On Sunday, December 14, 2014 members of churches and organizations across the nation will don themselves in black as a part of a national solidarity effort to peacefully raise awareness and protest the injustices that continually plague our criminal justice system. This form of non-violent collective action is both necessary and admirable, but it is also imperative that we collectively move beyond symbolic activism and strategically work towards substantive change. With that being said, here are 5 ways you can get involved and initiate change: 1. Register to Vote A grand jury decided not to indict the officers involved in both the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases. We must remember that the grand jury was selected from a pool of registered voters. Additionally, the county prosecutor, Robert McCullough, is an elected official and given the fact that 1) his father was a police officer who died in the line of duty, 2) his mother was a clerk in the homicide division of the police department, and 3) his brother is a police sergeant, his allegiance to law enforcement may obscure his ability to effectively prosecute a police officer. So along with registering to vote, be sure to 1) research the candidates, 2) vote for the most appropriate candidate, and 3) hold your elected officials accountable 2. Urge Your Mayor & City Council Members to Establish a Citizen Police Review Board According to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the demand for citizen oversight initially occurred during the Civil Rights Movement from concerns that police officers were responding to racial unrest with excessive force. Today, Citizen Police Review Boards (CPRB) are responsible for receiving, investigating and making recommendations to address complaints of excessive force and police misconduct. They also work to improve police/community relations. If your local police department does not already have a CPRB, contact your local elected officials and urge them to create one. 3. Sign Up for a Civil Service Exam and Become a Police Officer According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), only 1 in 4 police officers are a racial minority. Studies have consistently shown that when police departments reflect the racial demographics of the communities in which they serve, police/community relations improve. Additionally, this provides more opportunities for cross racial and cross cultural relationships to develop between police officers. These relationships are critical for dismantling the pervasive stereotypes that influence the ways African Americans are treated by police officers. 4. Pass the LSAT, Enroll and Complete Law School, Pass the Bar and Become an Attorney Of course this will not happen overnight but there is a need to diversify the legal profession. According to the U.S. Census, less than 5% of attorneys are African American. 5. Write your Congressman/Congresswoman and Urge Them to Propose a Law Enforcement Accountability Law (Similar to the Police Accountability Act of 1991). The proposed bill should 1) make it unlawful for any governmental authority to engage in conduct that deprives people of their constitutional or statutory rights or privileges, 2) authorize civil actions by the Attorney General or victim to obtain relief for any harm; (3) establish penalties for police brutality (excessive force), including a fine and imprisonment for any term of years or life if death results, and (4) direct the Attorney General to acquire and publish an annual report on brutality and excessive force complaints. If you are not sure who your representative is, you can find it here: house.gov/ and if your representative doesn’t respond to your request, refer to Point 1 and vote them out! Together, we are a very powerful group of people and we must confront these issues of injustice from several angles including getting in the system, and changing the system. - Dr. Jones
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 14:06:28 +0000
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