“My mission shouldn’t be to insist that the reaction to this unacceptable situation remain non-violent as a contingency of my support, but to recognize that the situation has already been unacceptably violent for decades and centuries—a violence made inevitable by systemic power—and commit to an unshakeable solidarity.”
Andrew, you may already be familiar with this condensed history lesson, or maybe you're not. It's worth the read. I'm posting it so all can read it. I first read it after someone posted in on Twitter during the BLM riots and demonstrations a few years ago. It opened my eyes. I hope it does the same for others. Six short parts. Read 'em all.
Sadly, things are much the same North of the border. I attended a protest last week against a $50 million increase in the police budget for the City of Toronto. The Toronto Police Service (TPS) budget is over $1 billion and is the largest line item in the city’s budget—double the combined funds allocated to libraries, public health, the conservation authority, community housing agencies, and the Association of Community Centres
The most moving speeches at the protest were by the mothers of two people killed in police “mental health” calls. Debbie Indal mother of a 32-year-old who died during a police call said:
“My son Bobby died during a mental health crisis, when he needed his family. He was loved by his aunties in Guyana. He loved Jane and Finch. He loved my cooking…I’m grieving. I lost my son so suddenly by the hands of Toronto police. The police came to the door. I told them I was alright. They insisted they needed to enter my home and they would get the super to open the door if I didn’t…I didn’t need police, I needed a mental health worker. Why didn’t they let us help my son when he was in crisis: his family, the community, us?…The Toronto police are responsible for my son’s death.”
White people are still in the 'reckoning' phase of addressing state sanctioned brutalization and murder by badge-wielding thugs. Rodney King's videotaped beating was supposed to be a 'national reckoning'. George Floyd's broad daylight murder by Derek Chauvin was supposed to be a 'national reckoning'. Breonna Taylor killed in a hail of gunfire in her own bedroom was supposed to be a 'national reckoning'. Now we are all witness to, not only the savagery of uniformed agents of the state torturing Tyre Nichols to death, but the callous indifference of other uniformed agents of the state, as they stood and watched uniformed agents of the state torturing Tyre Nichols to death. Please repeat this to yourself in the the coming weeks and months: uniformed agents of the state stood and watched as other uniformed agents of the state tortured Tyre Nichols to death. And this will be another purported 'national reckoning', we're sure to be told. We've been reckoning this over and over for centuries. Little mention of an etymologically related word- rectifying. Only when the majority of White people are prepared to rectify state sanctioned brutalization and murder by badge-wielding thugs will it change. Too many White people enthusiastically embrace living in an apartheid state for that to happen, at the moment. Look at them, especially among family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. Because that's where all this begins and ends.
Very beautifully said.
“My mission shouldn’t be to insist that the reaction to this unacceptable situation remain non-violent as a contingency of my support, but to recognize that the situation has already been unacceptably violent for decades and centuries—a violence made inevitable by systemic power—and commit to an unshakeable solidarity.”
Whew! There it is.
"All of it shows me what happens in America when it rains. It’s a bloody map drawn on the solid pavement, tracking the gravity of our intentions."
that...was brilliant.
Andrew, you may already be familiar with this condensed history lesson, or maybe you're not. It's worth the read. I'm posting it so all can read it. I first read it after someone posted in on Twitter during the BLM riots and demonstrations a few years ago. It opened my eyes. I hope it does the same for others. Six short parts. Read 'em all.
https://ekuonline.eku.edu/blog/police-studies/the-history-of-policing-in-the-united-states-part-1/
Thank you for this beautiful post.
Sadly, things are much the same North of the border. I attended a protest last week against a $50 million increase in the police budget for the City of Toronto. The Toronto Police Service (TPS) budget is over $1 billion and is the largest line item in the city’s budget—double the combined funds allocated to libraries, public health, the conservation authority, community housing agencies, and the Association of Community Centres
The most moving speeches at the protest were by the mothers of two people killed in police “mental health” calls. Debbie Indal mother of a 32-year-old who died during a police call said:
“My son Bobby died during a mental health crisis, when he needed his family. He was loved by his aunties in Guyana. He loved Jane and Finch. He loved my cooking…I’m grieving. I lost my son so suddenly by the hands of Toronto police. The police came to the door. I told them I was alright. They insisted they needed to enter my home and they would get the super to open the door if I didn’t…I didn’t need police, I needed a mental health worker. Why didn’t they let us help my son when he was in crisis: his family, the community, us?…The Toronto police are responsible for my son’s death.”
https://breachmedia.ca/torontonians-imagine-a-police-free-city-while-tory-defends-status-quo/
The police bring violence and harm. #DefundThePolice
White people are still in the 'reckoning' phase of addressing state sanctioned brutalization and murder by badge-wielding thugs. Rodney King's videotaped beating was supposed to be a 'national reckoning'. George Floyd's broad daylight murder by Derek Chauvin was supposed to be a 'national reckoning'. Breonna Taylor killed in a hail of gunfire in her own bedroom was supposed to be a 'national reckoning'. Now we are all witness to, not only the savagery of uniformed agents of the state torturing Tyre Nichols to death, but the callous indifference of other uniformed agents of the state, as they stood and watched uniformed agents of the state torturing Tyre Nichols to death. Please repeat this to yourself in the the coming weeks and months: uniformed agents of the state stood and watched as other uniformed agents of the state tortured Tyre Nichols to death. And this will be another purported 'national reckoning', we're sure to be told. We've been reckoning this over and over for centuries. Little mention of an etymologically related word- rectifying. Only when the majority of White people are prepared to rectify state sanctioned brutalization and murder by badge-wielding thugs will it change. Too many White people enthusiastically embrace living in an apartheid state for that to happen, at the moment. Look at them, especially among family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. Because that's where all this begins and ends.