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alright. i present to you a (probably really controversial) thread: on why sharing the http://change.org petitions might not help as much as some realise
- a politics student
- a politics student
gonna preface this by saying i am very much white and privileged. this thread is because i am as disgusted at the blatant racism and oppression from the police force, particularly in the us. essentially i want to make sure this uproar can actually cause a change in the system.
first, http://change.org petitions have no legal mandate behind them. there is no obligation for the people petitioned to respond, no route to changes being made to the law. so, no matter how many people sign a http://change.org petition, it can simply be ignored.
does this invalidate them completely? no, of course they're great at showing the sheer amount of supporters within this movement. but the oppressors will ignore http://change.org petitions, because they want to continue to oppress.
so where can we go from here?
in the uk, https://petition.parliament.uk/ allows any uk citizen to make a petition, where the government MUST respond at 10,000 signatures, and the topic will be debated in parliament at 100,000 signatures. this allows real changes to be made to the law
in the uk, https://petition.parliament.uk/ allows any uk citizen to make a petition, where the government MUST respond at 10,000 signatures, and the topic will be debated in parliament at 100,000 signatures. this allows real changes to be made to the law
- to the system that these cops operate under. ideally, we would need a U.S equivalent of this system, although i'm not sure if one exists.
so, we take a different approach: we contact senators and representatives.
so, we take a different approach: we contact senators and representatives.
a lot of people are doing this already: but contact your local senators and representatives!! tell them how angry you are about this issue, and how you feel the system MUST change.
a US election is around the corner, and many senators/representatives are seeking reelection: so show them how angry you are. they may promote the cause even more to win your vote.
contact officials at state and federal level: get into the heads of the people who MAKE decisions
contact officials at state and federal level: get into the heads of the people who MAKE decisions
for us residents:
to find your local representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
to find your local senator: https://www.senate.gov/ (find your senators is on the top grey bar)
to find your local representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
to find your local senator: https://www.senate.gov/ (find your senators is on the top grey bar)
