Mar. 29, 2015
Dear Cathy:
How should the
black community prepare to deal with racial profiling and police brutality
especially after what happened in Ferguson, MO, Staten Island, NY, North Charleston, SC, Baltimore, MD and other cities across this country? Young Activist - Deep in the Movement, Baltimore, MD
Dear Young Activist - Deep in the Movement:
What happened in Ferguson, MO with the killing of
Michael Brown by the police, Staten Island, NY with the killing of Eric Gardner
by the police, North Charleston, SC with the killing of Walter Scott by the
police, Baltimore, MD with the killing of Freddie Gray and many other wrongful
killings of black boys and men by the police is forever etched in history
books. However, all the protesting in the world won't bring about the
changes that the black community really need at this time.
The incidents, however, were a wake up call for many
in this country and it showed many Americans and others just what the police is
capable of. There are
several things that most black communities and others need to put into place as
soon as possible:
1.
Since
everything we do in the community must be legal, everyone should make a list of
on-call activist attorneys in their cities that they can call to report cases of racial
profiling and police brutality to. These attorneys should not only be
prepared to represent their clients but also set up workshops to teach the
community of their rights when dealing with the police and help their clients
and others obtain video cameras and other recorders to record the police.
2.
Activist attorneys
should find a way to build a database where statistics can be collected to
report to legislators because legislators are in charge of creating laws.
3.
These
on-call activist attorneys should build relationships with media entities so
they can assist in telling the stories of police abuse. These can be mom and pop community newspapers
where everyone should subscribe to these newspapers, send donations and
volunteer to work with them. It's imperative that these media outlets have an online presence. Try not to ignore the media impact of public
TV, internet radio, bloggers, freelancers and social media outlets
(facebook.com, twitter.com, linkedin.com, instagram.com, pinterest.com, ning.com,
yahoogroups.com, etc.).
4.
Activist attorneys should also work
with civil rights groups. Even though many people are discouraged
because of the actions of many civil rights groups today, most acts of racial
profiling or police brutality are reported to the National Association of the
Advancement of Colored People (http://www.NAACP.org), American Civil Liberties Union
(http://www.ACLU.org), Amnesty International (http://www.AmnestyUSA.org), National Action
Network (http://www.NationalActionNetwork.net), etc., however, local and national
activists and advocacy groups can be formed to take on these challenges.
So don't wait for these groups to take on these abusive police departments.
Don't forget that African Americans are not only dealing with "Driving While Black" but they are also dealing with "Flying While Black, Shopping While Black, Walking While Black and Breathing While Black" -- so the top 4 steps is a good start in the right direction to hold others accountable for their actions.
To learn more about how to deal with the police read my book "Police Interactions 101: How To Interact With the Police in Your Car, On the Streets, In Your Home" which is available as an e-book, paperback and audiobook.
Don't forget that African Americans are not only dealing with "Driving While Black" but they are also dealing with "Flying While Black, Shopping While Black, Walking While Black and Breathing While Black" -- so the top 4 steps is a good start in the right direction to hold others accountable for their actions.
To learn more about how to deal with the police read my book "Police Interactions 101: How To Interact With the Police in Your Car, On the Streets, In Your Home" which is available as an e-book, paperback and audiobook.
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