Page 7 - Sonoma County Gazette July 2020

OPINION: Reform Police
OPINION: Black Lives Matter.
By Will Shonbrun
“Reform Police! Defund Police! Abolish Police!” All these signs at protests
By Jim Corbett
Yes! BLACK LIVES MATTER! It is a shame that we even have to say this
are being carried, demanded, by angry, fed up people across the country for weeks now. Almost all of these sizable demonstrations are mixed races and genders, young and old. That is new and that is different. Will this last? That is what we don’t know yet.
phrase, since in truth, all lives matter. But when a group of lives with a certain dark skin pigmentation are systematically oppressed by the rest of society, we now must awaken and remind ourselves, and everyone, that indeed, BLACK LIVES MATTER!
What we do know is that all human societies, small or large since recorded history have had some kind of law enforcement even before there were
such things as “laws.” Humans being, well ... human, seem to intrinsically understand that in order for a society to function, preserve its ability to perpetuate the culture itself and to live with some degree of agreed structure and consistency rules of behavior are necessary. Systems of regulations
This systemic racism has been going on for centuries in this and in other countries. The abolition of slavery did not end the nightmare for black people, it only made them free to endure the continued degrading of their Being through Jim Crow laws; separate schools, bathrooms and drinking fountains; sitting in the back of the bus; and being kept from contributing
in the fields of sports and entertainment. This was done to them by OUR society. Dr. King said, “Evil exists where good men do nothing”. That is why this latest peaceful protest is so uplifting. It is a demonstration of men and women of all colors standing up and saying together this must change NOW! We cannot bring back George Floyd, but we can all stand up and lift our ‘knee of oppression’ off the neck of our Black brothers and sisters.
– social, economic, political, cultural, etc., in other words dos and don’ts, are what keeps the tribe, the community, the town or the nation from disintegrating into chaos. This much is obvious.
But now the question is, have we in this country gone too far in the law and order camp, in over policing and over-regulating almost every facet of human intercourse and the answer is a resounding, Yes!
We all must take responsibility for this systemic racism, because all
of us, black and white, to one degree or another, have allowed this to exist in our society. When we point our finger and say, “It was the KKK, the White supremacists, the ultra right wing, the bad cops,” we dismiss our responsibility in allowing this to BE in our society. WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RACISM IN THIS COUNTRY. Period!!!
In our zeal to exercise control over human behavior in almost every respect we’ve developed policing systems that are virtually unaccountable to its citizens. Police forces have been endowed with the power to act with impunity by those legislators that make the laws at all levels.
This is not a situation of “a few bad apples” or anything remotely like that trope. The systems now in place, that have been in place for decades and longer, are at the heart of the racism, brutality, murder and mass incarceration of our people. And it’s now only coming more into light because of the technology and ubiquitous media now at out disposal.
The good news is, that when we take responsibility for creating a racist society, we can then decide that we can create a society that is kinder and accepting of all lives of all colors, races, religions and opinions. During the upheaval brought on by the Covid epidemic, is a perfect time to make this and other changes. As we reorganize our society, post epidemic we can honestly begin to support these needed changes and build a more loving society. Will it happen over night? Yes it already has begun. If you can see that it was YOUR knee on the neck of George Floyd, and it was YOU who agreed to all the subtle forms of racism, then you have been changed over night. Your conscience has been awakened and you can change. And by standing up, hand in hand and heart to heart, with peaceful protestors on the front lines, we have awakened the consciousness of our entire society. From this point we can admit, ‘I have been complicit in our societal racism, I can change, and I can Be the change I want to see in our society.
And this system that grants such far-reaching and enveloping power and control over its citizenry doesn’t reside in a vacuum; it’s tied into the other systems that govern us and in which we are all intertwined. These systems include the vastly unequal and imbalanced economic one, the educational one, healthcare, housing and jobs. And racism and gender bias and ethnocentrism run through these systems like a deadly virus to which almost no one is immune.
Law enforcement in this county, from the police departments to the Sheriff’s office must undergo a complete re-education and restructuring if the movement to reform is to be successful. It must begin with transparency and accountability. This must be imposed by the state, the counties and the cities. Without it, police accountability at all levels is a sham.
Black Lives Matter. Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter. YOUR LIFE MATTERS. Stand up NOW and help create the good, the holy and the beautiful. Let’s build a PEACETOWN together.
As for the system of capitalism, which excludes the voice of the worker, the producers of wealth, and effectively makes them powerless, it is the wellspring from which most of the other systems are built.
But I’ll leave that for another rant.
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