Dear Nordonia Hills,
You may have noticed the peaceful protests that have been occurring on the street corners in our community. Though the protesters have been free to put whatever messages on their signs they personally believe in, we are all united under one movement: “Black Lives Matter” (BLM). The support has been awesome, coming in the form of words of encouragement as well as the delivery of water, snacks, and umbrellas. I’ve also had multiple personal conversations with those who have counter-protested and we found common ground including mutual respect for exercising our first amendments rights.
Unfortunately, it is hard to forget some of the more negative reactions that come from cars passing through the intersections. They can only be described as hatred and seem to be indicative of the fear of change. We understand that these reactions do NOT represent the majority of Nordonia – having spent twenty years of my life here, I know that this is a community that can recognize injustices in the world and accept that things definitely can change for the better.
We are going to continue protesting because the problems of this nation have not been solved. We want to dispel some possible misconceptions about our goals with these protests as well as bring to light what our actual goals are. Please note: This is why we are protesting – the media do not speak for us. They are part of the problem.
What does BLM mean? Where does it come from? BLM was formed in direct response to the murder of Trayvon Martin. However, it’s goals and agenda aim to address the human rights crises that millions of Americans face. Many of the problems that it is concerned with stem from lack of proper education, healthcare, social services, affordable housing, nutrition, etc. and though these problems affect black and other people of color disproportionately, they impact the wellbeing of our entire nation. It may have been formed seven years ago, but the issues have existed for nearly the entirety of the nation’s history.
While a plethora of crises face our nation, the singular crisis at the forefront of the movement that must be solved is police brutality. I don’t think anybody disagrees that those responsible for George Floyd’s death should be held accountable, but a singular punishment is not enough to eradicate police brutality. If we do not fundamentally change the way that the police operate in our country, it will happen again. We understand that a majority of our community (myself included) may have only positive experiences with the police, but there are millions of people in this country, and I’m willing to bet some in our own neighborhoods, that do not trust the police. They actively fear for their lives around the police. This is unacceptable. This is a direct failure of the government to protect and serve its citizens.
Unfortunately, the factors that lead to police brutality are multiple and interconnected – there is no one easy answer. However, there is a basic two-fold approach that stems from a little bit of critical thinking and common sense. First, the relationship between police and crime needs to be observed. While it may seem at first that increased policing reduces crime, it is evident that proper education, financial stability, and access to more social resources are much more effective at reducing crime. This is where the idea of defunding the police comes from. Don’t worry, we know that eliminating all police is not realistic, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t spend our money better. Just maybe, municipal police departments don’t require military-grade combat gear, especially if the officers aren’t formally trained in using it.
The second method of approach would be to change the police as they exist today. Being a police officer includes navigating the complexities of the law, the stress of addressing a criminal situation, and the responsibility of having a gun (the ability to take life). One would think that officers would be required to have a large amount of formal academic knowledge, social and cultural training, and emphasis on de escalation and accountability. This is not the case, and when you combine the lack of proper training with the possibility that a police officer might be racist, sexist, or even just having a bad day, it is no surprise that Americans are unjustly killed by the police. Americans have the luxury of being innocent until proven guilty, and police officers are neither judge nor jury.
“But these aren’t problems in our community, so why should we care? Why are you protesting here?” The fact that we do not have these problems is precisely why we are protesting. We are an example of what is possible for those communities that have been neglected for too long. Just because we have it good doesn’t mean it’s okay to sit by and watch while millions are in the streets fighting for the lives of their fellow Americans. We are protesting because, while many people may just be waiting for life to go back to normal, we recognize that normal was not good enough.
We will be protesting in the near future, and we will be bringing awareness to what the actual beliefs and values are behind the protests to those that are willing to listen. We will not be violent, and we are not going to invade and riot in your suburbs. If you want to join us, we would be happy to have you – please reach out to us here: NEOProtests2020@gmail.com.
If you want to have a discussion about this, we would love to talk to you.
Thank you,
Concerned Citizens
