The recent brutal killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor showed the world the blatant disrespect that police have for black lives in America. Their MURDER shined a spotlight on police violence, the cult like culture, and militarization of Police Departments across the United States.
However, let’s not forget Ahmaud Aubrey who was MURDERED by Gregory McMichael (Former Law Enforcement) and his son Travis McMichael. His murder shined a spotlight on the systematic corrupt American Justice System. It wasn’t until public outcry which led to an OUTSIDE investigation that exposed a biased system, that nearly allowed two murders to go free.
Understand this, Black Americans aren’t mad, we’re fed up. Fed up with COUNTLESS UNARMED black men and women dying by the hands of ruthless, uneducated thugs America calls police officers. Fed up watching officer after officer kill lawlessly with NO HESITATION and NO REPERCUSSIONS.
People across the world are witnessing America’s police departments waging war, applying military force, and using chemical warfare against Americans. People are also watching the deployment of the ACTUAL MILITARY against AMERICAN CITIZENS on American soil.
People have marched, protested, rioted, and burned s**t up before and nothing has changed. Blood has been shed, lives have been lost, and nothing has changed. Now is the time to do things different.
America needs to recognize Police Violence, Systematic Corruption, Police Harassment, and the Militarization of Police Departments are more than Black and Brown problems, they’re American Problems.
The questions remain: What’s the solution? What needs to change? What’s the agenda moving forward?
What’s the Solution:
The first solution to making any kind of change in America is exercising your right to VOTE.
All of the marching, protesting, rioting, and even looting – none of that means ANYTHING if YOU don’t VOTE.
What NEEDS to Change:
People say what needs to change; well, I’m starting the conversation here. Below are my suggestions of what needs to change.
1
I don’t think America needs to COMPLETELY de-fund the police; however, I do think we need to de-fund their ability to buy military equipment. Police do not need armored, tank-like vehicles and/or chemical weapons which were banned by the Geneva Protocol in 1925. Nevertheless, police are using military grade mace and tear gas against American Citizens on U.S. soil.
2
Police Officers should be required to have more than a high school diploma or G.E.D. At minimum, Police Officers should obtain an Associates degree in criminal justice before ever going to the academy. People keep saying better training, but what about EDUCATION? Police need to be educated on the LAW. If someone’s dream is to become a police officer, it should require higher education in that field before practicing.
3
Police Officers should be held to a HIGHER standard that means all criminal convictions should be double. We, as Americans, entrust authority to police. Our safety and our lives are in their hands. When they MISUSE or ABUSE that power, its against the same people that entrusted them to be our protectors.
4
Police Officers that are sued by victim(s) or the victim(s) family should be the ones required to pay all fines, fees, settlements and/or judgments against them – not the AMERICAN TAXPAYER.
5
ALL Police Officers disciplinary records should be public. AMERICAN CITIZENS deserve to know if we have criminals with guns patrolling our neighborhoods.
6
ALL Police Officers body cam footage should be public information. NO one cares about bathroom breaks or lunches. However, we do care if they are SLEEPING ON THE JOB, EXECUTING ILLEGAL SEARCHES, CARRYING OUT UNJUSTIFIED TRAFFIC STOPS, COMMITTING UNNECESSARY VIOLENCE, HARASSMENT, OR WORSE.
7
ALL Police Officer complaints and investigations should be submitted to and completed by an outside agency or organization. Time and time again when police officers are investigated by their own Internal Affairs, police violence and/or unlawful killings are often considered justified. Local Medical Examiner(s) and District Attorney(s) work closely with those officers. They rely on those officers to help make other cases. So how do we, as AMERICANS, expect them to not be at least slightly biased in favor of the officer(s)?
What’s the AGENDA Moving Forward:
Below is what I think should be two of the most important agendas moving forward.
Registration and Education
The most powerful tool Americans have is our power to vote. However, the power in exercising that right starts with Registering to vote. That power then grows by educating yourself and the people around you on the power of voting.
Change in communities starts with educating yourself and voting on the candidates that benefit your community. Americans put to much attention on the presidential election and not enough on the candidates who DIRECTLY impact their community. The presidential election is important for the face of this country. However they are not as important to communities as candidates running for your local governors, mayors, board of educations, police chiefs, judges, and district attorneys. Those election determine the laws in individual states, how much funding schools will get, how police will be governed, and/or how police violence will be handled.
Address Black on Black Crime (Publicly)
Black on black crime is plaguing the black community. We as black Americans need to hold every killer accountable – white or black. The anger we have now because Derek Chauvin MURDERED George Floyd is the same anger we need to have when the next black or brown person is killed by someone that looks like them. The celebrities that are speaking out now need to speak out the next time there is a brother, sister, mother, or father taken by the hands of one of his own. We need to public organizations like Black Lives Matter to mobilize and speak out against all violence against black people not just violence committed by someone who doesn’t look like us.