A friend of mine was arrested on 93 yesterday in protest. She and others have received numerous death threats. Their names and addresses were made public, etc. These are her words. Im grateful for them. I want to take a moment to say that I participated in the 93 Southbound shutdown on January 15. I am honored to take action in solidarity with the larger movement of resistance against the oppression of Black people locally, nationally, and internationally. I believe the statement my group made captures why I took part in the action. I also wanted to address a few things. 1- I recognize the complexity, imperfection, and inherent inadequacy of solidarity work. It is necessary to hold a high standard and critique solidarity actions. I struggle with conceptions and images of actions without Black people in visible roles - though it is necessary not to erase labor you do not see happening. I also know there is a need for non-Black people to stand in positions of risk and vulnerability in order to challenge white supremacy. There is also a need to stop Black people from being arrested and hurt by police. This action was done in relationship with Black leadership. 2-I appreciate that you respect our right to protest on the sidewalk, but I also know that means you can drive by and ignore it. I honor the tradition of militant non-violent civil disobedience which refuses to be ignored; action that changes the flows and functions of a city in order to imagine new ways of being; action that creates an opportunity for a city or country to look at itself in the face. 3-I have seen many criticisms of the action as dangerous. I read many concerns about ambulances. I also read a quote from an EMT who said they are very experienced with navigating major traffic disruptions and cited the example of major sporting events. It is easy to feed into the sensationalism of the mainstream media. But that media protects the story of white rightness. Of course they are alarmist; its because they are alarmed. They are alarmed that non-Black people are coming out to stand with Black people. They are alarmed at having to put end white supremacy and Black Liberation in print. Protestors are being shamed while white journalists are posting our home addresses on news sites while white guys are writing blogs calling for us to be executed. I would posit to you the social concepts of dangerousness risk violence and safety are deeply racialized -who and what is dangerous, who is allowed to be violent, and what it means to be safe are policed spaces. Too often we confuse safety with our own comfort. I hope we can move away from comfort and toward justice. The police will not stop killing Black people - isnt that dangerous? Isnt that violent? It is necessary and urgent to take significant actions to address the systemic oppression of Black people; white supremacy is deadly. Because Black lives matter all the time, always
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 00:39:23 +0000
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