PLATFORM : Build Alliances
There is no way in hell that the events of the past 10 days can be placed on the shoulders of blacks and Koreans. It is morally and factually dishonest to make such a claim. The chaos was the result of much larger failures--political, economic and social.
Will we stand by in silence as the damning myths about our communities are fostered by those who have nothing to lose by making us caricatures for the curious and uninformed? I hope the answer is a resounding “no!” We must hold the media accountable.
Our communities have been voiceless and prostituted for too long. We already know that taking to the streets, at random or in an organized way, doesn’t work. More of us are arrested and placed in the morass of the criminal justice system; more of our children get caught in the cross fire (literally and figuratively).
Our communities lose because instead of focusing on taking hold of the political agenda, we are forced to busy ourselves with dressing our wounds. As a result, we give it up to those benefiting from the way things have been.
Now is the time for us to stop, listen and identify people we can trust. Alliances must be built to confront the existing power structures that have so deftly manipulated and controlled our interests. The agenda has been to divide and conquer. We cannot afford to ignore this agenda any longer. Time is running out.
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