Things We Can Do Right Now

Nearly 1/3 of people killed by strangers in the U.S. are killed by police, yet nearly 2/3 of women that are murdered are killed by former or current intimate partners. I don't know the exact numbers, but I believe that number is close to 70% for Black women. Black disabled folks are way more likely to be killed by police. All of these need to be included in the conversations, strategies and talking points around justice and equality. They are synonymous. It's also really hard to hold feet to the fire without specifics. We needed last week because it got the entire world's attention, but shifting to specific changes is an important next step. Here are some recommendations:

1. Eradicate plain clothes policing

2. Eliminate noknock warrants

3. Intensify statutes & penalties for domestic abuse, especially violation of restraining orders & extend statute of limitations

4. Divest militarization of police & fund abuse shelters

5. Require immediate desk duty and therapy for any officer that fires their weapon for a minimum of six months. Regardless of the circumstance. Even if you shoot and kill someone and the threat was actually valid, you need to adequately cope with that before going back out on the streets. The therapist should be independent and have final authority to make an assessment not only on fitness for duty, but also on psychological state and world view in general. (This should go to an independent mental health evaluator outside the police department. I admit, this gets tricky because of HIPPA)

6. Require extensive and revamped training of your local police dept, with a decrease in firearms and tactical training and greater emphasis on de-escalation, interacting w/special needs individuals, and identifying domestic abuse

7. Increase job requirements to become an officer while giving law enforcement officers a substantial raise

8. Eliminate purchase of surplus military equipment in your local department as well as unnecessary cruisers (yes, I know they're sold at discount, but perhaps they're not overproduced in such mass quantity by the feds if they don't have as many purchasers) and reinvest said money into police officers with better education and give them a raise. Education does not cure racism, but every single data point we have shows that the more educated you are, the less overtly racist you are. 

I can go on but I think these are legit, tangible first steps, and the good thing is ALL of these (sans perhaps some of the nuance around #3 and 5) are local issues. You can support and train social justice groups in your community to organize around this, and you can bombard your mayor/county executive/sherif/etc on this stuff NOW.