What we AREN'T Saying
We understand that this initiative will be viewed by some in the Social Justice community as controversial and undoubtedly some people will try to distort our positions. So to confirm, we believe the following:
Racism is real and has not been eliminated. We do not pretend to think that racism doesn't still exist, or that it doesn't have a substantial impact on the lives of African-Americans and other minorities.
Institutional racism exists. We understand and agree that the institutions of the United States, to some degree, reflect our racial history, and sometimes, even regularly, these institutions can make lives more challenging for African-Americans.
There are law enforcement officers that are prejudiced or even racist. We are not suggesting that racism doesn't exist in law enforcement. While we believe that the great majority of officers in law enforcement are well-intentioned, conscientious people that are not prejudiced or racists, racism exists in every profession including lawenforcement. We recognize that racism in law-enforcement has a greater impact because of the role that police play in our society.
Ferguson isn't perfect. We are not suggesting that Ferguson is perfect or doesn't need to continue to get better. We realize that the traffic fines have damaged relationships with a part of the community, and at the end of the day made it harder for some of our residents to live their lives in peace.
What we are saying is that Ferguson is generally a good city with good residents that care about social justice and equality. Our concern is that the efforts to create a scapegoat for the historical problems of our country will lead to the destruction of our mild, generally progressive city. Ferguson has an opportunity to help set a course for the rest of the United States, to help point a direction towards a more inclusive society in which all members have the ability to lead their lives and to get ahead. We can't do that if our city is destroyed by the Department of Justice process. That is all we are asking for - we want Ferguson to get a fair hearing and a chance to move forward as a city.
Racism is real and has not been eliminated. We do not pretend to think that racism doesn't still exist, or that it doesn't have a substantial impact on the lives of African-Americans and other minorities.
Institutional racism exists. We understand and agree that the institutions of the United States, to some degree, reflect our racial history, and sometimes, even regularly, these institutions can make lives more challenging for African-Americans.
There are law enforcement officers that are prejudiced or even racist. We are not suggesting that racism doesn't exist in law enforcement. While we believe that the great majority of officers in law enforcement are well-intentioned, conscientious people that are not prejudiced or racists, racism exists in every profession including lawenforcement. We recognize that racism in law-enforcement has a greater impact because of the role that police play in our society.
Ferguson isn't perfect. We are not suggesting that Ferguson is perfect or doesn't need to continue to get better. We realize that the traffic fines have damaged relationships with a part of the community, and at the end of the day made it harder for some of our residents to live their lives in peace.
What we are saying is that Ferguson is generally a good city with good residents that care about social justice and equality. Our concern is that the efforts to create a scapegoat for the historical problems of our country will lead to the destruction of our mild, generally progressive city. Ferguson has an opportunity to help set a course for the rest of the United States, to help point a direction towards a more inclusive society in which all members have the ability to lead their lives and to get ahead. We can't do that if our city is destroyed by the Department of Justice process. That is all we are asking for - we want Ferguson to get a fair hearing and a chance to move forward as a city.
