Reconciliation and Solidarity

US

America faces enormous challenges in this 21st Century, among them, significant human rights challenges. While tremen-dous progress has been made in elder rights and attitudes toward aging, American attitudes toward and among the aged need changing. Elders need to change our own image. We need not retire, if retirement means withdrawing from leadership roles. Elders should be growing into roles of greater, not diminishing, prominence and responsibility. 

We have much to say. In Native American cultures elders are the reservoir of tradition; they are teachers and community leaders. A link to a "Huffington Post" article follows:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/25/what-other-cultures-can-teach_n_4834228.html
Many American elders have engaged in the human rights movement at home and abroad. We have learned the lessons of solidarity. We find it appalling, when ignorance and fear continue to spawn injustice in our Nation. As parents, grand parents and great grand parents, we have a stake in protecting younger Americans from police brutality and a broken justice system.

People, it is not localized, episodes of racial intolerance and incidents of brutality by a small percentage of police officers agains a particular group of people. It is not just Ferguson! Here is a link that outlines critical issues in policing through-out the Nation.

http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Critical_Issues_Series/civil%20rights%20investigations%20of%20local%20police%20-%20lessons%20learned%202013.pdf

Finally, here is food for thought from Bill Moyers: http://billmoyers.com/2014/08/13/not-just-ferguson-11-eye-opening-facts-about-americas-militarized-police-forces/

And Caesar's spirit, raging for revenge,

With Ate by his side come hot from hell, 

Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice 

Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war, 

That this foul deed shall smell above the earth 

With carrion men, groaning for burial. 

~Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1, 270-275 

Of the nations of Earth, it would seem The United States of America would be the least likely to let slip the dogs of war within our towns and cities. Yet we have permitted, no, we have facilitated, the militarization of police forces. It brings new definition to "excessive force," it opens the door to inherently excessive response. President Obama is correct in his assessment of the problem of police brutality as not new. The "we vs. they" problem in this country is nothing new, nor is racial hatred new. Now, however, the potential for widespread, excessive force is growing exponentially. I'd say what is new is the blatant level of endorsement and coopera-tion would-be militarizers receive. Coupled with the slow, relatively mild, reaction of most of the Nation, a perfect storm awaits.

It is not just military equipment, either; we live for the vicarious thrill of violent action and reaction.  The television primetime Saturday night menu last evening, featured only one program that did not deal with disaster, murder and/or criminality. It was on Spanish-speaking public television. Channels other than the big networks provided no viable alternatives; the choices were between Grit, The Justice Network, Escape or the movie, "Escape From New York." By contrast the one or two channels that offer retro pablum pedaled their usual. Does anyone else see the contrast, alone, between episodes of "Gomer Pyle" and "48 Hours" contributing to a huge reality gap for teens and young adults?

Meanwhile back to the real world. A 22 year old coed is stopped by a policeman for a minor violation. She gets a little attitude, failing to say what the officer wants to hear, the way he wants to hear it. Maybe she resists a little. He slams her into the cement sidewalk and curb so hard, her chin is severely bruised. One of her front teeth breaks off. Is she your granddaughter or mine? No, but the point is, she could be ... so many of the youngsters brutalized by police in recent months have been everybody's kids. 

We elders have lived police brutality against peaceful demonstrators. We've had to learn and practice solidarity, accept reconciliation. Now our children and grandchildren need us to ensure they know their rights, familiarize them with the justice system, teach them to react appropriately, if approached by police. More important we must demand from police those things, and only those things, we hire them to do. We must, further, hold them accountable for how they do their jobs. "Protect and Serve" was not meant to apply selectively. Get active in community watchdog organizations and get vocal with legislators:

http://www.cuapb.org/what-we-do