Thread by @FelicityEnders

Want to take action for good?

Here are things you can do today to make our world better.

Please retweet. My reach isn’t very big.

#BlackLivesMatter
#UseYourPrivilege
#TogetherWeRise

PART I: POLICE OVERSIGHT

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Call your mayor, city council, or similar group and demand changes to police policy.

Here’s what to talk about:

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#8cantwait is a set of eight policy changes to decrease police violence by 72%.

Ask about each one. 

8cantwait.org

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Ask whether all police must wear a #bodycam and have a visible badge number when on duty.

Ask what the consequences are if a bodycam is turned off or the badge is covered.

The consequence needs teeth, like immediate firing. 

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Police should not be sent for all 911 calls. 

Mental health, medical, homeless, traffic, etc should not require police involvement.

Ask about funding for alternative solutions and about policy for 912 calls.

nytimes.com/2020/05/30/opi…

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Every officer should get serious de-escalation training.

Classes discussing killology should be immediately removed, even if offered for free.

Actually, especially then.

This link is horrifying, which is why you need to read it.

google.com/amp/s/www.insi…

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End qualified immunity (note only as this is a supreme court issue).

Require police officers to hold liability insurance.

google.com/amp/s/amp.clar…

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Legally require police officers to report colleagues for mental health issues, drug or alcohol use.

sunshinebehavioralhealth.com/resources/poli…

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Ask if the police department has funding for military equipment.

Complain loudly.

google.com/amp/s/www.buzz…

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Meanwhile, read up.

This site has info about police union contracts in select states and cities. These contracts must change.

You need your talking points.
You need to attend the very boring city council meetings.
You need to complain there.

checkthepolice.org/#project

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We cannot continue as we are.

We must require policy changes for police.

Please call. 

But I need you to do something else, too.
It’s not easy.
It’s important.

PART II: PRIVILEGE AND BIAS

#privilege #bias

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Many people are using this time to explore issues of privilege and bias.

This is super important. We’ve all picked up bias just by living in this country.

Here are some resources that can help. 

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“Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

STILL RELEVANT.
STILL THE BEST.

Written largely on toilet paper, smuggled out by his lawyer.

africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/L…

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And now for current resources intended to help people learn about #privilege & #bias

“35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say” by @DrMauraCullen

Racism, anti-LGBT-ism, and sexism

Includes the idea of intent vs. impact.

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“Witnessing Whiteness: The Need to Talk About Race and How to Do It” by @shellytochluk

Racism, intended for white audiences

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“Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race” by @DebbyIrving

Racism, intended for white audiences

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“White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin DiAngelo

Racism, intended for white audiences

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“Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People” by Banaji and Greenwald

Pairs with the implicit association test; good to help people process their test results

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Blindspot pairs with the Harvard Implicit Association test (implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/educa… ), a well-researched and free tool to quantify the biases we’ve all acquired by living in our society.

This tool is highly recommended.

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I applaud you for working to change our world, both by taking direct action to ensure the police force is more appropriate in your area and by doing the difficult work of exploring how privilege and bias may be at work in your own life.
 
Together we rise. 

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More on PART I

Ask if it’s explicitly legal to film police. If not, ask why not.

google.com/amp/s/tucson.c…

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