Eric Garner
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I’ve had several people reach out to me to see how I’m feeling about all of this, so here goes. I’m hopeful that all of this chaos happening in the world leads to actual improvement because it’s long overdue. I have no reason to believe that, but I’m optimistic.
I felt that for once in my lifetime the country was uniting around the fact that our government, our politicians and our economy are routinely letting us citizens down. Beginning in March, people were waking up to how the Coronavirus was impacting small and medium sized businesses, how unemployment was skyrocketing, how people weren’t able to pay their bills and the general nonchalance that those in power seemed to display. Capitalism was being exposed for being the divisive force that it truly is, and then Ahmaud Arbery’s murder happened. Then Breonna Taylor’s murder happened. Then George Floyd’s murder happened.
I’m disappointed that people are acting as if racism was invented May 25, 2020. I’m disappointed that people think that the government became corrupt on November 8, 2016. I’m disappointed that seven years since Black Lives Matter was founded, we seem to be living through Mike Brown 2.0 with no real change happening to improve the lives of minorities in this country. In fact, the similarities between the murders of Floyd and Eric Garner highlight the need for actionable targets and goals for ending police brutality once and for all, and I’m optimistic.
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The biggest issue that I foresee is that any type of police reform depends on self-policing from our judicial system. Our nation’s foundation is the idea of checks and balances, meaning that those that commit wrongdoing are held accountable by others. Qualified immunity is the antithesis of this, as government officials and law enforcement officials are shielded from any type of legal action. Recently, this has even been extended to the use of excessive force. How can we expect anyone to be held accountable when this legal doctrine exists? But I’m optimistic.
After repealing qualified immunity, another thing I’d like to see changed is the creation of something similar to malpractice for law enforcement officials. If a doctor causes you bodily harm during a procedure, you’re able to add this misconduct to his malpractice record and it informs future clients, patients and employers that they perform their job at a subpar level. You’re also able to file lawsuits and demand damages directly from the doctor. This process should be similar for police officers, and once they begin being held personally accountable then we should see differences in policies and practices.
I’m posting a link below to Campaign Zero’s 8 Can’t Wait initiative. While I don’t know how all of those proposals can be quantified, it is the first attempt I’ve seen to create real lasting change. It’s going to take more than black Instagram photos, bail relief funds and hashtags to prevent us from reaching 2027 with the same race issues that we have now.
I’m optimistic. You don’t want to see me when I’m pessimistic.
8 Can’t Wait — 8cantwait.org
Cities that enact these eight use-of-force policies can reduce police violence by 72%. Look up your city and contact your mayor now.
