"Non-violent protests make a more powerful statement."
"I just cannot condone people being violent."
These sentiments were common among my white, liberal, middle class friends and family. Like, don't take it personally but literally all of you said something like this at least once in the last two months. On the one hand, I totally see where you're coming from. I was raised to think the same way and honestly, I'm not capable of stomaching much in the way of destruction or people getting hurt, either. But I would like us to re-evaluate these lines of thinking.
Let's admit it: we in the white, liberal, middle class world do not like seeing cars set on fire. Or buildings. I suspect that this hits close to home because we own cars and buildings, and shop at some of these stores. We don't like to hear about Black people getting shot or maced or clubbed or strangled or blasted around the streets with fire hoses either, but none of this happens in "our" neighborhoods. We watch it on the TV or social media until we decide to take a break and go make dinner or whatever. Whether you mean to or not, you are equating the destruction of property with the acts of physical violence that police do to Black people on a regular basis (I'll talk more about other forms of systematic violence later, don't worry). I am also concerned that we are training ourselves to see Black people as the victims of violence, when we need to be training ourselves to see them as people.
In the future, let's make sure we're condemning the right people. The headlines won't say it, but you can: Police are brutalizing protestors, police are murdering, police are committing race crimes. It's OK to be uncomfortable with violence as long as you're aware of where the violence is coming from.
*****
And speaking of police, we have seen a lot of calls to defund or abolish the police. Some cities are actually making strides here. Several major cities have announced that they are redirectiong multimillions of dollars from their police departments to social services like education. Minneapolis is making strides to disbanding its police force altogether. This has prompted a lot more white liberal middle class questions of safety; notably, "Who am I supposed to call if there's a robbery at my house?"
While I'm sure there are anti-law enforcement advocates out there, all the sensible people I know plan to replace the current police system with something safer for everyone. So if something happens to you, you can still get a response. And this time, the response will match the problem. I also want to point out that comparing your worries of property theft to the fear Black people have of being harassed, set up and murdered by police is a good example of white supremacy. I'm not saying you need to give up your house and belongings to dismantle it and if that was your first thought, I would like to suggest that that's a very defensive response. I am saying, listen to the people who are being the most hurt by police. That would be homeless people, that would be indigenous people, that would be many immigrants, trans folks and people with mental health problems, and that would especially be Black people. They are telling you that, big picture, police do not keep them safe (I'm sure there are individual cases that suggest otherwise; now is an insensitive time to talk about them) and it is now up to you whether you keep saying "but my safety matters more" or "OK, I'm ready to hear your alternative suggestions."
On Minneapolis: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/minneapolis-council-puts-plan-abolish-police-motion-71469336
Police are a majorly huge system of violence being highlighted right now. It deserves its own post, which I will write later. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment more!
-Anna
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