In total humility and respect, I want to spend some time to focus on those who have died from police brutality. It will not bring them back. It will not be enough to truly honor them, which is why it is only a humble offering to their spirit and memory. They should still be here.
Rayshard Brooks, I am so sorry. You should have been here longer.
As I began writing this post and during the sleepless hours while I continued to contemplate it here in Japan, I wondered what I could do. What can I do that I’m not doing? What’s in my power to do? What do I have the skills to do? What can I commit to do?
I’ve decided to share posts about what we can do to make the political system work for us. There are many protests that have resulted in zero changes in American history, I don’t want this moment to be anything like that. I studied political science ten years ago. I can share what I know so we can take action together.
This weekend’s violence will not be the end. I wish it were the end, but it’s been going on a long time and every day there are more examples of excess force. As is becoming more and more visible, there is no end until there is change. And that change must be real.
Perhaps that change is coming. That would be momentous. I believe law enforcement is sick and needs remedy, involving a complete overhaul of the system. There cannot just be “training” done. If people are being shot in the back when they aren’t even being violent, there’s no training that will work–the wrong people are behind the guns. We need a complete culture change within these structures, starting over.
Rubber bullets and gas are also being abused with protestors. The journalists documenting are being arrested. None of this is ok. It never has been. We need to change everything.
