For those outside the US looking in, I understand you’re shocked. We are too. Many of us are also having a hard time process it.

You’re watching us deal with a lot of shit that goes back centuries.

Though this is painful, I hope the response can put us on a better future path.

White people in the US, and many other places around the world, are privileged. What I know about racism and oppression comes largely through reading about and watching the experience of others. It’s worth learning some of that history, even as it makes you uncomfortable. https://twitter.com/ericabuddington/status/1266531249914601472

I grew up in a rural suburb of Atlanta. It’s since become a major multicultural hub, but it was very different back then. Large populations of both self-described rednecks and of black people. Many in both groups were lower income, but the black kids had it much worse.

Many black kids lived in a wooded area (neighborhood doesn’t do it justice) called The Hills, with dozens of self-built homes and a few trailers. It reminded me of the Appalachian homes we saw visiting some of my extended family who lived in poverty.

I had a couple of friends and a few casual acquaintances who lived there. Dropping them off after basketball practice showed me some of the worst I’ve seen even in my travels to extremely impoverished parts of developing nations. Beyond Appalachia in most cases.

Many of them didn’t have money for school lunches. Or it was the only healthy meal they got in a day. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to live there, especially juxtaposed against some of the upper middle class kids. A different world.

These kids got kicked out of school at much higher rates than other kids, because everyone “knew” kids from The Hills were troublemakers. Race and socioeconomic status played a large part in starving those kids of education, opportunities, and hope.

It’s easy to understand anger at the inequity and injustice. Being born into the wrong family and the wrong part of town, they were shut out of the America portrayed around them. Every town, city, and village has a Hills area.

This is America.

America passes down tactics, tools, and personnel from our military to our police. This isn’t out of the ordinary around the world. The degree to which we do it is extraordinary for a developed nation.

America seems to love shootouts with law enforcement. It’s in popular culture. It’s in our myths and legends alongside our old west romanticism. It’s even in our kids games like “cops and robbers.” So of course there will be an escalation on both sides.

In 1997, two heavily armed gunmen exchanged fire with police for 45 minutes on the streets of Los Angeles, putting people in harm’s way, and we watched it unfold on live television. It accelerated the militarization of our police forces.

After 9/11, this went into overdrive. Our police forces saw themselves as the front line on domestic soil in a global war on terrorism. If you’re fighting a war, you want war fighting tools. Like tanks. https://www.wired.com/2012/06/cops-military-gear/

And you recruit like you’re going to war. The whole video is terrifying, especially at 1:00 in, with the trainee saying “stop resisting” while laying on top of a trainer in a headlock.

(Not all police departments are the same. This recruitment video shows a much different force. I enjoyed living in this community for several years.)

When a police force recruits those who want to fight terrorism, trains them to look for malice in everyone, and gives them tools to outmatch the most heavily armed gunmen, mistakes can quickly escalate to tragedies.

It’s surprising how quickly, how fully, and how often authority leads to its abuse. Anyone might do something they never thought they would, and later regret.
- Stanford Prison Study https://www.simplypsychology.org/zimbardo.html 
- Milgram Obedience Study https://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html 

Police enforce order, reflecting broader societal norms and expectations. It’s in their design, and generally that order serves society well. When the status quo is not acceptable, police are on the front lines of this culture clash.

In the 1960s, police enforced the racist policies of the day. Protests against these policies turned violent. The public response was to elect policymakers who would address these policies and elect sheriffs who would better handle their implementation.

Police departments also reflect beliefs of their officers. Failure to correct negative consequences that come from some beliefs perpetuate and legitimize the beliefs, and institutionalize the behavior.

This is how you get so many people killed by police hands in America, and why they’re disproportionately black and Latino. https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=InOsF5x1lZw

To my family and friends across America who feel angry, you should.

To those who feel unsafe because of the violence you’ve seen lately, you should. Imagine feeling that way every day.

To those who want to act, you should do so smartly and safely.

Take advice from those who were peacefully protesting in the 1960s to make change.

“Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.” -MLK https://twitter.com/repjohnlewis/status/1266878938049101826

Call on your city, state, and federal representatives to do something. Mail, phone, fax, email. Number and diversity of voices matter to them and motivate them to act on your behalf. If you’re not one of the victimized, it’s ok to be angry with them and to speak up with them. https://twitter.com/amolrajan/status/1267076573091508224

Follow @KillerMike’s advice. Be smart about how you respond. Organize before acting. Fill out your census and go vote for people who believe in the same things you do and who will take action on your behalf.

Fight disinformation. Search for independent confirmation before amplifying a message. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Consider joining @ctileague to help us research and escalate appropriately.

This is a complex topic that doesn’t yield to simple narratives or fixes. There are a lot of voices that can tell their stories and inform decision making. Be safe. Be smart. Take action to create the world you want to live in.