December 31, 2014
Jarliani» (Obstruer
Page 15
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When People Ask: ‘Why Do We March
Our protest and
a plan of action
from a Birmingham Jail” more Brown, Akai G urley, Tam ir
Everyone committed to that has a 10 point plan for police
than 50 years ago is still true Rice, John Craw ford and oth
mission — no matter age, race, reform and accountability:
today: “Injustice anywhere is a ers did not deserve to die; be
religion or background - is and
1. W idespread use o f body
threat to justice everywhere.”
cause M arlene Pinnock did not has always been welcome. The
cameras and dashboard cam
by M arc H.
In this catalytic m om ent deserve to be viciously beaten
challenges before us are big eras; 2. Broken windows re
M orial
driven by cataclysmic circum and Levar Jones did not de
.enough that we all have a role to form and implementation o f 21 st
Few tim es in a
stances, what we have wit serve to be shot for com plying
play in the solutions.
Century com m unity policing
n atio n ’s history is
nessed across America since with a trooper’s request; be
We have been here before - model; 3. Review police use of
the conscience o f its
the non-indictments of offic cause the excessiv e use o f
and we can change a nation deadly force policies and adopt a
citizens shocked and awakened ers in the killings of Michael
force - deadly force - by law again. That is why we and our
uniform deadly force standard;
- across racial, econom ic, gen Brown and Eric Gamer may be
enforcem ent against unarmed partners - the National Action
4. Comprehensive retraining of
erational and even ideological new to a generation, but it is not
A frican A m erican s has no Network, NAACP and Black
all police officers; 5. Com pre
- lines. Tim es w hen the co l new to a nation.
place in the land o f the free Women ’ s Roundtable - marched
hensive review and strengthen
le c tiv e c o n s c io u sn e ss o f a
Catalytic moments birthed by and the home of the brave;
in Washington, D.C. earlier this ing of police hiring standards; 6.
people scream s - and dem ands cataclysmic circumstances - the
because police should not fear month along with many others.
Appointment of special prosecu
without apology - that it’s time horrific beating and murder of
the com m unities they have It’s also why we will continue to
tors to investigate police mis
for a change, that things must Emmett Till, the killing of four
sw orn to protect and com m u be in c o m m u n itie s acro ss
conduct; 7. Mandatory, uniform
be different and that it m ust little black girls in the 1963 Bir
nities should not fear those who America every day, doing the
FBI reporting and audit of lethal
start today.
mingham church bombing and serve to protect them; and be
work
that
the
National
Urban
force incidents involving all law
So, when people ask, “Why the murders of civil rights work
cause we — as a nation — must League has consistently done
enforcement; 8. Creation and
do we march?,” I tell them we ers Schwemer, Goodman and
and can be better.
for 104 years to ensure a better audit of national database of citi
march because o f the views Chaney.
We marched in Washington - America for all citizens.
zen complaints against police; 9.
expressed, concerns shared, and
These events shocked our as we have so many times be
We marched in our nation’s Revision of national police ac
pain felt by all the people who nation into more than aware
fore - as a multicultural band of capital to protest injustice - and
creditation system for manda
took to the stage to speak and ness. They shocked us into ac
historic civil rights organizations most importantly to put forth a
tory use by law enforcement to
the tens o f th o u san d s w ho tion - action that resulted in the
united with legislators, clergy, plan of action - a plan that will
be eligible for federal funds; and
marched and chanted for “Jus passing of the most comprehen
everyday Americans and young help ensure that no other family
10.National comprehensive anti-
tice for All.”
sive and sweeping civil rights people who have committed our
in America ever has to feel the racial profiling law.
W e march for the millions laws our nation has seen in its
selves to working for the change pain of the mothers, fathers,
Marc H. Morial is presi
more across America who know history.
we want to see and to peaceful, wives, daughters and sons who
dent and chief executive of
that what Dr. M artin Luther
T hat is why we m arch - nonviolent advocacy, activism
stood with us that day:
ficer of the National Urban
King, Jr. shared in his “Letter because Eric G arner, M ichael
and change.
The National Urban League League.
New Year’s Resolution for Economic Justice
Ending the
division by race
by
C harlene
C rowell
The groundswell of
activism regarding Black
Americans lack of crimi-
nal justice has become nearly
daily headline news. Demonstra-
tions spanning the nation and
many parts of the globe have
called for justice for those lives
taken by questionable and fatal
police behavior.
Yet Black America also suf-
ffers from another kind o f injus-
tice that is economic in nature
and as pervasive as it is cruel.
According to a new analysis of
the Federal Reserve’s Survey
of Consumer Finances, white
household wealth stands at 13
times that of black households,
Similarly, when white wealth was
compared to that of Latino house-
holds, the wealth gap was more
than 10 times.
A fter accounting for total Jim Crow laws and practices
homes. Some restrictive cov
For example, 2012 research
household financial assets such reversed most financial gains.
enants existed even in commu by the Center for Responsible
as savings, investments, and busi
A m erica’s ‘colored wages’ nities that did not officially man
Lending found that black and
ness equity, the Pew Research continued for several decades
date racial segregation.
Latino families bore $ 1 trillion of
Center then subtracted all until 1960s federal civil rights
The Com m unity R einvest the nation’s $2 trillion in lost
in d e b te d n e ss in c lu d in g legislation called for equal em
ment Act , enacted in 1977, wealth due to the concentration
m o rtg a g e s, in sta llm e n t ployment and banned racial dis
requires depository institutions of subprime mortgages in com
loans, credit cards student crimination in employment, pub
such as banks and credit unions munities of color; auto loan in
loans and more. The results lic accommodations, housing and
to use safe and sound prac terest-rate markups cost con
in dollar values determined that voting.
tices to m eet the credit needs sumers nearly $26 billion each
the median net worth of white
It is also notew orthy to re o f com m unities w here they
year; and borrowers in lower
h o u se h o ld s in 2013 w as
m em b er th at ea rly fed eral operate - including low and
credit tiers pay up to 68 percent
$141,900. For blacks and Latinos, h o m e o w n e rs h ip p ro g ra m s
m oderate-in co m e n eig h b o r higher monthly payments on pri
however, median net worth was
were structured in ways that hoods. In M ay 1995 and again
vate student Ioans than on safer
respectively only $11,000 and
d iscrim in ated against black in A ugust 2005, the regulation federal loans.
$ 13,700.
borrow ers. For exam ple, the was substantially revised and
If economic injustice is al
Am erica’s racial wealth di
F H A andG I B ill’s housing pro updated.
lowed to continue, Am erica’s
vide has existed throughout most
g ra m s h ad s e v e re b ia s e s
Even with the Reinvestment disturbing wealth gap trends will
of the nation’s history,
against urban homes and neigh Act, however, predatory lend undersco re w hat the 1960s
For example, for more than
borhoods with large numbers ers consistently targeted con Kemer Commission report pre
200 years enslaved Africans and
o f m inorities. These policies sumers of color in their own dicted: two Americas divided by
their descendants worked with
and practices led to the virtual neighborhoods. Often in the ab race.
no wages. Emancipation freed
exclusion of black fam ilies in sence of full-service, mainstream
As a New Y ear begins, a
former slaves; but few opportu-
accessing affordable and sus financial services, these fringe different kind of resolution is in
nities for immediate gainful em-
tainable m ortgages.
lenders arrived to exploit finan order: Economic justice for all.
ployment existed. Although Re
In other locales, restrictive cial needs in urban areas. In the
Charlene Crowell is a com
construction led to some short-
covenants banned people of color process, valuable dollars have munications manager for the
lived economic gains, the “Black
from neighborhoods - without been drained from wallets and
Center for Responsible Lend
Codes” that soon followed with
regard for their ability to afford livelihoods.
ing.