the tenant of qualified immunity is dangerous not only to those with Black and Brown bodies who are most often targeted by police violence, but the whole system of safety and order in the United States.

Defund the Police

Although the narrative for overhauling systems of policing varies city by city across the United States, one thing to keep in mind is that defunding does not necessarily mean dismantling. 

Defunding the police means diverting funds from police budgets to social services and education to better serve community interests. It is often lower income neighborhoods in the US that see the most police presence. The aggressive approach to over policing lower income neighborhoods and neighborhoods predominantly populated by people of color leads to mass incarceration of black and brown bodies, often for low level crimes. Once incarcerated, these individuals are often forced into unpaid labor while those who own the prisons profit. 

The US prison system is a privatized, for profit institution. 

Tax dollars paid by BIPOC or lower income communities are weaponized and used directly against them to further the economic benefit of the wealthy elite.

In light of all the police violence, if you believe more funding is needed for proper training. Let's talk about it. But I urge you to look at the police response to peaceful protest in the US, and read my post about the origins of policing in the US. 

Practice honesty within yourself.

Know Their Names

With so many deaths of people of color at the hands of police, we cannot say it is just bad apples in the bunch. With an ever growing list of names, no one can claim isolated incidents. 

Failure to address the systemic issues that cause such violence, and even more egregious, the failure to prosecute and hold cops responsible for committing unspeakable acts, proves how racist the system is. 

Look at the Data

If Black Americans are not safe in their own homes, something needs to change. If you are not upset with your tax dollars paying the salaries of individuals who commit racist violence, you need to think long and hard about why.

Living in America means the tax dollars individuals pay, goes to cops who are meant to “serve and protect.” Instead, people of color see their money used to perpetuate the very system that oppresses them.

Let’s Get to the Root of Racial Injustice, Megan Ming Francis - Although this video is 4 years old, it remains relevant and addresses not only the issue of racism within security organizations but how it is reinforced by everyone. We must address the root cause and work to dismantle systemic racism, not just educate ourselves and be satisfied there.

People of color have been unfair targets of police violence since the inception of the institution; however, in the wake of the most recent murders by law enforcement of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Manuel Ellis and sadly many more, the conversation is louder than ever. Let’s look at some facts. 

A brief history of policing in the US:

The policing system of the United States was created to protect the upper class of the 1600s. Even then it was not an honorable position to hold. Many of the original tenants of early police forces continue and many of these forces still serve to only protect the rich.  

Motivation to expand and formalize this institution was born from the desire to not only uphold the system of slavery in the 1700s but to maintain the status quo as large numbers of European immigrants were coming to the US in the 1880s. They also served to quell the creation of labor unions.

Police forces were created to protect no one but the white elite. 

People of color are targets of police violence and incarcerated at an alarming rate. Although white lives are spared at the hands of police, see how this elitist institution fails to serve anyone’s interests. 

Time Magazine: How the U.S. Got Its Police Force https://time.com/4779112/police-history-origins/ - This article is a quick and easy read but will give a strong and concise  overview of the harmful history of policing in the US.