Protestors have taken to the streets and social media has been flooded with hashtags and memorials for George Floyd, the man who was murdered by police in Minneapolis last week. Tensions are heightened, people are anxious, no one knows what tomorrow will bring. Many of us know that criminal justice reform is a necessity in this country because we see the inequalities in apprehension and sentencing of Black individuals vs. White individuals, including whether they get to the sentencing part at all or receive execution in the street.
For those of us who hope to see criminal justice reform, we might be wondering what we can do right now, in the wake of this tragedy. Some of us may be daunted by the idea of going out and protesting right now, but there are other things we can do to help.
5 Things you can do today:
Post to your social media about criminal justice reform and post a memorial for George Floyd
Sign petitions geared toward criminal justice reform and ones advocating for justice in the George Floyd case: https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/justiceforfloyd-demand-the-police-officers-who-killed-george-floyd-are-fired
Follow established organizations and take part in their calls to action. Organizations like the ACLU, for example, will often provide scripts so that concerned citizens can make their voices heard in times like these.
Donate to established organizations that work toward criminal justice reform, such as the ACLU, Black Lives Matter, etc. You can also donate to organizations that bail out people who have been arrested while protesting.
Reach out to family member and friends. It is traumatic to deal with state-sanctioned violence and many of us might be anxious for the safety of our loved ones and community members. We need to look out for one another and protect each other.
If each of us takes action, we will be able to make a change.
Comments