Before I begin this article, I would like to say that I am sorry. I am sorry for engaging in constant wordplay, instead of listening. I am sorry for pulling out statistics, instead of crafting solutions. And I am sorry, on behalf of the conservative movement, for appearing dismissive of the problems and concerns of the minority members of our great American family.
Racial justice has, unfortunately, been a difficult topic of discussion for conservatives. Some fixate on the aftermath, the riots, and the violence, which agitators exploit to undermine the peaceful protests. Others want to defend the vast majority of police officers who do their duty and protect their communities. Still, others are uncomfortable having these conversations altogether and wish to distance themselves from the tumor of racism. However, I believe, as First Lady Michelle Obama pointed out when discussing racism, that, “It’s up to all of us – Black, white, everyone – no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out.”
For far too long I have seen many of my fellow conservatives across America avoid the issue of racial injustice. Many of them have posted videos showcasing the hashtag “All Lives Matter” to merely deflect from the platform of Black Lives Matter. However, as I learned from Shakem Amen Akhet, the founder of the Community Resource Center in North Charleston, SC, conservatives should not deflect the concerns of the African American community. So rather than deflecting with statistics, I want to offer solutions and present a conservative plan for achieving racial justice, starting with the law enforcement reform.
The death of George Floyd only highlights the limited progress America has made in reforming the criminal justice system which adversely affects minority communities across the nation. A 2016 study by Harvard University economist Roland G. Fryer Jr. found that black civilians are more likely to experience other types of force (i.e. handcuffing without arrest, pepper spraying, and physical force). In addition, public sector police unions have been found to shelter members accused of misconduct, as was the case with Officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged with second-degree murder. Conservatives should not stand by while fellow citizens face greater scrutiny. Rather, conservatives should create more mechanisms to hold government officials and law enforcement officers accountable for their actions.
One such mechanism is the passage of the “George Floyd Walter Scott Notification Act,” authored by South Carolina senator Tim Scott (R) and sponsored by senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and James Lankford (R-OK). This piece of legislation updates the national system for reporting police-related shootings by centralizing them into a federal database and collecting more specific information on the victim, officer, and situation. Should states refuse to comply, the law will decrease federal funding for state justice programs by 10%. This is a first step to helping citizens and the federal government hold state governments accountable for their failures in protecting communities.
Another bill currently being authored is the “Safer Police and Safer Citizens Act,” authored by South Carolina senator Tim Scott (R) and co-sponsored by senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). This provides federal funding for the purchase of body cameras for law enforcement officials. Moments of injustice, like the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery were brought to the national spotlight through media attention and, in some cases, video evidence. By requiring and funding police body cameras, local officials and citizens will be better able to hold their officers accountable.
Most importantly, communities and police departments need to come together to heal generational wounds. Police officers need to embed themselves more into the fabric of the local community. Police departments should hire more officers from the communities where trust needs to be rebuilt. Community activist Tim Meris proposed that officers should undergo more cultural, interpersonal, and de-escalation training. Furthermore, local police unions that seek to protect members accused of misconduct must be restricted. “These are the sort of real-world solutions and actions that build trust in communities,” said Senator Tim Scott in a speech on the Senate floor in 2016. Ultimately, it is on the police departments to rebuild trust and accountability, not allowing a few rank-and-file officers to destroy it.
Obviously, there is injustice in America. And many Americans still are suffering from the pathological legacies of de jure racism. Conservatives should not ignore these instances of injustice. Rather, they need to create a path forward, a path that protects all Americans from an over-powerful government now and forever.
This article is the first in a series of articles addressing a possible conservative solution to reduce inequality. More articles will follow.
You lose all credibility as soon as you resort to quoting Michelle Obama.
Sorry, Sam. No Lives Matter. Actually, Nothing Matters.
The Collective Left has you right where they want you, David. The opposite of Love is not Hate; it’s Apathy. If they can’t flip you, Liberals are content to neutralize you in other ways. They try to Shame some of us into Silence. But it works just as well if they can Discourage you sufficiently. The outcome is the same. How they arrive at it is of no matter. The Ends justify the Means according to the Liberal playbook.