1. All day long, all I’ve been thinking about is one word: Compliance. A thread.
2. When there is a tragedy with Black folks and police, my inbox is invariably flooded with people saying, “well, if they’d just complied, that wouldn’t have happened.” They say: “Teach your people the meaning of the word, ‘compliance.’”
3. Sometimes, when I’m optimistic enough to engage, I answer: “But compliance to an unlawful action is obedience to tyranny, no?”
“Take that civil rights shit up later” they say. “Comply when the officer tells them to.”
“Take that civil rights shit up later” they say. “Comply when the officer tells them to.”
4. Worth noting that the police chiefs I work with know that’s total BS. They know that some officers go too far or make mistakes. That’s why they invite @PolicingEquity to work with them. But, that’s not what’s been on my mind.
5. What’s been on my mind is that many of the same folks who see a dead Black man and think, callously, “Compliance” are utterly unable to comply with state orders to keep them and others safe, including from police officers at anti-social distancing protests.
6. It‘s hard to imagine returning to a world where anyone can even pretend “the only problem is they don’t comply” is a good faith argument. It never was. But now, it’s just too obvious to pretend.
7. And for the folks who feel like we should comply while they should be allowed to disobey...please prepare a real good justification. Because at this point, it just reads—clearly—like you don’t believe Black folks should have the same rights.
