Again and again we are reminded that the system of racist violence is still in full effect. It does not change without many changes happening all at once and consistent work to build a new culture. When George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were murdered many people of the US and around the world took to the streets. And they stayed in the streets demanding change. Yet, even after months of protesting, the system outlasted the protesters. Here and there, some incremental changes are being made. But if you look at how police are being trained, the relationship they have with the communities they serve, it is not even close to enough. The purpose by which police serve is to keep groups in line and the interest they serve is to protect wealth and white communities.
If you do not think you have privilege for lacking melanin in your skin, then it’s time to relax your defensive posture and stop using the triggered reaction of denial. Let us all work through the grieving process together. This system does not work for most of us and, even still, for white folks there are so many things that we do not have to worry about. Jane Elliott asked us if we wanted to be treated like we treat black folks in our society and that answer is still clearly No. And the question is why we are still okay with it. Some of us are the ones treating black and brown humans with violence and aggressive bullying, with exclusion and discrimination. And the rest of us are complicit. That is us Punching Down with the Arkansas Police!
How do we change it? It is time to build a new sense of community. And white folks, we have shown that we are not ready to lead this change. This is ‘our world’ and in order to see justice, it has to begin with us letting go of the reins and learning new ways. The result of this violent behavior is our culture and we must take responsibility. If it is instinctively in you to see this video and look at the criminal behavior of the man being punched as means to justify the level of police brutality, then I ask you to once again drop your guard and let’s imagine a more humane way together.
We can no longer force other groups to be subordinate and have to assimilate to our ways in order to have a chance at the benefits of living with needs and comforts met. There is great value in working through our deception which includes believing that we are not the ones who commit these acts of violence. We must try to heal and repair the harms of our ways and see what value in participating in social responsibility looks like. Let’s experience what sharing and caring for others does for our mental and physical health. We can Gain so much more by letting go of this system and actively working towards a world that uplifts rather than beats down black and brown human beings.
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