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Wednesday, November 16, 2016

A Letter to the Republican Committee of Lower Merion and Narberth in response to their "Join us to Support the Police" Email

I received this email this afternoon:

SUPPORT THE LOWER MERION POLICE DEPARTMENT
Dear Friends and Neighbors Across Lower Merion and Narberth,
We are writing to ask you to join us in supporting the Lower Merion Police Department.
Apparently, some college students and others are planning a disruptive march and sit-in for Wednesdayafternoon to protest our Lower Merion Police Department.  
The language the organizers use to describe the protest, inflammatory words like “LMPD is our enemy” and “the police are the strong arm of white supremacy,” is something that we cannot ignore and something we will not stand for (see protest flier to the right).
This is not a Republican or Democrat issue.  This is an issue that impacts all residents of Lower Merion.
Let’s stand together and STAND UP for our police!  
  • It is the Lower Merion Police Department, afterall, who are the ones ensuring the safety of these protesters while they march. 
  • They are the ones who ensure our neighborhoods are safe places for our kids.
  • They are the ones who respond within minutes to our emergencies.
Thanks to a generous donation from Christina Fink, the Republican Committee of Lower Merion and Narberth has purchased several “We Support the Lower Merion Police Department” signs from the Lower Merion Community Watch.  Call our office at 610-642-4407 or email us at info@rclmn.com if you’d like to pick one up. 

Thank you!



And I thought "hmm".  And then I said this:

Hello!
  I wanted to say thank you for letting me know about the protest tomorrow afternoon.  While I do not personally condone the blanket assertion that "the police are the strong arm of white supremacy" I certainly understand what is motivating these students and protesters to protest the recent acts of police violence and brutality against people of color.  I'm actually surprised that your message did not say anything about that.  I am surprised and disappointed that you did not express one ounce of sympathy towards the people who view the LMPD as their enemies.  I am wondering if you have ever felt afraid because of the color of your skin or experienced anything like systemic racial injustice.  Given the one-sided nature of your  response to this protest, I am guessing you have no idea what it is like to be discriminated against, or be the victim of violence because of your race, gender, or sexual orientation.

Now, I don't think your protesters are 100% right, but then again, who is?  But so far they seem more righteous than you because at least they are hurt and angry about the right things.  You're mad because you feel that people aren't supporting the difficult work that police officers have to do.  You're also mad that people are calling you names.  But these folks are mad because people are being murdered for race, religion, and sexual orientation.  There's a difference here between someone somewhat mis-characterizing you and hate crimes, and I think you've lost perspective.

You know what I wish would happen?  I wish you would welcome the protesters.  Make them cookies or something.  Welcome them.  Talk to them.  Show them that you actually share some of their concerns.  Show them sympathy instead of resistance.  People don't tend to want to fight when they feel they are actually being listened to.  I wish you would invite the leaders of whatever protest group this is to actually talk with the LMPD.  If they think you are the enemy, why not prove you are interested in peace, or at least fostering dialogue and conversation?  After all, we have learned from more than one wise person that one way of defeating your enemies is to make them your friends.  If you want to do something worthwhile here, why don't you actually try to foster peace?  Or perhaps you've given up on that?  Or perhaps you think making peace with this group of people is unimportant.  I'm curious.  Every minute we spend fighting instead of trying to figure this out is a complete waste.

Where I live, there aren't a lot of minorities--I am one of the few.  In fact, according to Wikipedia the 2010 census says my little town is about 90% white.  Ardmore does a little better in terms of diversity.  I've often wondered, when I see the "Support the Police" signs in Malvern that maybe some of the people here don't think hate crimes or crimes against minorities matter very much in because there aren't very many minorities here.  Or maybe, for the same reason, you just don't know much about what minorities think of recent events, including the election.  Or maybe you just think the majority perspective matters.  I don't know what you think, but I can tell you something: you haven't really listened or heard the group of people who is presently protesting the police.

I wanted to tell you something else while I have a moment.  I'm a political moderate, or at least I used to be.  Until the 2008 election, I pretty much dithered about party politics and tried to vote for whichever candidate I thought was best, Republican or Democrat.  Not anymore.  I don't really even consider voting Republican anymore because of the way the Republican party has chosen to market itself over the last 8 years.  I'd characterize it in this fashion: "The Republican Party: racist when convenient.  The Republican Party:  subtly stoking the fears of white privilege and/or prejudice.  The Republican Party: the party that tolerates racism and bigotry because it just doesn't affect them that much."  I don't think the Republican party is "the strong arm of white supremacy".  On the contrary, I don't think you're the strong arm of anything.  Right now, you're asking me to stand up for the police: but you, as a party, just failed to stand up in a meaningful way against bigotry in the election.  Most people, I suppose, stand up for what benefits them most.  Right now, it seems like most of our country has done that: they just don't care that they benefit or profit from bigotry and discrimination.  They stand for nothing but themselves and their own perspective.  I imagine we, as a country, will not actually heal until we can do better, until we can actually sacrifice a little to understand someone who is different, even when I stand to lose something in the process.

Thank you for listening.

I thought this was a good time to revive my blog.

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