BLM & the Police + a Playlist
Words by: Maggie Laubscher | Music by: Abby Yemm
Is it possible to be pro-police and pro-Black? With the current news, it doesn’t seem so. But it’s how we want it to be. Black Lives Matter, always, and protection matters, always. Law enforcement is meant to be that protection: to protect Black people, white people, and all people. Law enforcement is also meant to keep the rules followed. Today is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and we absolutely do appreciate it. We appreciate the help and the bravery and the power. Those who are protecting us and putting their lives on the line: thank you.
A few years ago, Trevor Noah said something that has stuck with us: ‘If you’re pro-Black Lives Matter, you’re assumed to be anti-police,’ he commented. ‘In reality, you can be pro-cop and pro-black, which is what we should all be. It should be what we’re aiming for.
We are aiming for it. But the problem comes when the power of police is abused. The devastation comes when only certain lives are protected. That is what we saw during this week’s storming of the U.S. Capitol. The rioters - all supporters of President Trump and encouraged by him - took over the Capitol by force and were not harmed by police; they were protected. The rioters were made up of racists who were upholding white supremacy. And they were not harmed.
That is a good thing, of course, for U.S. citizens to be unharmed by police. But it put white supremacy into razor sharp focus. As many have said these past few days, if those rioters were Black, they would have likely been gunned down - just like the countless Black people the police have killed over the years. The riot reinforced that this problem belongs to all of us. The rioters are our neighbors and fellow citizens. So yes, the problem is ours.
Isabel Wilkerson, journalist and author of Caste, explained it incredibly well. It’s a long quote, but it’s worth the read. She wrote,
‘We in the developed world are like homeowners who inherited a house on a piece of land that is beautiful on the outside, but whose soil is unstable loam and rock, heaving and contracting over generations, cracks patched but the deeper ruptures waved away for decades, centuries even. Many people may rightly say, ‘I had nothing to do with how this all started. I have nothing to do with the sins of the past. My ancestors never attacked indigenous people, never owned slaves.’ And, yes. Not one of us was here when this house was built. Our immediate ancestors may have had nothing to do with it, but here we are, the current occupants of a property with stress cracks and bowed walls and fissures built into the foundation. We are the heirs to whatever is right or wrong with it. We did not erect the uneven pillars or joists, but they are ours to deal with now.’
So then, how do we deal with the problem? Rage will not get us there. Education and policy reform will. According to a 2020 Gallup poll, 58-percent of Americans say policing needs major changes and only 6-percent say no changes are needed.
Here is where we are on law enforcement reform: it is needed and efforts are being made. But it’s also divisive and there’s pushback. So... it’s like all progress! It is slow and it’s a lot of ‘2 steps forward, 1.5 steps back.’
Changes are happening, though. The Las Vegas Police Department started bias training several years ago, training officers to destabilize conflict; the efforts resulted in 36-percent less police shootings. A city in New Jersey completely dismantled its police department and rebuilt it, with better results. In Prairie Village, Kansas, a community diversity task force has been created to create reform within law enforcement.
The uneven pace can be maddening given the lives that have been - and continue to be - lost. It’s a small step from rage, but stepping there would be a sidestep when what we need is a forward step. We need to keep talking and voting and raising the bar, so changes will come.
We at The Nelle will keep covering these issues, so stay tuned. For right now, we leave you with three points:
1) Where to Start
Join Campaign Zero, a national nonprofit whose singular goal is to end police violence in America. The group has specific, actionable items with loads of research.
2) Where to Donate
This fundraiser that’s helping local D.C. activists and BIPOC residents stay safe. The DC community is currently flooded with fascists, white nationalists, neo-nazis, and far-right extremists who have declared to remain in DC until the Biden inauguration. This creates yet another unsafe environment for BIPOC people.
3) What to Remember
We talk about mental wellness often here. And, hey! This is a prime time to put that first. So we leave you with some ideas and reminders:
Take news breaks - like working through our latest ‘Women in Film’ list
Take walk breaks - we are vibing Loose Park and lately
Take snack breaks - KC restaurant week! Browse our picks here
Take yoga breaks - start with LÜM, and then read this post for more ideas
Take laugh breaks - watch Aparna Nancherla!
