This invariably means that there will be a host of diaries written by prominent politicians and candidates for office, seeking our votes, money and support in their upcoming battles to either keep the seat they already hold or win a new one. Which means that us normal, everyday kossacks are in a unique position. They need not only our votes, but our energy and time as activists and access to our (sometimes very deep) pocket books so we should be asking them something in return!
As many of you are aware, the Michael Brown Over Police Rights Act was crowd sourced here at Daily Kos in 2014 as a response to the tragic events in Ferguson, Missouri after the shooting death of Michael Brown by Ferguson PD. This proposed bill addresses many of the problems in policing and criminal justice with the ultimate goal of protecting black lives, so there are no more Mike Browns, Tamir Rices, Eric Gardeners, Sandra Blands. We all know that something must be done to stop our police from becoming roving death squads -- The Michael Brown Over Policed Rights Act is that something we have all been waiting for.
In the spirit of applying direct pressure to our lawmakers, we have come up with a template that all kossacks are free to use when interacting directly with lawmakers, candidates and other Very Important People both locally and nationally. This template can also be used outside of Daily Kos -- at other forums, in emails, heck even printed out and snail mailed.
Its time to turn the heat up on our lawmakers and put the pressure back on them to once and for all reign in rogue police. We are calling on all Kossacks interested in ensuring that no more black lives are lost: if you see a candidate for higher office, politician or other prominent figure post a diary here or an article anywhere else, use this template and ask them where they stand on the Michael Brown Over Policed Rights Act. Its time to spread the word, and hold our lawmakers accountable for this mess. Please check the comments of this diary for text and code to recreate the table below. Every future diary of Support the Dream Defenders will link to the most recent code (We assume the letter will evolve).
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Hello (politician/VIP),
I need your help!
The United States has a unique problem which, in the name of human rights and justice, must be solved with all urgency. According to the Guardian's The Counted, 715 (check before use as this statistic changes daily) people have had their lives snuffed out by police violence so far in 2015. At the current rate, our police will have killed 1,100 by year's end. Police in the United Kingdom have, on the other hand, killed two people in the past three years. The United States averages 3.19 deaths per day. The statistics collected in 2015 point to an even more pernicious and insidious problem -- institutional racism in our policing. Four times more black people have been killed so far this year compared to their white peers. This problem is clearly unsustainable from a human rights perspective. There is a proposed solution to this slow motion tragedy, however. The members of the Daily Kos community crowdsourced the Michael Brown Over-Policed Rights Act to reform modern policing and protect Black lives. This proposed bill aims to: Prevent racial prejudice in policing. Identify problem areas like Ferguson, Missouri before they blow up. Reduce violence in policing. End mass incarceration. Address unfairness in policing (such as extraordinary numbers of alleged offenses per population) Ensure police are held accountable for dishonesty and malfeasance. Propose solutions to the current lack of reporting on policing statistics (especially regarding race and force, both lethal and non-lethal). Provision body cameras to police officers. Eliminate weaponized police equipment in problem jurisdictions. This proposal is one of the absolute best ways to address the problems facing our policing and criminal justice systems. We at Support the Dream Defenders officially request your position not only on the issues facing modern policing and criminal justice, but also your opinion about the Michael Brown Over-Policed Rights Act. We understand that your power may be limited in this area, but also understand that the soft power you have within (the democratic party/progressive movement) could go a very long way to having this proposed bill introduced, passed and ultimately signed by the President.We hope to hear from you and look forward to working with you in the future. Thanks for your consideration, (UID/Real Name) |