More Violence Is Never the Answer
“Non-violence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak... Non-violence is hard work.”
― Cesar Chavez
Most likely you have heard about the mass shooting in the Brooklyn Subway yesterday.
Maybe you have heard about the person of interest.
Maybe you have heard the call for more police.
Maybe you heard that NYPD is the largest police force in the country and well-funded.
They just don’t fund public safety.
The cameras were not working in the subway that day.
The cop on watch had a radio that did not work.
But those same police had been removing homeless people from the trains all week.
On a different note,
maybe you heard about the bombs and weapons the man had ready.
maybe you hear the fear and call for more guns, more cops with guns…
“Violence is not only impractical but immoral.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
When will we see that more violence will never solve any of our problems.
The man in question was mentally ill. He should not have had access to weapons- he should have had access to care.
Cops in the US kill people every day- at huge numbers compared to any other country of our growth…
Violence creates more violence.
Ukraine. Russia.
Banning against safe abortions and trans procedures.
Making violence more likely to self and others.
Clearly, wiser folks than we see that non-violence brings solutions… unfortunately, it requires compassion. It requires reflection. and that, there is a shortage of in this country- while there is an abundance of police and guns.
I hope it is no too late for us.
“Dr. King's policy was that nonviolence would achieve the gains for black people in the United States. His major assumption was that if you are nonviolent, if you suffer, your opponent will see your suffering and will be moved to change his heart. That's very good. He only made one fallacious assumption: In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience. The United States has none.”
― Stokely Carmichael
