READ AND SHARE CHIEF ORGANIZER MATTHEW MUNKs RESPONSE! I have shed tears, and walked several blocks in the night air hoping that I might find the right thing to say tonight. In truth, I don’t think there is a perfect way to say it. Tonight, the American heart was torn apart. The images coming out of Ferguson reminded us of Los Angeles after the beating of Rodney King, or the riots that broke out in Baltimore, Washington, and other cities following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Michael Brown did not deserve to die, and I do believe that Officer Wilson is guilty of murder. I do not know how Mr. Brown’s blood could be found in the police car, and on the officer’s clothing, and murder not be rendered the conclusion of this tragic event. While I must accept the grand jury’s decision not to allow a trial; that does not mean that I have to respect it. I think the law in Missouri that states that police officers can shoot unarmed suspects (note that “suspect” means not yet charged, let alone guilty) is moral atrocity that needs to be corrected immediately. Though I also hope, that despite the intense anger that exists right now, we can do the right thing by forgiving Officer Darren Wilson. Only through love, can begin to eradicate hate. I don’t understand why unarmed black men keep being shot by police, or people on the street. The deaths of Trayvon Martin, of Michael Brown, and the thousands of young black men like them who die between news cycles every week has showcased a very real problem in America. The way we treat black men, by incarcerating them more often, by given them longer sentences, frisking them on the street with no reasonable suspicion, providing them with little real systemic benefits in education or employment are all problems that we as a country need to work on. The events in Ferguson, Missouri have taught us all a few things these last couple of months. The most important of which, I have already alluded to: we as a society don’t value black lives as much as we do other lives. If the frequency by which innocent African-Americans are killed by police (by accident, or unnecessarily), as compared to other racial groups does not prove this point: I would point you to unemployment rates, incarceration rates, suppression of voting rights laws in the south, and the frequency with which African Americans can access quality education. The reality of this is that we don’t treat African-Americans, or any minority group, as well as they, and all of us, deserve to be treated. The second problem we have been made frighteningly aware of, is the militarization of our police force. NEVER in an American city, should tanks be brought in to restrain citizens. NEVER in an American city should tear gas be thrown on non-violent protestors as was the case in Ferguson a few weeks ago. We need to seriously re-evaluate what powers, technology and equipment police departments have, because no civilian authority should ever act like a military at war with its own people. And finally, perhaps the greatest problem this whole scenario has illustrated is our society’s appetite for violence. This is not particularly unique for any racial group. People of all races have acted violently, and non-violently throughout the duration of these protests. However, I think there is sharp difference among the people who acted violently. On one side, there have been KKK and various White Supremacist organizations threatening and in some cases perpetuating hate crimes in order to instill fear and gain power. On the other hand, many of the African-American protesters who resorted to violence (which, to be clear, is not the majority of protesters at all) did so because they felt that they had no other channel to express their frustrations, not because they possessed a deeply sown hate for anyone. This is no excuse, none. Though it is a helpful explanation. African Americans are not violent, any more than any other group of people, and those who have acted violently throughout this crisis are not shaming the African-American community, they are simply mishandling their response to a situation that does not deserve to be complicated by overly-charged emotional responses. As I think about this, I am overcome with an immense amount of grief, for the Brown Family, for the people of Ferguson, for the African-American Community, and for the United States. Tonight, we took a huge step backwards as a society. But you know what … I think this gives us an amazing opportunity. An opportunity to take a giant leap forward, something that we Americans have a knack for doing every now and again. I believe Michael Brown did not die in vain, and while his body have been shot, his soul is still strong. I believe the answer to this problems of structural racism, militarization of the police, and the hunger for violence can be resolved with some good old fashioned community organizing. Call me a communist, socialist, Marxist, whatever … but I believe in my heart and soul that the way to fight back against this, is to not fight at all; we need to march, sing, dance, and march some more just like Dr. King and the freedom riders. We need to get off our a$$’s and start telling the American people about how we can build more just communities, one community at a time. We need to get people together in coffee shops, street corners, living rooms, dining rooms, college doors, senior citizen centers, and high school cafeterias and we need to inspire people to take action by demanding that our government take demilitarize itself, that our police treat minorities more justly, and that our people resort to peace – not violence. You can bet that every CROP organizing project and organizing group will be doing just that! I think it’s safe to say, that we just picked up a campaign tonight. I believe there is no such thing as false hope. Some said that the Underground Railroad would never work, but Harriet Tubman proved them wrong. Some said the nightmare would never die; and then Martin Luther King told his dream. Some said that women would never vote, or that our gays could never get married, that hijabs could never be beautiful or that immigrants would never find a home here. There are always people trying to tear down our hopes, but it is up to us to uplift ourselves. Together, as communities, we are so much more powerful than any amount of systemic hate. And by the grace of all that is good, please don’t EVER let anyone tell you otherwise! Hope, love, justice, peace, and non-violence will always prevail. ALWAYS! #BlackLivesMatter #NoFalseHope IF ANYONE SEES THIS RESPONSE AND WANTS TO FIND A WAY TO GET INVOVLED PLEASE EMAIL ME AT chieforganzier.crop@gmail or CALL/TEXT ME AT 410.804.8447.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 07:31:54 +0000
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