On The Subject of How We Should Protest
/Dear Friends,
By now you should be well aware of the protests and demonstrations that continue on social media platforms and in cities throughout the Unites States and around the world. You are also well aware of how racism and police violence have sparked and fueled these demonstrations.
I KNOW YOU ARE AWARE – because as we continue to call for an end to systemic racism and police reform, you continue to counter our demands with instructions on;
What we should protest,
When we should protest,
How we should protest, and
Where we should protest.
We have been protesting in every way we can think about. Songs, movies, speeches, and articles about equality (or the lack thereof) are released on a daily basis addressing human rights activists, systemic racism and police brutality — it didn’t start with George Floyd’s murder. But have you been listening? No… you are so concerned about the what, when, how and where of our protests rather than why we are protesting. Why is that? I am writing to address your counter-demands on this post.
Y’all really think we want to be out here in these streets?
Y’all really think we want to be circulating petitions?
Y’all really think we want to be going back and forth with mindless, heartless dust shovels? Yes I am name calling now.
Here is a newsflash for you! Protests are not supposed to make you feel comfortable. They are not supposed to be convenient. They are not supposed to occur on your schedule. They are not supposed to be pre-approved by those being protested against.
What are protests?
Protests are expressions of objection, disapproval or dissent aimed at an idea or course of action. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations.
To enact change in the world, we must protest
Black people and our allies are feeling and expressing grief, anger, and despair regarding unchecked racism and police violence; particularly in the United States. These feelings have manifested into protests and no…this is not the first time, and likely won’t be the last, that we’ll have to resort to these means. Your general attitude is confirmation of that.
Black people have a legacy of fighting for their rights.
As history has taught us, to bring about real change, we must highlight the problem, even if it makes people uncomfortable. So, when you suggest that we are taking it too far, and that you need your slave master statutes and confederate flags - ask yourselves the following;
Are the execution of Black women in their homes taking it too far?
Are the shootings of unarmed Black people taking it too far?
Is the disenfranchisement of marginalized communities taking it too far?
Is placating to white nationalism and white supremacy taking it too far?
If your answer to any of those questions is “yes,” then the protests that are ensuing will never take it too far. If your answer to any of those question is “no,” then stop reading and see yourself to the trash.
Despite what your heart may desire;
Protests are meant to get your attention. They are meant to make you stop and take notice. They are meant to make you listen. And if you’re exhausted, then good, we have your attention…now we need your corrective action.
Outrage does not typically put people in a frame of mind to engage in a conversation that might ultimately influence their opinions. However, options are limited to get people who have benefited from your oppression to take notice. Protesting symbols is on way to provoke a strong reaction and get attention. This is particularly effective because it is aimed at a protected value of the recipients of the message. When someone reaches the point where they are driven enough to take aim at a protected value as a means of protest, you should start to take notice.
Protests are meant to be assertive. No one has stimulated or effected changed by meekly beseeching their oppressor to work with them. There hasn’t been a time in history when an oppressed group asked for something and just got it. Those in power will always feel like equality takes away from them. They won’t eagerly pay attention to something that reminds them of their privilege — they’ll turn away.
One reality is the Unites States is that police officers are rarely held accountable. In many instances disciplinary action is not taken without public outcry. They are not found not guilty in court and it is also really difficult for victims of police brutality or their families to seek damages. George Floyd's death, along with the deaths of many other unarmed black people have increased the demands for a dramatic change in how policing is done in America.
Protests are meant to upset the status Quo. The people that have architected oppressive systems and those who continue to benefit from them, prefer that we leave things they way they are, that we give up or we look away. They hope that our outrage dies down and the systems continue the way they were designed. To benefits them and oppress us.
Protests are often the early seeds of a movement that serves to shape the future of a country. They inform policy change, that can also determine who will be in power. At the very root of it, it also captures the mind-set and the feelings of the people in the country in the moment.
Protests are meant to be uncomfortable. I can guarantee you that the uncomfortableness that you are feeling is nothing like having someone kneel on our neck for 8:46 while you when we are begging to breathe. It will never be as uncomfortable has watching a police office murder you father. It will never be as uncomfortable as watching your spouse’s/child’s killer walk free without accountability.
It's meant to change your thinking. It's meant to push you out of your comfort zone. It's meant to challenge the idea(s) that you hold dear and/or take for granted.
There are a lot of uncomfortable conversations that people have been avoiding because it's unpleasant, it's not fun, and it can create tension. However, these conversations are needed in order to prevent the recurrence of instances that lead to the pain and frustration that leads to protesting.
What bothers you more?
Images of armed white protesters storming the Michigan State Capitol and screaming at police in late April, demanding the state reopen so they can get haircuts? Or,
Images of demonstrators being teargassed and setting buildings on fire in Minneapolis while protesting the death of a black man named George Floyd, who died while in police custody?
The priorities in American life are wildly disordered. White people riot for frivolous ish without recourse or criticism….their sports team winning, their sports team losing, cabbage patch dolls, hating disco, and for haircuts. It is no mistake that white people protesting with guns over the right to reopen has been received differently than Black people protesting for the right to live. Yet the comfort of white people has always come before the safety and survival of black people.
If everything black people do to protest unfair treatment is too disruptive for white comfort, then what can any black person do to make clear their outrage at a broken - biased - bigoted system and a country that still does not care about Black lives? If murderers whose actions are caught on camera; are only held accountable after the country erupts in protests, what hope is there for us to trust that we don’t need to be protesting? Or that we should be doing it some other way?
We are not protesting for fun or because we have nothing else to do. No, these protests are for our lives; they are on behalf of those who cannot and those who are uniquely vulnerable. Our protests are for the unborn - so that they don’t come into a world in this condition. Our protests are for the countless innocent lives lost - so their deaths won’t be in vein.
There is a pathway for better but better won’t happen by waiting complacently.