One of my observations in the aftermath of the September 11 attack was the response of black folks. Of course, we felt the senseless loss of life as it has become an unwelcome part of our lives since being brought to these shores. Black people have always served as this country’s moral compass. But because we’ve been so dehumanized and treated like second class citizens, we struggled for ways to demonstrate our humanity and empathize with the nearly 3000 lives lost on that day. What I found so fascinating was the scores of black people who followed the lead of white Americans in buying American flags. We put them on our cars, stuck them in our yards, wore them on our chests as if to remind the country, “We, too, sing America.” I still find this fascinating.
The hostile takeover by the state
The attempt to seize local control from the citizens of St. Louis will be met with organized—and might I add–hostile resistance (think pension, think future raises). That’s because citizens voted for local control of their police department in 2013 by a majority of citizens. That historic vote was the result of more than a decade of tireless organizing under the leadership of the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression (CAPCR).
