Policing is a broken and rotten system
As two non-Black Women of Color, our experiences do not begin to compare to the levels of police brutality experienced by Black men and women in America. Yet, we are united by our connection as two Women of color in academic spaces that share distinct yet parallel experiences with policing in America. I (Chandi) have been fortunate enough only to have various experiences of being racially profiled since I was a young teenager. A dull pain on my (Angie) knee is the physical reminder of my first encounter with Seattle police in 1999.
Fellow readers, we will keep it simple: Law enforcement is a broken and rotten system. You cannot fix it. End of. Policing in the United States adheres to a set of White supremacist practices that have normalized acts of violence against members of Black and other racialized and vulnerable communities. As a 200-year old American institution that emboldened marginalized Whites to hunt enslaved people of African descent, policing will need at least another 200, or a complete overhaul of the system to evolve into an institutional body that can inspire trust instead of fear. The healthy distrust created by the murderous origins and continuation of policing has been the only thing keeping more Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) from dying.
So, Minnesota — Pay attention: If strong and revolutionary action is not taken, it will take more than a few lifetimes to change a system that will attract Andy Taylors when it was set up to empower Derek Chauvins to press their knees down our necks. Black Lives Matter.
Angie Mejia, PhD, a former community organizer, teaches Community Collaboratory at the University of Minnesota Rochester. She likes cats, the Brontë sisters, and fancy notebooks. You can read more of her irreverent yet charming nonsense on Twitter @angiemejiaprof.
Chandi Katoch is a current student at the University of Minnesota Rochester. She is an active student leader and activist. She enjoys kayaking, cooking, and binge watching Netflix.
This submission is part of a forum on race and policing in Rochester.
