I posted my thoughts on the last few days on my facebook page this morning leading with
Real discussions that move the needle on any important issue generally happen off Facebook. Just a few items to address and clarify. It's possible to empathize with young black males being killed on the street by police with impunity and at the same time empathize with police officers losing their lives. Neither should happen in what will be 2015 in a matter of days. It's my definition of humanity.
Last week #Blacklivesmatter announced plans to hold a Shutdown Protest on Highway 280 where it intersects the busy Summit shopping center while also having a die-in at the Galleria mall in suburban Hoover later that afternoon. Emotions were stirred throughout the week on social media as we saw frankly many people at their worst in terms of irrational fears and anger based on a lot of deep-seeded racism. Birmingham has we know as a rich history in the civil rights movement which still instantly conjures images of Bull Connor, fire houses, dogs, Martin Luther King and Fred Shuttlesworth.
I provided legal counsel to the movement throughout the week alongside other seasoned civil rights attorneys as well as acted as a legal observer on Friday as tensions grew and a fake press release was sent minutes before the protests alleging that they were canceled. Unfortunately the media bought the release hook line and sinker until it was established just minutes before scheduled tip-off that the show would go on.
The protests were peaceful and nobody was arrested. We commend the Birmingham Police Officers, Hoover Police Officers and the staff of the shopping centers for their great discretion, empathy and latitude despite much confusion and shameful rhetoric all week.
The media coverage of the events seemed fair and balanced and generally the discussions on all sides acknowledged the little actual inconvenience that occurred on Friday. I did hear a lot of "why wasn't this in Ensley, West End, etc" (considered high crime areas with perception of a lot of black on black crime). However, I think the needle did move in this particular area as middle-class and upper-class individuals were forced to deal with their fears and thoughts about the serious issues that have plagued our country in the last few months.
However, we all braced ourselves not much more than 24 hours later as we heard of the tragedy of the New York City Police murders. Soon after politicization would take place and many leaders and talking heads placed misguided blame on protests and rhetoric that I didn't hear in Birmingham.
To show our support for police ---My 15 year old nephew and I attended a candlelight vigil at 12:01 this morning for the NYPD officers killed where a small but strong number of activists, community leaders and officers were present.
We live in a society with a criminal justice system that is broken. Nobody trusts anyone. The poor and people of color end up on the short end of the stick in terms of fines and sentencing for low level offenses. Officers are overworked, underpaid and in many cases have less than appropriate training. Mental health issues are not addressed at all. I've even successfully represented former officers in social security hearings who had to leave the force because of PTSD which could have been avoided with proper counseling and on-site services.
It's true that all lives matter. But we also should not tell others how to orchestrate their movement. Black lives matter locally has been a peaceful movement from my perspective where the dialogue is focused on unarmed young black males being killed in the street by police officers and facing no recourse in our court system That movement can co-exist with other discussions on police brutality against all as well as police lives mattering and discussing the tough issues they face. However, we should not attempt to deflect , manipulate or change someone else's discussion.