Small steps on the road to real reform
The image of Stamford Police Chief Tim Shaw kneeling with protesters over the weekend was a powerful one. By saying he understood why people were in the streets and that his department would not remain silent, Shaw took a step toward reconciliation that can only come from people in power. Marchers can make demands, but only those in authority can accommodate those demands.
And they must.
As protests continue this week after the death of a black man at the hands of police in Minneapolis, it’s important to remember exactly what protesters are seeking. They don’t want words, they want change. They don’t want property damage, despite the actions of limited numbers of people in their ranks. And they don’t want symbolic action. Only systemic change that prevents the next George Floyd from dying under an officer’s knee will be enough.
Getting there will not be easy. It’s not as simple as voting, though certainly the electoral process is a vital method of effecting change. But elections alone are not sufficient — change is needed at all levels, from the national to the neighborhood, and it starts with understanding everyone’s common humanity.
That seems a low bar to clear, but for now, too many people feel their humanity is neglected by those in a position of power.
Part of that recognition can be seen in the response to protests. To his credit, Gov. Ned Lamont — who continues to ably face another crisis, the coronavirus — has struck the right tone regarding people in the streets.
“I’m totally at one with the people who are standing up and saying how can this continue,” Lamont said this week. While acknowledging that progress needs to be faster, he said, “I also thank the protesters, the overwhelming majority of whom were peaceful, and I think that makes a much more positive statement about how we should all be doing better. But I take that message to heart.”
To that end, Lamont has rejected the president’s exhortation to “dominate” peaceful protesters, using the military if necessary. That message “is the opposite of what we’re trying to do here in Connecticut,” Lamont said.
His restraint is noteworthy, because while marches in Connecticut have not led to the kind of property damage seen in other states, the disruption has been real, with highways blocked and thousands of people in the streets in different towns and cities. But these are peaceful in nature, and the governor must continue on his current path. Escalation toward violence doesn’t only happen on the part of the protesters; sometimes it’s those tasked with keeping the peace who instead push the situation to more dangerous heights — an outcome we must avoid in our state.
The road to real reform is not an easy one. Simply listening, for which officials like Shaw and Lamont deserve credit, is a start but not nearly enough. But along the path toward a better future is recognizing small victories when they happen, and recognition on the part of people in power that they are required to do more is an important step.
Elections alone are not sufficient — change is needed at all levels, from the national to the neighborhood, and it starts with understanding everyone’s common humanity.