Policing Black Bodies Still a Lethal Business

 By: Mildred, Robertson

So, the police have killed yet another unarmed black man for an administrative infraction. Patrick Lyoya, 26, was killed outside a house in Grand Rapids, Michigan after a traffic stop for driving with a license plate that did not match the vehicle. Video shows Lyoya running from the officer and then struggling with him while an onlooker taped the interaction. We see the actual murder on video shot by that onlooker because the officer's videocam mysteriously ceased to function. 

Of course, there will be discussions about the victim's behavior. He should not have run. He should not have "allegedly" grabbed the officer's taser. Both of these statements may well be true, but they do not justify a death penalty. Other narratives suggest the officer shot Lyoya because he was afraid. If an officer is too afraid to carry out his or her duty in a legal manner that does not endanger the public then he or she should not be afforded the shield or the power that accompanies it. 

Not only did the officer kill Lyoya, but he did so while the victim was face down on the ground. He did so with a shot to the back of Lyoya's head. 

The officer, who as yet is unidentified, could have made better decisions. He could have refrained from placing his hands on Lyoya when he first interacted with him. He could have called for backup when  Lyoya ran. He could have continued to subdue him without lethal force. But his first instinct was a kill shot to the back of the head. That is an officer I would not wish to patrol in my neighborhood. That is an officer with whom I do not wish to come into contact. 

I am a 69-year-old black woman. I don't speed. I don't carry a weapon. I don't have drugs in my car. I don't commit crimes. But when I look in my rear-view mirror and see a police car behind me, it is somewhat unnerving. That should not be the case. There is something wrong when average black folks have to be wary of someone who should actually be there to protect and serve. 

Don't get me wrong. I believe we need GOOD police. I even believe that most of them are. But in policing, it is just like a box of chocolates...you never know what you are going to get. I don't believe in "defunding" the police. I think that is a misnomer. We need to "repurpose" the police and fund the ancillary services necessary that would allow us NOT to dispatch a gun-totting Rambo to every traffic stop or family squabble.

Policing in America needs to be fixed.  It needs to be fixed now! The debate about what to call it is asinine. Police who have little care for the black and brown bodies they patrol must be ferreted out of the force. Those officers who really do wish to "protect and serve," should receive adequate training and appropriate funding to do their jobs. Our police forces need to be demilitarized. They should be peacekeepers, not warriors. Until that is accomplished, none of us are safe...not even peaceful, 69-year-old black women. 

You Can Defeat Voter Suppression

 By Mildred Robertson

Many citizens across this nation are gearing up for the 2022 primary election. They will make their way to the polls this summer to narrow the field and choose who will represent their respective parties in the November general election. As the most consequential election in the life of our democracy rapidly approaches, I wonder just how many voters are prepared to do the work necessary to maintain our freedom.

Although America touts itself as the world’s premier democracy, you might be surprised to learn that there are many democracies around the world with a higher percentage of registered voters than the U.S.  According to a 2021 report by the leadership Conference on Human Rights, only 64 percent of the U.S. voting-age population is registered to vote. That compared to 90 percent of the voting-age population in the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, and Slovakia.

Low voter participation in the United States is no accident. Even at its inception, only landed white men were allowed the privilege to vote. The evolution of voting rights eventually extended to most U.S. citizens, but the process remains cumbersome and controlled by states which institute their own voting regulations. This decentralized process puts an undue amount of stress on individual voters, as they must maintain their status from state to state and municipality to municipality. In addition to being confusing, this process allows states the flexibility to manipulate voting rules and regulations to maintain the status quo.

It seems, with the browning of America that is exactly what is happening.  Many White Americans fear losing control of a nation built on the backs of black and brown people who were shipped in as slaves, or who crossed the Southwestern border. While the labor provided by these voluntary and involuntary immigrants helped to build the foundation of this great nation, many wish to deny these individuals the benefit of full citizenship offered to Europeans who came here looking for a better life.

There is no better illustration of the threat perceived by conservatives than to examine the 2020 election. Joe Biden won the election by building a majority coalition of progressives that included Blacks, Latinos, and other minorities. This coalition ensured Biden’s win and narrowly empowered Democrats in the House and Senate. This victory caused a backlash across the nation as conservative Republican-led legislatures around the country began to plot ways to disenfranchise minorities and hold on to political power.

All efforts to make voting universally accessible to qualified voters seem to be under attack. Tactics range from gerrymandering, eliminating mail-in voting and drop-boxes, voter purges, and restrictive voter identification laws, to reducing the number of voting sites and limiting early voting. These tactics are targeted to negatively impact minority voters. 

However, these tactics can’t work if U.S. citizens determine that the right to vote is more powerful than the obstacles that stand between them and the ballot box. It is a path our ancestors took; estimating the number of Jelly Beans in a jar, paying poll taxes, and withstanding physical violence. Can we do any less?

While the all-out attack on minority voting this election cycle is substantial, voters don’t have to fall prey to the attacks. Despite the conservative effort to deny the vote to every citizen, if each of us takes personal responsibility, it is an obstacle we can overcome. We must prepare to ensure that we cast our ballot in both the primary and general elections.

HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR VOTE COUNTS

If you are registered, check your status to ensure that your name has not been purged from the voter registration rolls.

• If you are not registered, log on to your local county board of elections website to find out how, when, and where you can register.
• Know the dates and registration deadlines for the 2022 primary and general elections.
• Request a sample ballot from your county board of elections so you are familiar with candidates running in your precinct.
• Research candidates and ballot issues so you can make an informed decision.
• Vote on all municipal candidates…they are the ones that affect your day-to-day life.        
• Identify your polling place, drop-box, or early voting sites.
• Have a plan for in-person voting; i.e., comfortable clothes, seating if necessary, water & snacks.
• Plan to stay, no matter how long it takes.

If we fail to meet the challenge in 2022, we may never have the opportunity again. Democracy as we know it may well become extinct in America. So I urge every citizen to pledge to be committed to casting a vote that will count in 2022. It may be your last opportunity to participate in a free and fair election.