The day after...

As with many of you, I am struggling to wrap my mind around the proverbial day after the elections. President Trump will drag this country to the mud, destroy all norms and minimize almost all of our key institutions. He will leave no room for civility and negotiation. Nonetheless, the work has to start shifting from election to reflection.

Part of me want my pound of flesh but the reality is that a Biden administration will have to contend with a divided country, a divided congress and a partisan court. The truth is out and the genie cannot be put back in the bottle. That said, we will need to coexist with those folks and if history is any guide, our party will turn the other cheek, which will embolden -- some of them, many of them, a lot of them? The answer will be an important marker for how we go forward.

On one hand, there will be a need to moderate the demands of folks like me who want to see the pendulum swing to the left. I am already upset at the compromise that I know the Biden admin will have to make.

On the other hand, we need to bring moderates (I cannot believe I even typed those words 😟) into the fold if we want to win the senate, keep the house and change the courts.

In the meantime, we need to figure out why the % of black men who voted for Trump went from 13% to 18%. and black women doubled from 4% to 8%. I am angry and disappointed but I'd like to understand.

There are issues with other community as well. The percentage of Latinx, Asians and white LGBTQs who voted for Trump increased. Progressives from those communities will have to have their own internal conversations. I know that this kind of cerebral approach is, in part, a weakness for us progressives but the alternative, which is to swim in the pond of anger is not an option.

One thing is clear, those angry red faces carrying tiki torches screaming that they will not be replaced are the same ones who are now banging against the glass at a vote-counting site in Detroit screaming for officials to “Stop the count.”

History has taught us that all empires fall. This may be the case for the American one as well but I hope not, despite America's flaws. There are some fundamental problems with American society, at the center of which are the original sins of slavery and oppression that continue still to this day. We must confront those demons and that work has to start now.

The false narrative of black men lack of support for Sen. Harris

In light of the ridiculous clown show that is Kanye West, Ice Cube, 50 Cent, I have been reading this narrative, which purports that black men did not support Hillary Clinton in 2016. The same narrative is evolving now in the context of support for the Biden-Harris ticket. Newsweek went as far as to claim that "Only 36 percent of Black men said that Biden's selection of a Black woman was a good idea."

And yet, I have seen scant reporting on the letter of support signed by 100 black male celebrities in support of Senator Harris during VP Biden's selection process. (https://afro.com/updated-more-than-100-black-male-leaders-sign-statement-of-solidarity-requiring-a-black-woman-vice-president/).

Forgive my language but as a New Yorker, I call BS to the argument and broad labeling that we, black men, are misogynists who do not support the Biden/Harris ticket because of our dear sister Sen. Harris.

A look back at the Pew Research Center's "examination of the 2016 electorate, based on validated voters" show in fact that the narrative that was created about black men lack of support for Hillary Clinton was simply a bold faced lie. It was a lie that served to separate black men from black women and to divide our community. It was one that held us accountable for America's self-inflected wounds while at the same time defining us as less American and less supportive of our own community.

Indeed, the Pew report shows that black men broke 81% for Clinton to 14% for Trump. While I have not seen any new reports on the current breakdown of potential voters this cycle, I will safely venture to say that almost four years into the Trump nightmare, a larger % of black men will break for Biden-Harris over Trump-Pence.

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2018/08/09/an-examination-of-the-2016-electorate-based-on-validated-voters/

In contrast, white women voted 47% for Trump to 45% for Clinton, and white male voters broke respectively 62% for Trump vs 32% for Clinton.

Let me highlight one part. With a woman headlining a history-making ticket, more than 47% of women (many white christian women) supported a man who bragged about moving on a married woman "like a b!tch" and boasted that when you're a star you can "grab 'em by the pu$$y." Moreover, 62% of men (white christian men) was Ok with that attitude and behavior.

As Americans, black people love this country despite its flaws and inasmuch as we want to see the Union be perfected, the Trump fiasco is NOT our cross to bear. The destruction of American democracy does NOT rest on our shoulders.

Black people have and will continue to love this country and stay on the right side of the history. However, white Americans need to step up and right their wrongs on the mistake that is Trump.

We know that Trump's accusations and reflections on others are generally a reflection of what he is actually doing. Therefore, knowing this fact, white Americans have the responsibility and the capacity to make sure that Trump does not turn these United States into a $h!th0le country.

So next time a magazine or Russian troll try to push the narrative of the mysoginist black man, remember that they are fanning the flames of division with the hope that we don't show up at the polls.

To that I say: let's respond by voting. Vote early, make a plan to vote and bring someone else to vote.

Let's help elect VP Biden and Senator Harris to bring dignity and decency back to the people's house.

Is November 3rd 2020 about the 1994 Crime Bill?

The 1994 crime bill has been one of the most vexing point in this election cycle and lynchpin argument of the Trump supporters as well as Russian trolls.  They understand that there are people who genuinely have concerns about the bill's impact on our community.  As is often the case, the Trump supporters are not only stretching the truth, they falsely claim that Senator Biden called blacks “super-predators.”  History is recorded and has proven both of these claims to be unequivocally false.  

Let’s go back in time!  Measure Number H.R. 3335 (Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994) better known as the "Crime bill" was approved in the senate by an overwhelming number of  senators: 95 YEAs, 4 NAYs and 1 Not Voting.  It passed the House 235 to 195.  

For those who may be too young to remember, the period between 1984 and 1990 was one when the country and more specifically black communities experienced a terrible surge in the use of “crack cocaine.”  People were demanding that something be done about the scourge of drug use, the crimes that it bought and the destruction of families and communities that resulted.  Indeed, in a research conducted by Rashawn Ray and William A. Galston, two scholars at the Brooking institute, they found that “most Black mayors, who were grappling with a record wave of violent crime, did so as well. As he joined a delegation of mayors lobbying Congress to back the bill, Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke said, “We’re trying very hard to explain to Congress that this is a matter that needs bipartisan support.”

One can rightly argue that the federal government's response to the crack epidemic is entirely different from the more compassionate response we are seeing to the opiod one.  Those criticisms and comparisons are absolutely correct.  And yet, it is important that we not turn away from the mirror and the actual record.  

The reflection from the mirror should be clear and not discharge community leaders, faith leaders, Mayors, Representatives, and Senators including Senator Biden who wrote the bill and President Clinton who signed it into law. But it is important to show the full the record and an unsmudged image that reflects the truth if we are to learn from our mistakes.  

As Rep. James Clyburn said in a recent interview when reflecting on that period of time “Crack cocaine was a scourge in the Black community,” he recalled. “They wanted it out of those communities, and they had gotten very tough on drugs. And that’s why yours truly, and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, voted for that 1994 crime bill.” 

(https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2020/08/28/did-the-1994-crime-bill-cause-mass-incarceration/)

More than 25 years later, VP Biden and others who supported the bill have admitted to its shortcomings and its terrible impact on black and brown communities.  More importantly, candidate Biden has presented a specific plan to reverse the detrimental outcomes of the 1994 bill.  He has outlined several core principles in his platform for judicial reform:

• We can and must reduce the number of people incarcerated in this country while also reducing crime.
• Our criminal justice system cannot be just unless we root out the racial, gender, and income-based disparities in the system.
• Our criminal justice system must be focused on redemption and rehabilitation.
• No one should be profiteering off of our criminal justice system.

More details can be found on the Biden’s campaign website: https://joebiden.com/justice/#

The black community has legitimate reasons to be wary of political promises but we must also not fall for false prophets who claim to care for the black community as they falsely disparage VP Biden to benefit President Trump.  

No one alive today, whether or not they follow politics, can say that they don’t understand President Trump's dog whistle to white supremacists.  Certainly, we all see the impact of the President decisions on Covid-19.  His choices have had outsized impacts on black and brown communities economically and more importantly, in our overrepresentation in the number of Covid-related deaths.  

According to the Findings from APM Research lab – data through September 15 show “Actual death rates from COVID-19 data (aggregated from all U.S. states and the District of Columbia) have reached new highs for all race groups:

• 1 in 1,020 Black Americans has died (or 97.9 deaths per 100,000) 

compared to

• 1 in 2,150 White Americans has died (or 46.6 deaths per 100,000)

https://www.apmresearchlab.org/covid/deaths-by-race

This election is not about 1994. It is about electing someone who recognizes the existential threat that Covid-19 represents for our community today.  It is about having a President who understands that Covid-19 will not just disappear as President Trump has proclaimed.  It is about having a President who will accept the science and listen to the experts.

The Trump supporters as well as the Russian trolls would like to make November 3rd about what happened in 1994 but the challenges we face today are about 2020.  The choices ahead are not about making America great again like the past but instead are about Building a better America for the Future. 

Nov. 3rd is about whether we live or die.  So vote like your life depended on it because it does. 

Human Decency is on the ballot in November

Haitian-Americans in Florida

During the 2016 presidential campaign, both major US presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, recognized not only the importance of Florida as a must-win state, but also the growing influence of the Haitian-American community as an electoral group. Trump won Florida by 112,911 votes or 1.19 per cent.  Senator Rick Scott won with 10,033 votes (0.2 per cent) in 2018.  Governor DeSantis won with 32,463 votes (0.4 per cent).  In contrast, the Haitian electorate represents over 300,000 voters in Florida. If only half of those voters were registered Democrats and voted, they would have changed the outcome of all three elections. 

Florida voted for Trump as it has voted for every winner of the Presidential election since 2000.  Then-candidate Trump recognized the importance of the state and the weight of the Haitian-American electorate, at least enough to accept an invitation of Mr. Bernard Sansaricq to speak to the Haitian community of Florida in September 2016.  Mr. Sansaricq, a former senator of the senate of Haiti had invited Donald Trump to meet with Haitian-Americans to share how his future administration would tackle the Haitian-community priority issues such as economic opportunities, healthcare, education, immigration and US foreign policy toward Haiti.

Candidate Trump promised to be our greatest champion

During that ill-fated 2016 visit, Mr. Trump praised the Haitian community, which he noted was filled with people who were “dedicated to family, perseverance, entrepreneurship.”  He said that the Haitian-American community “deserves America’s gratitude and respect” and that he greatly respected our community, a statement that garnered great applause. 

 

Trump further said that he followed what was unfolding in Haiti and shared in our pain.  He said that all the things that make America "good and strong” could be found in Little Haiti and this was to be a “new chapter built on mutual respect and friendship and love.” He doubled-down to say that he was running to represent Haitian-Americans and would be our community’s “greatest champion.” 

Actions speak louder than words

Fast forward to less than two years later, President Trump stated that Haitian immigrants to the U.S. “all have AIDS” and referred to Mexican immigrants as “rapists.” He also stated that Nigerian immigrants should “go back to their huts” and compared immigrants in general to snakes.  

 

Although he has denied making those comments, his actions have spoken louder than any words could ever had. Indeed, in late 2017, he cancelled TPS designation for Haiti, one of his duly designated “shithole” countries as well as five others including: El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan. 

We should not have any doubts about President Trump’s views on immigrants, blacks and for the Haitian-American community in particular.  Despite President Trump’s many promises to be our champion, under his leadership, our community has been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 and is experiencing higher economic hardship, and increasing gentrification due both to economics and climate change.

Across the country, there is mounting fear that families will be torn apart as a result of the cancellation of TPS designation for Haitians.  On the foreign policy front, his administration  supports a Haitian President who is decried by its people for deteriorating into authoritarian rule.

What to expect from a 2nd term

On bread and butter issues, as well as foreign policies, as Haitian-Americans, we recognize the sharp differences between the Democrats and Republicans.   Whether the issues are the economy, a living wage, healthcare, how to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, immigration and particularly TPS, education and the US foreign policy toward Haiti, one party has been inclusive and responsive while the other plays on fear as this President does.  On the foreign policy front, every single overthrow of the democratic order (1988, 1991, and 2004) in the past 30 plus years has happened under Republican administrations.

 

As it has done over the past three plus years, a Trump administration will continue to promote white nationalism and supremacy, and fear as the centerpieces of its reelection campaign strategy. This is how President Trump hopes to get reelected and how he will govern – it will not be more of the same.  It will be worse!  He will foment racial division and wink at discrimination against minority communities.  Additionally, he will consolidate policies that will govern our lives for the next 40 years, especially if he gets to nominate two more Supreme Court justices.  

 

A reelection of President Trump will tear apart the fabric of what makes us all Americans. 

Biden-Harris will fight for us

Although we know that it will take time to undo the harm caused by the current administration, we can start to dig ourselves out of the hole by electing VP Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris.

As the pandemic continues to take its toll on families and jobs, it has laid bare the country’s deep and structural inequalities.  If elected, President Biden will immediately work on a recovery package that provides funds to states and much needed support to working families.  He will invest in small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy and support raising the federal minimum wage to $15 so working families can live dignified lives. 

 

President Biden will reinforce the Affordable Care Act and  introduce a new Medicare-like public option.  This will ensure that no family has to turn to bankruptcy because of medical bills.  He will rescind President Trump’s executive orders, which has affected thousands of Haitians and other immigrants and scrap the wealth test the Trump administration has proposed for prospective immigrants.  A Biden administration will not separate families and put children in cages. He will forgive student debt for low-income and middle-class people who have attended public colleges and universities.  He has made racial inclusivity an important pillar of his campaign and has demonstrated his commitment to racial equality by choosing Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate and nominating a number of African-Americans and Haitian-Americans to key posts in his campaign.

 

Above all, a Biden-Harris administration will bring honesty back to the White House and offer a vision to America that is aligned with our core values.  As President Abraham Lincoln did, the Biden-Harris team will work to restore “our bonds of affection” and help us reconnect with the “better angels of our nature.”

We will stand for decency

We all know the role that the state of Florida will play again in the November election and must be under no illusion about Trump’s backing from supporters, including some Haitian-Americans, who do not have our interests at heart.  Indeed, despite the Trump administration’s blatant racism and xenophobia, the Miami Herald recently published an article in which it reported on “an organized caravan of cars was blasting horns, waving flags and shouting through megaphones letting the world know about their support for President Donald Trump.” 

 

In 2016, the Haitian community got played by a charlatan who promised to be our champion but became our community’s worst nightmare.  This time, we must show that we learned from that mistake.  Indeed, even Mr. Sansaricq, a staunch Republican and Trump supporter, has publicly distanced himself from the President. 

 

Our community will not be played the fool again and we will not vote against our own interests. While there are many important issues at stake in this election cycle, the most important ones are human decency and civility.  The question is whether we will vote for division or unity, will we stand for hate or love, will we go in the voting booth and select white nationalism and separatism over unity.  We must ask ourselves whether we will raise our collective voice and use our votes to, once again, stand on the right side of history as we have done may times throughout America’s history.

Our modern-day "Vertières"

As Haitians, we launched the only successful slave-led revolution, which resulted in the first free black Republic.  This desire for freedom was also present when a group of infantry volunteers from Saint Domingue called “Chasseurs Volontaires” fought valiantly alongside American troops in the 1779 Battle of Savannah against the British.  A little over two decades later, some of those Haitians soldiers who fought in Savannah went on to fight for freedom and human dignity, and against slavery in Haiti.  That war was so costly for the French that it forced Napoleon to sell its Louisiana and the Midwest territories, which doubled the size of the United States.

 

Our community can once again stand against tyranny and fight for freedom and human dignity.  Though sadly this time, our stand will be against a President whom we mistakenly helped to elect to office.  Haitian-Americans must stand shoulder to shoulder with our sisters and brothers from the Caribbean and Central-America to say no to tyranny.  Together, we have the numbers to make the difference!

 

As the Haitian motto appropriately reminds us: Inite se fòs / L'Union fait la force ("Unity Makes Strength"). Si se puede!

Why Dimitri Vorbe not showing up to court does not matter

I firmly believe in the rule of law as the bedrock on which Haitian society can be rebuilt. And as Tiffany Madison aptly put it “When the Rule of Law disappears, we are ruled by the whims of men.”

This core belief has gotten me into trouble and have put me in the difficult position of defending people who do not need or even deserve my defense.

The rule of law 

What is at stake is the basic ideal of the rule of law. What is lost in this debate is the fundamental principle that is the bedrock for everything we hope to see changed in Haiti. Whether it is protecting the environment, making education and healthcare available to all, making public investments in infrastructure, attracting private investments that create jobs and wealth, and finally tackling the modernization of the public administration. All of these changes will require a system of justice that functions and is fair. 

Essentially every aspect of public life requires a system of justice that works. It is easy to celebrate the arrest of Mr. Vorbes, whether it was by Interpol in the US or by the police in Haiti. However, accepting that a person, however bad they were, can be punished without due process is accepting that we will maintain the system of retribution . Worst, we would be ensuring that Haiti remains a country that is condemned to function with corruption. 

Whether one believes that Mr. Vorbes is innocent or guilty of what he is being accused of is wholly irrelevant. One must critically question how what is being done impact not just one person but society at large. 

We can start by asking ourselves the following questions:

• Has the government shown that Sogener’s invoices were inaccurate and or fraudulent?
• If so, was Sogener in cahoot with EDH and the justice of peace? And, if yes, have those public servants been arrested and charged?
• What is the impact of the government acting outside to the law to punish its opponents?
• What are the cascading effects to the judicial system?
• How will the regular citizens view themselves in this system and what will be the effects on the day-to-day relations?

Conclusion

The Vorbe’s case is a clear illustration of a government that is abusing its power. That it is doing so against someone who many decry as having abused the system is exactly the reason why we must not fall into the trap because it is bigger than the Vorbes. 

To be clear, if it is proven in the courts that the Vorbes family defrauded the state then they should suffer the full consequences. But regardless of our personal feelings, the rule of law must prevail for Mr. Vorbe if it is to prevail for any of us. 

As Haitian-Americans who care about our country of origin, it is imperative that we approach these issues from a system of value and convictions. We must situate issues like what is happening between the Haitian government and the Vorbes in a broader frame. 

At times, we will have to face difficult moral dilemmas but for democracy to flourish in Haiti, we need to fight and demand a fair and equitable justice system. Haiti deserves such a system so it can regain its status as a beacon for liberty. More importantly, our sisters and brothers in Haiti require it if they are to have a shot at living a life of dignity.

The slow walk toward authoritarian/dictatorial rule in Haiti

The news in Haiti continues to go from bad to worst.  The socio-economic situation is getting worst.  While Haiti seems, so far, to have been spared from the worts of Covid-19, the economy continues its free fall.  Inflation is above 20% and GDP growth is projected to be in negative territory at least until 2022.

Despite the country's many challenges, at its core the main challenge remains that of a corrupt and inept government.  

 

The past few months, the Moise administration, which survived weeks of protests with the support of the international community, is taking steps to consolidate its power ahead of expected elections.  Without a parliament and a weak judicial branch, the President is ruling by decree and taking steps to reestablish authoritarian rule over the country .  In sum, a decried President who is ruling with an unconstitutional government that is publishing decrees in which they assert that said decrees override existing laws that were voted by parliament are clear signs of authoritarian/dictatorial rule. 

Let me expand on my rationale. 

I think if you look at the literature on the rise of authoritarian rules and dictatorships, the strategy includes those governments' ability to "establish their own rules, including persuasion and coercion; personal characteristics; ideology and policies; the use of force and propaganda." This is textbook stuff and in that light the arrow is clearly pointing in the direction of an authoritarian rule in Haiti.  

The President’s advisors studied from the same books and an observer can see how the tactics are playbook approaches of this very well-documented strategy. Here are a couple of ways in which this is done.

To start, the govt. creates its boogeymen and break the laws to attack said boogeymen. Of course, no one comes to the defense of the "bad guys" because they they are getting what they deserve. This tactic allows the govt. to use state powers to crush its enemies and silence civil society. Whether it is the electricity producers or the fuel importers, most people in civil society would not defend them because they are the "bad guys" who deserve what they are getting.

Next, the govt. disregards the growing insecurity and indeed creates an environment of impunity by disinvesting in the the police and judicial system. They it goes on to align itself with gang members, who they use to raze poor neighborhoods and commit unspeakable atrocities including mass murders. As a result of the environment of insecurity, when they go to Bel-Air, La Saline, Pont Rouge, or Shadda II which are areas that are supposedly opposition strongholds, it serves their electoral purposes. As they commit these crimes, civil society stays silent because it believes that these areas are full bandits and the cause of country's insecurity. However, the reports from human rights orgs. as well as the UN and even DCPJ have documented the direct implication of the government in human rights violations and massacres. 

All the signs are there but to summarize I will highlight a few recent acts that standout. The govt. has:

• circumvented existing laws to confront and destroy their own effigies  
• overrode existing rules and illegally use state funds to pay Dermalog
• imposed an unconstitutional new national ID cards
• published decrees that override existing laws
• used of gangs to consolidate political power and control
• attempted to modify the constitution on its own
• limited (violently) the right to peaceful assembly

I believe in a liberal democracy and Haiti is clearly and unambiguously moving away from that system of government. As we move further and further away from a liberal system we move closer and closer to what I see as the emergence of an authoritarian state and eventual dictatorship.

Holding the police and politicians accountable

The existence of police brutality has always been the reality of people in poor communities, and especially the black community.  With the ubiquity of video cameras, this reality is laid bare to the general public. 

Our community’s fear of the police officer, the very person who is paid to protect us, is a violation of the sacred trust that should exist between us (the community) and its servants (the police).  Somehow through the marches and the call to action from an awoken populace, there is a false premise that the black community does not want or appreciate the police.  In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.  Like all communities, we want to be served and protected.  We also understand that being a police officer can be a hard and sometimes dangerous job.  We know that there are lawbreakers in our community as there are in white communities. However, our community often feels like it’s under siege and we collectively viewed as criminals who are guilty until proven innocent, and the police are often innocent even if proven guilty.

"What is often missed are the small and insidious ways in which this violence reveals itself."

Aside from the incidents caught on camera, what is often missed are the small and insidious ways in which this violence reveals itself.  They are the small and recurrent indignities of plainclothes officer pulling up, pushing you against the wall and searching your pocket without any probable cause.  It is the indifference of a police officer pulling you over for no other reason than driving black in the wrong (white) neighborhood.  It is the humiliation of being detained without cause and released without charge.

The police know that their power has its limits.  One illustration is the ways in which the police enforced the social distancing rules .  The videos of how the police responded to different communities showed that they know the rules but just chose to apply different ones to our community.  The police showed great restraint against armed protesters breaking into the Michigan capital statehouse and the President’s support for those demonstrators stand in sharp contrast to the response to unharmed protesters.  

"As usual, the politicians will revert to two often-used strategies to deflect."

One, they propose giving more money to police departments for training.  However, we already know that training is not the issue because the police are able to use great restraints when dealing with white offenders.  Indeed, we are often in awe at their ability to track and apprehend white mass murderers alive.

Second, they (the politicians), they will propose the creation of new commissions.  However, we have had dozens of commissions at the federal and local levels. During the Obama administration, it was called the “21st Century Task Force on Policing.”  Under the current one, it’s called the Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. Whether Republicans or Democrats, after every high-profile police killing, politicians promise reforms but once dust settle, they either slow-walk the recommendations that were made by their commissions or the cities and the police departments outright ignore the consent decrees.  It is not difficult to see why the context has deteriorated:

• Some police officers, who may already see the community as their enemy, are then given a quota by their leadership, which translates into stops and frisks so they can make the numbers. 
• Politicians who are elected by the people are often more afraid of the police unions than they are of the people who elected them.
• The courts have shown leniency to officers who have openly flaunted and clearly violated the public trust.

Despite all of this, it would be disingenuous to paint all officers with the same brush.  Indeed, there are decent officers doing a difficult and stressful job.  Most people understand this but as the saying goes, “One bad apple can spoil the bunch."  The bad apples in police departments around the country who act with impunity, impugn the reputation of their colleagues and their entire department.

"Three actions to start change in police departments and the system."

Below are three actions proposals to affect changing in police departments and in the system in which they operate.

1.     Demilitarize the police

There is a reason why police are separate and different from the military.  The approach but also the mentality is different.  The police are trained to capture an offender, which seems to happen when said offender is white and even after committing mass murders. Too often we see police officers looking like they are ready to enter black community as if they were about to put down an Iraqi counterinsurgency.

2.     Hold the police accountable to the basic standards of right and wrong

The power and legitimacy of  police officers are derived directly from the trust of the people.­  A police officer should have some protection in doing their jobs but it is unacceptable that they be allowed to abuse the very citizens whose taxes pay for their salaries.  An officer who is found to have the broken the rules and the law should be held personally liable.  The covenant between the police and the people has been broken far too often by officers who, backed by the unions, have come to believe that they are above the rules and the law.  They live behind the blue wall and operate in the shadow of cover provided by police unions who yield influence over the people’s representatives.  

3.     Bring policing and social services closer to the people

The idea of community policing is common sense but it is neither novel nor a panacea.  Diversity and bringing the police closer to the community are important but can only be part of the solution.  As the Atlanta case shows, five of the six officers charged with assaulting the two young college students, are black. The strategies of defunding basic social issues like jobs, housing, education, healthcare in black communities have shown themselves to be counterproductive and therefore, must stop. The time has come to reduce NYC massive police budget in order make greater investments in community services.

"The American dream can no longer be deferred nor denied."

Once again, blacks are called upon to be the mirror that reminds America of its legacy but also to reflect the potential it still holds to be a beacon for the world.  The American dream can no longer be deferred nor denied, and there is a new generation who will no longer accept that their cries for justice fall on deaf or placated by false promises.  

The police and politicians must be held accountable to the people they have sworn to serve.    The covenant is broken and it is now time to reassess the power, the deference but also the many responsibilities that have been given to the police.  For far too long, the politicians have used the police to control black bodies and to suppress our demands for equity and justice in housing, schools, economic opportunities and access to health care.   As we say their names, we are also saying that justice will no longer be delayed or denied, and that without justice there can be no peace.