I talked to @Crosscut about Chief Best’s resignation and the perception of a “generational divide”.

I don’t think it’s an age thing. Go to any protest & you’ll see folks old & young.

The chasm is b/t the old guard establishment & a new multigenerational, multiracial movement.

here’s the full piece: https://crosscut.com/news/2020/08/black-seattleites-react-police-chiefs-resignation-rage-hope

here’s how I see it: the tension underlying all this can be understood as a tention between symbols & substance. And the give & take of prioritizing one over the other. 3/

For the old guard, it’s clear they’ve fought hard for very long to get even symbolic progress. They’re protective of that, don’t want to see gains slip away.

Thats what I hear in their defense of Best.”If you can’t get a seat at the table, how‘re you gonna win the substance?”4/

But if you’re younger (in age or in spirit;) ), the descriptive representation in institutions is a given. It’s table stakes.

So the focus has to be on the substance, on the policy, & concrete steps towards institutional transformation. Without them, the symbolism is hallow. 5/

Of course, these things aren’t mutually exclusive. We can have Black leaders championing the demands of the largest Black-led racial justice movement in our country’s history to transform public safety.

We need both: symbol & substance.

And hopefully we get it soon. 6/6

good thread here on modeling what leadership in this moment calls for: https://twitter.com/NikkitaOliver/status/1293193629805076480?s=20