This country has a history of policing Black bodies since the 1860’s starting with the Black codes during slavery, Jim Crow laws, the war on drugs, a police system which criminalizes Black and Brown people while whites are allowed to experience justice, laws that condone racial profiling and protects peace officers who employ deadly use of force. Laws that dictate our behavior in housing, banking, city planning, education, and healthcare. Institutional and social practices that constitute a constant and ever present attack on our community.
Calling for restorative justice conversations is not enough. You can and should do more.
You can control how city staff and police respond. You can pass an ordinance that fines abusers of police and 9-1-1 for non-emergencies. You can develop police protocols on how NOT to respond to calls that are suspicious of Black and brown behavior. You can fund civil servant positions in the parks or any other department that can respond to non-emergencies.
This country has a history of policing Black bodies since the 1860’s starting with the Black codes during slavery, Jim Crow laws, the war on drugs, a police system which criminalizes Black and Brown people while whites are allowed to experience justice, laws that condone racial profiling and protects peace officers who employ deadly use of force. Laws that dictate our behavior in housing, banking, city planning, education, and healthcare. Institutional and social practices that constitute a constant and ever present attack on our community.
Calling for restorative justice conversations is not enough. You can and should do more.
You can control how city staff and police respond. You can pass an ordinance that fines abusers of police and 9-1-1 for non-emergencies. You can develop police protocols on how NOT to respond to calls that are suspicious of Black and brown behavior. You can fund civil servant positions in the parks or any other department that can respond to non-emergencies.