I could not sleep last night so I stared into the darkness trying to process the last few days. I am a former prosecutor and community organizer. I believe that laws are intended to protect those without power and to constrain those who abuse it.
We have witnessed raw, naked power unleashed against human beings asking to be safe in their daily routines—something I take for granted. We have seen a system militarized and bad actors seeking to foment chaos while those who have seen so much death bravely demand it stop.
Around 3 am I began reading Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. I got stuck on this quote: “There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the bleakness of corroding despair.”
To those on the streets demanding the right to live without constant fear that today, this trip to the grocery store, might be your last, I stand with you. To the officers who put down their guns and join the marches I stand with you.
To the leaders working to tear down this broken system and correct years of injustice, I support you. As Dr. King wrote, “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
We are often myopic in what we choose to engage in, myself included. But this fight, this fight affects all of us. The climb to the mountain top is long but we can no longer afford to wait. For George and too many others we must demand and actually do better.
