Marching is fine. It's a symbol of unity. A symbol that the people are
dissatisfied and feeling under represented.
What
we are missing is an agenda. I was initially distraught at so many people I
look up to repeating March, March, March and wished they would stop saying
march and get to work. However, as it seems to be the case so often lately I
must be the only one willing to do the work. So, since no one else is willing,
I have some ideas...
Police
brutality in America, especially New York City, has become expected. The deaths
of black men young and old at the hands policemen across the country has nearly
become the expected end to police brutality. As tragic as these recent events
have been, what is most disheartening has been the response by the
'representatives' of these affected neighborhoods. The severe lack of
representation in Ferguson, MO and other cities like Tompkinsville, Staten
Island is devastating. That there can be a city like Ferguson where the vast
majority of its citizens aren't being represented should be a signal of
distress across the country. What the
people demand is proper representation in the pursuit of justice. These
citizens have been begging for representation long before this year. It took
these tragic events to catalyze them into the streets. Now is the time to act. Attorney General
Holder is holding a civil rights investigation. The White House must come out
of that investigation with some concrete actions. The following is what the
citizens of this country demand and I expect:
- There will be immediate elections in cities, like Ferguson, where the officials are obviously not able to represent the interests of the citizens of the city
- There will be empowerment of organizations like the Staten Island Community Board to "police the police," to do the job they were created to do, represent smaller communities within larger cities like New York.
- There will be mandatory body cameras on policeman all across the country.
- There will be election reform across the country to make it easier for citizens to vote and virtually impossible for any other interest to restrict voter access.
- There will be a, new, national committee focused on collecting data to ensure the above actions are being fulfilled.
This is just the beginning. There will be more specific demands as the
people continue to see holes in their representation that need to be filled. We
will continue to march until justice is served. Justice can no longer be
subjective. Today justice is not available to all of America's citizens. We
must make it so. It is for each of us a sacred duty.
The time to act is now. We have the freedom to ask, as well as the freedom to act. We will be free.
