I am very pleased that the protests went well. I will openly admit that I was wrong about how the protests turned out and am glad that I was. I am speaking in regards to the 280 protest in particular. The protesters were peaceful and got our attention and made no efforts at all to get publicly angry or disruptive. A person here or there tried to get in the middle of the road but they were politely and professionally urged to not disrupt traffic and the group was not belligerent or argumentive with the police for doing their basic job. The people wanted to peacefully make their presence known and the police made every effort to show that they werent just merely allowing it. The people wanted to show that they were law abiding citizens who simply wanted to practice their First Amendment rights and not cause public disorder just because they are upset or just because they could. They did not try to angrily confront individuals who did not want to acknowledge them or who were too busy to. One or two of the younger people here and there started to let their passion get the better of them here and there but the group leaders and elders did a very good job of reigning them in, and the police observed this. The police made every effort to show the people that they wanted them to be able to publicly air their grievances and that they were so only there to do their job by keeping the peace and flow of traffic. The police were there to protect and serve the protesters by making sure that they were not harassed or made to feel unwelcome. They were on standby to make sure that no one harassed them or tries to provoke them and escalate the situation when the peoples passion were righteously high. The police did not want to arrest or cite anyone and it was evident in not only their professionalism and civility to the crowd, but warmth and hospitality to the people. The police were on the side of the people on this instance, not simply there because they had to be. They relayed their concerns to the people and what their public responsibilities were, along with guidelines so that the protests had as much freedom and leeway as possible, so long as the protests were civil and did not stop traffic. The police also helped coach the people how to be as effective as possible wi5hjn the law and on how to use their passion to shout the message and to refrain from directly stirring up passerby and individuals not receptive. The police were there to keep and promote calm between the people and motorists. I think that the people and the police worked together very well so that both could accomplish their objectives and they respected each other. I feel that both sides were not only helpful to each other but they put their best foot forward to make a good impression. I have a proposal for everyone to build on the success of the protests and police response to them. Why not get everyone together in a town hall style open forum? Why not a community police meet and greet and Q and A session? We cant fix the national problem but we can do our part locally by building on the events of Friday and successful interaction between local law enforcement and those who are mistrustful of law enforcement in general. Ill bet those involved in the protest would like the chance to get to know local law enforcement,Forge a relationship with, and freely ask questions directly to local law enforcement. I am sure local law enforcement would like the chance to directly address those with legitimate questions and directly give their perspective and opinions to the community. We cant fix the overall problem but we can affect how we deal locally with the greater problem and open up dialogue and understanding between both sides. Law enforcement is necessary for any society, I am sure Birmingham and Hoover law enforcement would like the opportunity to improve relations with minorities and gain more trust. Maybe could serve as a model for other communities across the land. We can show the rest of America that Birmingham, the city that led the country with the original civil rights movements, will lead once again lead the way in showing that it is possible for minorities and authority to break down the barriers of mistrust and misunderstanding and have open dialogue, Greater trust, and cooperation. I would like to urge all of those who participated in, who are involved with the movement, and are sympathetic to continue upon the success and take their message to a new public venue for the cause. They will all have comfortable seats, they wont have to worry about anything, and will be the audience and honored forum guests. The public can watch on the news and online. It would be an opportunity for the police to put their best foot forward, address the crowd, and learn from the audience. Afterwards, the people and police can meet and greet and get to know each other over great Birmingham food and refreshment, perhaps over Birmingham craft beer. The event could be broadcast live nationally over a CNN special and made available to watch later on YouTube. This could be the compete antithesis of the unrest on Missouri. Birmingham, the city that led the Civil Rights movement, leading the nation in peaceful constructive dialogue and cooperation with the police and police supporters in making progress towards solving the problem and leading the nation in progress towards greater and better cooperation and understand between all those who feel marginalized and targeted by society and the police, law enforcement, and society.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 21:47:40 +0000
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