PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (May 29, 2020) – We have been here before, O too many times…but this time, be assured, the response will be different, and the outcome must be, too. There is no denying these….no denying at all.
Arbery, jogging in Georgia, Christian, bird watching in New York, and George, an apparent brother in Christ, in Minnesota.
The tsunami this time started with the death of Ahmaud Arbery. Then came Amy Cooper in Central Park and her dramatic performance against Christian Cooper, followed by the killing of Houston (Third Ward) native, George Floyd, when a police officer used his knee to pin him down. In each of these cases, someone was filming in broad daylight. In each case, being filmed in broad daylight with witnesses about did not deter heinous conduct.
In the case of Floyd, people even intervened, but the officers did not look at all bothered by the filming or the comments to stop their clearly unnecessary aggression. Minnesota has long been known as a progressive state. This is reflected in the diversity of protesting crowds in Minneapolis and St. Paul – and likely the reason Floyd liked the area.
Psychologist Rollo May wrote decades ago, that in cases of extreme disempowerment, there would be an eruption of irrational violence as a scream for survival. Thus, the rioting and property destruction, as crazy as these appear, are normal responses to extreme community disempowerment. We have seen this before in the case of Rodney King and other riots.
Whites, Hispanics, and Asians, we need your voices. Civil rights happened with you. It is past time to join the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Here’s why.
Injustice spreads.
Jane Elliott’s “Blue Eyes-Brown Eyes” experiment in 1968 indicated that White folks will often not believe what Black folks say about injustice until they hear it from people who look like them. Elliott did a simple experiment that indicated that the words of teachers could impact children’s school’s achievement…a point often made by Black scholars, but ignored until Elliott’s work, who is White.
This means that Whites and others who GET IT need to stand with Black Lives Matter NOW to spread the word: Black lives matter! There is simply no denying the fact that Black lives have been treated as having less worth. The list of victims is lengthy and goes back decades.
For too long, Black families have had to have “the talk” with their children to be cautious around the police. We tell our children – be polite no matter what; no sudden moves; record if you can; remember the name and badge number. In my home, we added to the instructions this week: film the interaction, then quickly upload it to social media or “the cloud” in case a crooked officer or aggressor tries to take the phone after you film. After all, what if “Central Park Amy” had tried to wrestle the phone away?
Yes, this was the talk at our house this week. Have you felt the need to have “the talk” with your children?
The emotions for many of us are so raw that we must find constructive action, or we will explode in anger, despair, or grief.
Camille Gibson, PhD, CRC
What needs to be different, and how to fix what’s happening now is:
- The movement should look a lot more diverse.
- Criminal charges need to be filed in all three cases.
- Politicians must require implicit bias training for all law enforcement.
- There must be a national database of officers dismissed for misconduct so that they do not move on to another law enforcement agency.
- Children in school must be taught not to embrace racial biases devaluing Black lives.
It is an election year, and with both parties, we must be heard. We must demand action and accountability NOW. Young people, this is YOUR world. Decide the future that you want to have today. We will stand with you. Together, WE can change this! Breathe, then Stand Up!
Camille Gibson, PhD, CRC, is Interim Dean of the College of Juvenile Justice & Psychology at Prairie View A&M University and Executive Director of the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center.