by swordandstorm
Simply rioting and looting aren’t going to bring about the reform this country desperately needs. What kind of demands would REALLY bring about the changes we want to see? Not empty gestures or hollow words of promises to do better, not bandaid laws treating the symptoms instead of the true rotten disease that plagues this country. Here are a few ideas for starters.
- End the failed war on drugs. It never worked, it’s a total waste of taxpayer money, and a large proportion of those affected are minorities. It also gives cops way too much overreach to violate our civil liberties. We should focus on treatment and reintegration into society a la Portugal.
- Law enforcement must be de-militarized and move back toward community-oriented policing. That means training focused on de-escalation, understanding, and patience, while learning what the appropriate amount of force is required for situations and when to use it. Officers should be required to live in the areas they police so they have real stakes in that community. The us vs. them mentality must go. If cops give people a reason to trust them, people will respond in kind! Enough of the escalation! As of now, they use force to make us do what the deciders decide we must do. No more. They should protect and serve the community as they were sworn to do.
- Income inequality and poverty must be addressed. Trust-busting needs to come back in a big way to break up these mega corporations. They must pay more in taxes, in which the money should be used towards infrastructure and better access to education and job training. With the wealth gap larger than it has ever been, and minorities usually at the very bottom, we must find a way to uplift the poor and grow the middle class to have a strong backbone in this country. A rising tide lifts all boats.
- The political process in this country must fundamentally change. We must address corruption on every level. We can’t continue to have a 2 party rule that results in every issue becoming politicized, splitting us down the middle, left vs right or democrat vs republican. If riots are the language of the unheard, we need to give the people a louder voice. Enough lobbyist bullshit. Enough of this plutocracy. We need to demand true representation of the people, not cow-towing to corporate greed.
What do you think? Anything to change/add? WE NEED A CLEAR MESSAGE BEHIND THE MOVEMENT
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