This is one half of a pair of posts today suggesting ways you can work to address one specific facet of racism in our society: violent policing. For the other post, click here or visit our home page.
In a few weeks, black squares will most likely not dominate our Instagram feeds. The homicide of George Floyd, and the events stemming from that homicide, will most likely not dominate the news. For the vast majority of us who are not oppressed by it every day, racism will most likely not dominate our thoughts. There’s a moment to be seized here. Many, ourselves included, would like to see it seized.
Social media has been ablaze the past eight or nine days with ways to combat racism. Two specific methods we believe to be essential are supporting organizations who advocate for progress full-time; and combating our own personal, implicit (or possibly even explicit) racism. If you’re on social media, you’ve likely seen lists highlighting these organizations, as well as resources to help begin or continue your work within yourself. If you’re not on social media, or you’re struggling to find these organizations or resources, feel free to reach out to us via Instagram or Twitter or Email (allthingsnit@gmail.com), so we can do our best to connect you with what you’re seeking.
One specific facet of racism that’s receiving attention right now, for obvious reasons, is violent policing. Policing, by its nature, is connected to our nation’s government, and while there are aspects the federal government impacts (see our other post today for more on that), it’s primarily a local issue.
There are plenty of ways to better the world that do not involve politics. This is one that does involve politics. It’s also a channel through which you can take immediate action, and that action is action you can continue to take, in an effort to keep yourself engaged as the months proceed and the national enthusiasm for reform wanes.
If you haven’t visited the website of Campaign Zero, we encourage doing so. It’s highly informative, citing and linking to research backing the group’s claims. It’s also explicitly prescriptive. There are solutions, and those solutions are not vague.
The organization groups these solutions into ten categories: End Broken Windows Policing, Community Oversight, Limit Use of Force, Independently Investigate & Prosecute, Community Representation, Body Cams/Film the Police, Training, End For-Profit Policing, Demilitarization, and Fair Police Union Contracts. I haven’t personally done the research necessary to fully endorse every reform the group suggests (as was said, it’s a highly informative site), but I’ll be doing that research, and we encourage you to do the same if you wish by visiting the link earlier in this paragraph.
The website also features a tracker which allows you to keep tabs on whether your state (and in some cases city) has enacted legislation addressing a specific policy category. Personally, from quick use of the tracker and the solutions page, I can see that my current state of residence, Texas, has passed no legislation attempting to demilitarize police (more on this in our other post today). With this knowledge, I now know that when I contact the offices of my mayor, city council member, state representative, and state senator, I can ask them to pass legislation similar to that passed in Montana in 2015. Note: If you have any trouble navigating the tracker, as I did at first, feel free to contact us so we can send you a video or instruction guide.
This is just one avenue of action you can take to combat racism, but it’s a valuable one, and Campaign Zero is an organization to support regardless of whether or not you do contact your state and local elected officials.
