How many people will we be: I am Amadou
Diallo! I am Oscar Grant! I am Troy Davis!
I am Trayvon Martin! I am fill-in-the-blank! By now, our
communities should be crystal clear on the historic and
lethal patterns of racial profiling and violence by the
criminal justice system. We seem to be less clear that
it will take unwavering commitment and a strategic resolution
to this systemic problem.
The Trayvon Martin case galvanized the
righteous indignation of millions across this nation.
I marveled at the creativity and ingenuity of slogans,
posters and tactics. Some have been inspired to write
poems and songs. One article I read even suggested we
start naming schools, parks and other public places after
the child. But unless we make some strategic moves, we
can chalk up all that�s been done by us as a stimulus
package for the country�s economy (sales of hoodies, Skittles,
tea, etc) and a mere media opportunity for the ever-ready
political hustlers.
We must start connecting the dots if we
are to make any meaningful changes in this reality. Otherwise,
as the old saying goes �if you keep doing whatcha� doing,
you�ll keep gettin� what you gettin�.�
After all, do we know what the status is
today of the Jena
6 or what the racial climate is in the school and town?
Did we unleash our unified power to change the policy
of deadly force by transit cops so that there are no more
Oscar Grants? Did we swell the ranks of the movement to
end the barbaric practice of the death penalty after we
collectively declared �I am Troy Davis?� Mobilizing millions
around the latest injustice, without a battle plan for
real justice, can have a demoralizing effect on those
coming to the forefront to be change agents.
To add to the incendiary situation in Sanford,
FL, the New Black Panther Party has offered a $10k bounty for the capture
of Zimmerman (and then what?). Fully armed Neo-nazis are
on the scene to protect the white community in the event
that something jumps off. I don�t think either of these
tactics moves us towards a place for seeking justice and
healing.
The current momentum must go beyond the
symbolism and anger. Justice is the destination; outrage
is the fuel to get us there. We must get justice for the
Martin family and some key reforms if we intend to slow
down the cycle of black victimization.
Here are my humble suggestions:
- Zimmerman remains free and uncharged;
this must change. Since the February 26 shooting of
17-year-old Trayvon by block watcher turned vigilante
George Zimmerman, the case has been tried in the media
replete with �witnesses�, video and audio tapes and
even voice analysis of the screams made during the scuffle
between Martin and Zimmerman. Although the public is
hungry for details, this is the stuff that brings legal
obstacles to the case, i.e. inadmissible statements,
vanishing witnesses, change of venue, etc. Pressure
must be put on the Sanford
prosecutor to charge Zimmerman. We must also put heat
on the Justice Department for a full and thorough investigation.
- Next are the more long term goals of
bringing down the Stand your Ground (SYG) laws, teaching
black boys how to survive America�s racism and
strengthening the social justice movement.
There are SYG and other similar laws on
the books in about half the states which means this law
is probably in your home state. These laws, along with
the death penalty, are vestiges of legalized lynching
from a by-gone era. These laws must go and be exposed
as another tool for white men who feel threatened by black
or brown males. The legal interpretation of SYG is so
broad that citizens have used the law to kill people at
the mall or suspects breaking into a neighbor�s home.
Crime stats reveal a significant spike in �justifiable�
homicides wherever these laws exist.
We can�t go into this legislative fight
half-assed or short-winded. The National Rifle Association
is the primary initiator of these laws and they are highly
organized and resource-rich. They will obliterate any
offensive that is poorly organized and unserious.
The African American village has done a
negligible job in preparing our children for life in America, especially
our males. The village isn�t teaching them that their
skin color alone has consequences. This lack of understanding
puts them at risk in a number of ways. Toure said it best
in his article titled, �How
to Talk to Young Black Boys about Trayvon Martin.�
Toure�s piece has value beyond the Martin tragedy. The
analytical conversations in cyberspace must be brought
to the streets and homes of those families and communities
most affected by poverty, marginalization and violence.
Many of the people drawn into these spontaneous
upsurges are rookies and want political guidance. The
progressive organizers and radical thinkers must get into
leadership positions. This movement-building opening allows
us to talk about white supremacy, privilege and the U.S.
criminal justice system, to talk about the role of media
and public education in the criminalization of black males.
Our job as movement-builders is to win over those who
are outraged in the moment to join a protracted struggle
that transforms our society. In a fast-paced media market,
issues face a sudden death once the cameras stop rolling.
Our organizing must not be dictated by the media�s frenzy
for the next issue de jour.
Let�s call a time-out for philosophizing
and profiteering off injustice. It�s time to get the hoodie
movement engaged in what Angela Davis calls the new abolitionist
movement - ending mass incarceration, racial profiling,
prison-slave labor and the death penalty. This would truly
be a strategic shift that permanently connects to a broader
vision of black liberation and human rights. Only then
can we confidently roar �No more Trayvon Martins!�.
BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board member, Jamala Rogers, is the leader
of the Organization for Black Struggle in St. Louis and the Black Radical Congress
National Organizer. Additionally, she is an Alston-Bannerman
Fellow. She is the author of The Best of the Way I See It � A Chronicle of Struggle. Click
here to contact Ms. Rogers.
