Why I'm Hopeful in the "Race" for Power - More Thoughts and Experiences Since the George Floyd Murder

Why I’m Hopeful in the “Race” for Power - More Thoughts and Experiences Since the George Floyd Murder

George Floyd was murdered just over two months ago, on Memorial Day, May 25th, in the year of our Lord, 2020. He died a martyr. It had to happen. We know the story. We know the facts. 

Well, do we really know the facts?

Fact: Since George Floyd’s murder, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement grew in a big way, exposing lies and speaking truth to power. Simply put, BLM highlights police brutality against communities and persons of color while promoting social justice. 

Fact: The American flag has nothing to do with the BLM movement.

Fact: The American flag is a mischaracterized target of BLM opponents.

Fact: Whenever civil rights struggles one step forward, backlash tries dragging progress two steps backward. Backlash is both overt and subtle.

Fact: “All lives matter” is racist backlash to the BLM movement, whether intentional or not. The focus is not on Whites. The focus is on the Black community at large.

Fact: A large swath of Whites and White America now embrace BLM, defying backlash. 

Fact: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both.” Frederick Douglass, 1857.

What I’ve learned since George Floyd’s murder

I’ve learned how deeply the power of racist aggression and racist micro-aggressions savaged my soul, releasing decades of hurt, pain and flowing tears. Good actors cry on demand, something I could not do until now. Today’s thoughts cause tears from a bruised soul, and therefore, I’m now better able to act both literally and figuratively.

I’ve learned I can be both vulnerable and strong. Vulnerable enough to open my soul, yet strong enough to speak my peace.

I’ve learned that in policing, a community partner is the neighbor that contributes to its welfare. If not, it’s the colonizer. The police were not George Floyd’s partners. Law and order cannot be forced.

I’ve learned we need White BLM leadership to join in, because the load is too heavy for only victims to lift.

I’ve learned to speak to Whites about White privilege, by first explaining White privilege persists under the dilutions that the playing field is somewhat level and mostly colorblind, when it is obviously not, and by explaining more subtly that their sincere requests for my input on race burdens me, the victim, to perhaps have to teach prior perpetrators who yielded power over me. Nonetheless, this is teaching I will gladly do, teaching that I must do.

What happened since the murder and why I’m hopeful?

As I noted above, a large swath of Whites and White America now embrace BLM, defying backlash. This gives me hope. Hope gives me power.

Confederate flags and statutes have fallen. Racist symbols are being abolished. This gives me hope. Hope gives me power.

We speak about race more casually now, feeling less awkward than before. This gives me hope. Hope gives me power.

The world better understands MLK’s famous quote, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but bends towards justice.” This gives me hope. Hope gives me power.

We lost Reverend C.T. Vivian, a humble civil rights leader and MLK lieutenant, who said, “Leadership is found in the action to defeat that which would defeat you. You are made by the struggles you choose.” Born July 30, 1924, passed July 17, 2020. Rest in the peace of the Lord. You are a guiding light to many and a man of extraordinarily great power.

The day of Vivian’s passing, we also lost Congressman John Robert Lewis, another MLK lieutenant. We came close to mourning Lewis in 1965. When he was just 25, Lewis led a peaceful voting rights march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, from Selma to Montgomery. The peaceful gathering came to an abrupt and violent end when state police, at the direction of the presiding governor, George Wallace, brutally attacked marchers with clubs. The attack left Lewis with a cracked, bloody skull. Nevertheless, he marched forward in his pursuit of equality and called upon others to join him in getting into “good trouble” and to “Never give up. Never give in. Never become hostile. Hate is too big a burden to bear.” Born February 21, 1940, passed July 17, 2020. Rest in the peace of the Lord. You are a founding father of justice and a man of extraordinarily great power.

Power Warning Signs

Be aware of those in power prostituting America’s bedrock rule of law, conflating cronyism with justice.

Be aware of voter suppression, led and inspired by our current Commander-in-Chief, creating false illusions of mail fraud, among a plethora of other unsavory tactics. Voting remains our best force against injustice. We cannot let suppression rob our power.

Be aware of virtue signaling, meaning those in power pretending to show concern to gain Black and Brown votes with intent to backslide. Actions speak louder than words.

There are many, many more warnings to heed, but I trust you get the picture.

So, I Close with a Realtime Story of Civil Rights Power Backlash

I am honored to serve as Executive Director of the Denver Technological Center (DTC)/Greenwood Village (GV) Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit organization working with the City of Greenwood Village located in an affluent south metro Denver suburb, ranked in the top 30 American economic zones.

On June 19, 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 217 into law, the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Act, regulating police actions across the state, addressing use of deadly force, standardizing data collection, outlining partner intervention expectations when a teammate cop is knowingly doing wrong, mandating body cameras, outlawing choke holds, metering use of tear gas during demonstrations, allowing officers to be sued in their individual capacities, and mandating prosecutors and grand juries release information in a timely manner.

A handful of GV police officers threatened to quit because of the new law. GV City Council responded by unanimously passing a resolution to always side with their officers and promised to pay any fines regulated against them, nullifying the meat of the law.

A peaceful protest ensued, led by a crew of adolescents from the local Cherry Creek High School, carrying handmade BLM signs. The city responded by placing a snowplow in front of City Hall. The next day, GV police supporters held a drive-by parade for the force, who lined along the street waving as cars passed displaying American flags, snowplow nowhere in sight. A few days later, City Council voted cash bonuses for the police force.

I shared my opposition with our Chamber City Council representative face-to-face, describing their actions as backlash. Outside legislators are attempting to bring GV into compliance, to no avail as of this writing. The Colorado Senate vows to close all loopholes when back in session January 2021. 

Despite this, GV remains steadfast in their position, citing constituent desires, making the front page of the Denver Post while leading local TV news night after night. As of tonight, GV moved their City Council meetings online, stating safety concerns.

I have offered to stand with GV should they reverse course. I shared my original article, This Had to Happen, with our GV Chamber representative long before they took these actions and they have my phone number. Although I’m not optimistic today, in remembrance of Congressman Lewis, I will continue my quest for GV to change. I will not give up. I will not give in. I will not become hostile.

This is perhaps a perfect example of controlled hallucination, meaning seeing the same thing and reaching opposite conclusions on what we saw. The legislation is not anti-police, but pro-civil rights. However, as I previously stated, whenever civil rights struggles one step forward, backlash tries dragging progress two steps backward. I am left wondering why. The answers could provide a template of how to effectively move forward. Finding solutions will require powers of wisdom and love. Wisdom is seeing wins and losses before they happen; love is the substance of justice. In the wisdom of Congressman Lewis, it’s time for some “good trouble”, and it’s time to have it now to achieve one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The struggle continues. 

Dennis W. Greene, Executive Director

DTC/Greenwood Village Chamber of Commerce

Original article: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/had-happen-dennis-w-greene/

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/denniswgreene

July 30, 2020