braintingles - Tumblr blog

[braintingles]

You are in a Loop

How does one approach the topic of a deeply flawed foundation. Does one begin at the start, share specific examples? Present legislation that dates back to 1784? Do we focus on the issue as seen in our current day? Do we speculate on steps toward hope for the future?

Throughout the trial of George Floyd, a familiar story rang loudly, the sad futility of the past. A specific déjà vu came to mind, Furman v. Georgia, a Supreme Court case from 1972. This little known, but absolutely groundbreaking case, ruled that capital punishment was Unconstitutional.

This Unconstitutional ruling went on to explain that “there was no meaningful way of determining who would be executed and that this sentencing scheme violated the eighth amendment” and that “the administration of the death penalty was racially tainted.”  The statistics in this case showed that 81% of persons legally executed in Georgia since 1930 had been Black. This admission of abuse was overturned in 1976 and the death penalty was reinstated, with no new noticeable balances in place.

Flash forward to 2020. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 H.R.712 is passed as a bill. The bill is 60 pages of legislation that has been presented before in some form or another since H.R.35, The Emmett Till Antilynching Act. Actually, reading the list of bills related to the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is physically nauseating.

The George Floyd Justice in policing Act “enhances existing enforcement mechanisms to remedy violations by law enforcement.”  The Bill offers such basic changes as creating a national registry of Police Misconduct. Transparency and accountability in policing are its main ambitions. Simple, logical solutions to a known problem, checks that should already be in place.

So, the question is, have we finally evolved to a level where we can acknowledge the hundreds of years of racial bias in this country. Can we unanimously support a future of quantifiable equality?

Or are we stuck in this loop, where bursts of clarity are soon dashed by that familiar futility.