Warning, if you think President Ass Clown and his flunky’s, including Attorney General Bill Barr’s walk of shame to Saint John Church while gassing and beating peaceful and lawful protesters was a good move, please go to another site.
I am a 63-year-old white man who was born in Texas and that’s where I’ve lived most of my life. If you looked at only my demographics, you may not think that the Black Lives Matter movement would be important to me. While it would be a stereotype, it is not an unreasonable stereotype unfortunately. If you did however choose to stereotype me that way, you would be wrong, very wrong.
Sadly, it should matter to us all but, it does not. In a country that has been divided for political and partisan reasons, in a culture which has become zero sum (if you get something it comes at my expense) and in an environment where it’s now okay to say out loud the hateful things you only thought except around “friends”, racial justice and equality should matter to us all.
We see it all the time, we know it’s happening. A young black man does not walk through Highland Park, Texas (or many other places) without being “checked out” because clearly, he doesn’t belong there. No thought given to the fact that he may live there, maybe his car broke down, he’s walking to work or, he’s just out walking. He should know that he’s being watched, right? Wrong!
George Floyd, a black man was murdered on live TV in Minneapolis, nothing new, it’s been happening to black men and women for years, don’t forget Sandra Bland in Waller County, Texas. Pulled over for a minor traffic offense that most of us call “driving while black”. She was arrested for arguing with a State Trooper. She committed suicide in her cell after not being able to arrange bail…for a traffic stop.
Some White Americans sit by and say, what a shame. I always thought that the racial intolerance held by white Americans would subside naturally over time. My grand-father was a racist, he wasn’t born that way but it’s all he saw. My father is better, I’m nothing at all like my grand-father and my children are far better than I am. While I do think this process will eventually work, there’s just not time. We must confront this now.
If you’re a racist, own it. No need to keep it hidden, you’re not succeeding anyway. If you are not but you tolerate racist jokes, racial intolerance or acts, it’s time to stop. I would rather lose a friend by saying I won’t tolerate those things than to silently let them happen in my presence and being thought of as a co-conspirator, you know what I mean.
One of my daughters and I disagree as to the actions taken by some of the protestors. Violence and looting, to me, is never the answer, period. No matter how frustrated you may be, burning down your neighborhood, looting the CVS and generally creating mayhem will not solve the problem and it will definitely hurt access to affordable housing and exacerbate already poor access to local sources of fresh food and healthcare.
I also think that to a certain extent the aggrieved parties, Black Americans, are once again being used by those with other agendas.
So, I’m asked what is the solution if not violent confrontation? I don’t have a grand plan, I don’t think anyone does but, burning and looting is not ever a good plan. So, what would I do right now? The first step for me would be a simple one, find out if the restraint used on Mr. Floyd is legal and used here in Dallas and Texas generally. If it is, it should not be and anyone who uses it should be disciplined, immediately.
I would begin immediately on evaluating how to avoid confrontations and how to de-escalate those that do occur. Cops also have to know that intolerance and illegal, immoral and unethical actions will not be tolerated because often, they still are. Police officers must also not hesitate to intervene and/or report those actions. The thin blue line is not there to protect bad actors on the police force.
We must also do away with the “don’t be a snitch” mentality by the police and by any community that witness illegal acts. Our right to protest is constitutional. We have no right to burn, loot and destroy or harass and abuse American’s because of the color of their skin..
I gladly stand with those who want to protest and demand these long-awaited changes. I will work, however I can to find a long term solution regarding police training and necessary legal changes.
For a blog that started because of my preparing to walk The Camino de Santiago, the Way of Saint James, this is also a journey and Way. This Way is to tolerance and change. But the change we need most is a change of heart. As Jimmy Hendrix said, “it all has to come from inside.” We can no longer stand by and say it doesn’t affect me because it does and it always has.