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[EdibleKnife]

Ijeoma Oluo, a contributing writer for Ravishly, in response to the recent wealth of evidence of police brutality across the nation has written an article for the people sympathetic to not only the plight of black individuals but of the many who have become victims of excessive & deadly force but unaware on where to start doing something about it.

Once again we find ourselves confronting the murder of another black man at the hands of police. The video showing Michael Slager fire eight times at a fleeing Walter Scott is irrefutable evidence of the police brutality that people of color fear. As with Trayvon Martin, Tanisha Anderson, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Yvette Smith, John Crawford, Eric Garner, and so many more, we see the toll that racism, fear, power, and corruption take on black lives.

As I took to the Internet to voice my pain and frustration I once again received replies from white friends that every black person is familiar with:

“I’m so sorry you have to go through this, but I don’t know what to do.”

“This is outrageous. I hope it gets better.”

“I wish I could fix it, but the problem is so big. It’s never going to change.”

“I’m praying it will get better.”

“I hope these racist cops get life in prison.”

Well-meaning white friends, I’m going to be completely honest with you. None of this is helpful. Not one word. Your questions, your apologies, your wishes, even your prayers—none of them do anything to help end police brutality or the system of oppression that breeds it. Furthermore, your black friends are busy working through their own grief while trying to stay alive—they don’t have space for your feelings and they don’t have time to educate you.

These conversations are rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of racism and racial oppression in America: It’s not black America’s problem, it’s yours.

Racism is your problem, not because white people are uniquely predisposed to racial bigotry (it’s a horrible trait we all share), but because the power structure of White Supremacy upholds it. It’s your system and whether or not you personally built it, you live in it, maintain it, and benefit from it. It is your house, and you need to clean it.

Ending racism is not a favor that white people do for brown people. Confronting police brutality does not make you virtuous or generous. It makes you a responsible adult addressing the flaws in your system. When we recognize this, it’s easy to see how ridiculous and even insulting saying, “I sure hope it gets better” is.

When people of color talk about the racism they face, when they discuss instances of oppression that you couldn’t see, they are doing you a favor. It is a service to you. Being outraged and sad does not fix the issue. We are telling you so that you know what to fix.

And let me say clearly: You can fix it.

So let’s get to the meat of this—what can you do? There are a lot of things you can do to have a measurable impact in fighting police abuse and brutality. I’ve compiled a starter list of items that you can consider:

Link:
http://www.ravishly.com/2015/04/10/what-you-can-do-right-now-about-police-brutality

Her opinion on the issue comes down to people who feel strongly about them resorting to these actions:

• Educate yourself on your city’s police conduct review process
• Pressure your mayor and city council to address gaps in this process
• Vote for reform-minded city government
• Write to your representatives
• Know your right to record police encounters
• Support legal defense funds and activism groups

Now all of this obviously is not the extent of what actions are possible to take in regards to addressing police brutality and Ijeoma says as much. Neither does anyone truly believe this is the core of the issue and by doing these we'll all be living in Pleasantville by the end of the year. But actions like these are extremely valuable in helping to chip away at the massive, imposing boulder that is not only police brutality but much deeper issues that the mainstream enjoys shying away from.

Thanks to Lime, here's an open letter needing signatures that Showing Up For Racial Justice plans to send to the Obama Administration regarding recent police brutality events: http://showingupforracialjustice.na..._justice_for_scott_robinson?recruiter_id=3857

 

[Lime]

These are good, concrete suggestions for actions needed to be taken yesterday (last century). Every able White person in the US should do this immediately. No excuses, black people are killed every 26th hour or so by what is supposed to be an organization whose main function is to protect and serve citizens. Massive change needs to happen as soon as possible.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Lime]

Thought I would share this as well: http://showingupforracialjustice.na..._justice_for_scott_robinson?recruiter_id=3857

Sign it

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Solid suggestions, but more emphasis needs to be put on reform as well as proper training that includes ways if handling potentially aggressive confrontations without immediately reaching for a gun.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Nice thread.

Actionable intelligence.

 

[commedieu]

In addition, we should boycott groups that donate to mayor, governor, as well. With the same message. Thoughts?

 

[EdibleKnife]

Thought I would share this as well: http://showingupforracialjustice.na..._justice_for_scott_robinson?recruiter_id=3857

Sign it

Thanks for this. I'll put it in the top post

I was trying to figure out what I could do to help, so this list definitely helps. I heard that a handwritten letter is the most effective way to influence your representative, so that's what I'm going to do.

If anyone has any links to activism groups, I would love to donate and share them with others.

Beyond the NAACP and ACLU which the article points out, there's also things like Hands Up United, Color of Change, and Alliance for a Just Society

In addition, we should boycott groups that donate to mayor, governor, as well. With the same message. Thoughts?

I'd say it's possible that beyond all white people letting out in a singular cry that changes should be made, making a point of hitting the wallets of politicians that pussyfoot around the issue is the most likely way of getting something to change. They can ignore issues politically but as we've seen from the events in Indiana with the RFRA, the threat of financial damage can get a politician to move their ass.

Solid suggestions, but more emphasis needs to be put on reform as well as proper training that includes ways if handling potentially aggressive confrontations without immediately reaching for a gun.

I don't disagree. Simultaneously though, as I've leaned from the Cops See It Differently episode of This American Life, conversations within the PDs about biases racially or otherwise can be insanely useful for changing how things work as well. Because even without guns, you still get people being beat up, attacked by dogs, tased and suplexed into paralysis.

 

[Crud]

Great thread. People will have no choice to act if we want to curb this in anyway.

 

[Kid Kamikaze10]

Thanks for this post man, I'm sharing it to a bunch of people I know.

 

[roknin]

This is a good thread to see. Still reading through the article but so far, very well put.

 

[Secret Fawful]

This is a really great article. It's sad to see that so few people are giving this the attention it deserves. I'll pass it around and follow with the suggestions in the article.

 

[Foffy]

This is a really great article. It's sad to see that so few people are giving this the attention it deserves. I'll pass it around and follow with the suggestions in the article.

People often want to feel good, not do good, even if the good in this case is merely allowing a more logical state of affairs for people with varying skin tones. When the rubber meets the road, we often talk about the problems but never do anything about them. Racism and poverty are problems because of our systemic level of apathy to be outraged to act out on them, where we usually peak at merely being sympathetic or even aware of it being "merely an issue for some". That does not solve the hell we collectively allow such people to be in by not doing anything about it. Who here would riot and demand immediate change for those in poverty? Usually those in poverty, and that's usually where it gets with the issue of racism; people may care, but they don't act to do something. If a significant people stood up and demanded change - not a compromise but a "do this or else" type of demand - the conversation would at least start rolling beyond the trend of hearing about yet another weekly event where a man of darker skin tone was killed in an absurd way. Like with school shootings, we seem to be standing by as something that should be changed isn't changed, because all we do is decry it. Decrying it truly means fuck all unless that is the springboard to action, to do something about it. Most people don't go the whole way, and it's important that we do. If we don't, we'll just be caught in yet another problem of "that's just the way the world is", when in reality it's merely the way we allow it to be.

It's important to be mindful that we are in society to such a degree one can say we 'are' society. Apathy is acceptance, and not acting with outrage to absurdities is what allows them to continue. Merely being upset does nothing to truly address the matters that got you upset in the first place. I'm a fan of the late Jiddu Krishnamurti's works, and what he says on society is straight ether, which I think are applicable to some of the themes here, so I figure I'd share his words.

"What is society? Is it not the relationship of one individual with another? If individuals in themselves are ignorant, cruel, ambitious, and so on, their society will reflect all that they are in themselves. We all see the necessity, the importance of social change. Wars, starvation, ruthless pursuit of power, and so on, with these we are all familiar, and some earnestly desire to change these conditions. How are you going to change them? By destroying the many or the few who create the disharmony in the world? Who are the many or the few? You and I, aren't we? Each one is involved in it, because we are greedy, we are possessive, we crave for power. We want to bring order within society, but how are we to do it? Do you seriously think there are only a few who are responsible for this social disorganization, these wars and hatreds? How are you going to get rid of them? If you destroy them, you use the very means they have employed and so make of yourself also an instrument of hatred and brutality. Hate cannot be destroyed by hate, however much you may like to hide your hate under pleasant sounding words.

Methods determine the ends. You cannot kill in order to have peace and order; to have peace you must create peace within yourself and thereby in your relationship with others, which is society. "


We have to realize we are all in this social system, so in many ways what affects a group of people is also your problem, because, collectively, you're in the same network. Only doing something about the injustices you face is petty: do something for any and all injustices you see in a society, to make it a place where the bullshit doesn't just subside for you, but for all involved. Otherwise we keep playing "Us vs Them" on micro and macro levels, and no significant group of people in society thrive in such a system; we're all buried in different layers of shit in such a system. Is is why we have so many disempowered people, for it's usually "not my problem" unless it actually does regarding first person experience. That's the worst way to go about it.

Solid suggestions, but more emphasis needs to be put on reform as well as proper training that includes ways if handling potentially aggressive confrontations without immediately reaching for a gun.

This too is heavily important, as the problem of shoot first, ask questions later seems to be a growing go-to model on how those in our higher echelons of authority tend to act. As an aside though, what would be the economics against using non-lethal rounds, like plastic rounds to be fired? Outside of the straw man "what if he's on drugs and that doesn't work on him" card, often used against the use of even tasers.