White supremacy, riots, protests
This has been a difficult week, to say the least. I can’t even believe what’s happening in this country. This week we witnessed the seditious attack by white supremacists on the foundations of the American democracy. I feel a range of emotions, amplified by the fact that I came from the country that has succumbed to authoritarianism already. Above all I feel rage.
We all know that democracy is sacred, and that it`s not eternal. Its perseverance depends on our ability to tell the truth and act on it. The truth is, it’s a rather convenient narrative to depict white racists as unorganized mobs. As people, who experience economic pressure (aka are “poor”), lack access to education (aka are “uneducated”), don’t consume quality information (aka are “ignorant”), and yes, who are also white. Yet this riot was well organized and incited by wealthy elected officials from elite universities (many of whom are funded by large corporations’ political donations) and received little pushback from the law enforcement organizations that are supposed to protect us from such insurrection in the first place. We can argue if the right term is “coup” or “riot” or “mob”, but we can’t deny the fact that it was more than a mere crowd of disenchanted people attacking the parliament.
In the summer of 2020, millions of people around the world march against police violence, anti-Blackness and for racial equity and equality. In many American cities, Seattle among them, peaceful protesters were maced, pepper-sprayed, tear-gassed, arrested, even kidnapped by people wearing no uniform. I was among them, enjoying the atrocious actions of the Seattle Police Department attacking the community it was supposed to protect. If you are curious how Seattle Police Department looks like right now — here it is. Serving the community.
When people of color and allies ask for the institutions to stop systemic murders and discrimination of the communities of color — they are attacked. Yet, when white supremacists carrying confederate flags attack the foundations of the American democracy, doors are opened to them, police takes selfies, shows directions to the offices, allowing them to roam freely and wreck damage — with little to no consequences. All that in the place that’s sacred for every person who believes in the American democratic project.
As many Black activists said before, the goal is not for everyone to experience the same level of police brutality. Everyone should be treated equally and with respect. The discrepancy in how law enforcement treats violent rioting by white people in comparison to peaceful protest of people of color calls into question the role of the these agencies in perpetuating the white-supremacist, racist, harmful, anti-democratic behaviors. FBI is currently asking people on social to help identify the involved. Yet when racial justice protests happened, FBI and law enforcement somehow were watching key activists for months and never failed to arrest them.
This is what institutional racism and white supremacy looks like. Make no mistake — it’s intentional and systemic. It’s even more despicable, that this attack happened after the triumph of the Black community, that lead a large multi-racial coalition to elect the first Black senator and the first Jewish senator to represent Georgia in the US Congress.
It’s easy to say this is not who we are. But it is exactly who we are in America today. To eradicate things, we need to see them, name them, own them and work on them. And I think we do — but it’s obviously not enough. I‘m encouraged how many are now galvanized to change things now, how elected officials that supported this sedition are asked to resign (and I hope they do), how many are collectively demanding change and working towards change. I know problems are complex, it’s never a single issue, but I do believe that collectively we can make change. We can make change.
