Re: How Can I Help?

Aside from speaking out & protecting people when you see an act of injustice, also be aware of the fact that, even if you don't believe you are racist, or you are anti-racist, you may very well do or say something that is, or a POC may construe as, racist. There are a lot of people who become angry or defensive when they are told "that was racist" or someone brings up their having White privilege, or they really haven't reconciled the fact that racism is a function of power, and by that there are other groups who, by definition, cannot be racist. White Fragility is a real thing, and it takes a lot of work (& self-exploration) to learn and do better.

Re: How Can I Help?

One easy way is to contact your state legislators and ask them to repeal the law that shields police officers' records from public review. The legislature will be debating this matter this week.

Section 50-a of the Civil Rights Law requires that police personnel records not be subject to Freedom of Information requests. This means the media is not able to get information about the records of officers who are the subject of complaints. It also means that people suing the police department for injuries from excessive force can't use the officers' records to show a pattern of abuse.

A simple email to your NYS Senator and Assemblyman will let them know how their constituents feel.

Re: How Can I Help?

Bump