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Ted's avatar

What % of Atlanta cops are African American? I think it unenforceable. Ur gonna see protests prior, by the police themselves and/or mass resignations. Every institution of govt and most private enterprises are diverse. GA legislature can try to dream that magically away, but it is concrete and real. Their resolve will wither as this firestorm grows and grows. Hopefully the courts strike it down. If not, we are all coming to Georgia, “all of us this time.”

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Stuart Attewell (Paris, Fr)'s avatar

It is a turning point in any revolution when the police side with the people and turn against the government.

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Reid (Seattle)'s avatar

Never happen.

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Ted's avatar

I disagree. I don't see how it can be enforced in the diverse police departments in Georgia. Think about it. The law pits black cops against white cops within every department and at every level. On the justice side, it pits black prosecutors and staffs against their communities and maybe fractures from within. It is and will be an institutional cancer throughout every govt in Georgia. Its about to get interesting and the more it gets, the more we need to get moving.

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Stuart Attewell (Paris, Fr)'s avatar

It's not too far off already in France!

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Reid (Seattle)'s avatar

Yes, France (Europe in general) is a different beast altogether. Police in the U.S. have absolutely no incentive to do other than support the status quo.

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Stuart Attewell (Paris, Fr)'s avatar

Some police forces protected BLM protests some didn't. That's progress.

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Liz Ayer, Nyc/MA's avatar

I know Stuart.

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Reid (Seattle)'s avatar

I wish you were right, I truly do. I think the courts may strike down parts of this law, but otherwise this scenario is highly unlikely. Boycotts might actually work, though. But the idea that there will be a mass uprising is not supported by history. We have tolerated and rationalized away much worse outrages than this.

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TPJ (MA)'s avatar

Which history, and when? And what counts as an uprising? Not solely violent rebellion, that's for sure. There are many examples all through history.

On April 20, 1861 (we'll observe it next month), 250,000 Unionists rallied in NYC's Union Sq for democracy and freedom. During the Civil War 500,000 enslaved people liberated themselves by escaping to Union lines, many serving in the military. A leading scholar, Steven Hahn, has a chapter titled "Did we Miss the Greatest Slave Rebellion in Modern History?" Preserving democracy today looks to be as important as expanding human liberty then.

More recently, the violent white backlash against civil rights provoked a nationwide wave of revulsion leading directly to the Civil and Voting Rights Acts in 1964-5. The Georgia GQP is setting up a very similar scenario. Also, the Nuclear Freeze movement significantly impacted the arms race. I know; I was at the great 1982 rally in Central Park with 800,000 of my closest friends.

P Ackerman, A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict

S Hahn, A Nation Under our Feet

____, The Political Worlds of Slavery and Freedom

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Reid (Seattle)'s avatar

I was speaking specifically of the type of rebellion ted was describing. And I am more concerned with more recent history. Yes, many of us came out for BLM rallies early on, but they petered out pretty quickly. The Women's March after Trump was elected was very impressive, but in the end politically impotent. I would also point out that the Civil War and the Civil and Voting Rights Acts, while of course deeply significant, did not then and have not yet led to true equality in any area in the U.S. Ted spoke of a growing firestorm which he implies will lead to substantive change. I am dubious.

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BetsyC (WA)'s avatar

The BLM protests have made a lot of us aware of the inequality & the brutality. The women's March spurred many more women to run for public office.

Granted there is much more to accomplish but it's a start.

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TPJ (MA)'s avatar

BLM protests petered out? Hah. Perhaps you just stopped attending or paying attention. And wait til the summer protest season, when AAPI people finally also find the strength that lies within.

I stand by my prior comment, and, with Stuart, note that when police join or enable protesters, violence is not automatic. Sometimes it prevents it. Please look at "A Force More Powerful" for numerous 20C examples.

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Liz Ayer, Nyc/MA's avatar

Deep down we’re all dubious but we know these times call for action

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Liz Ayer, Nyc/MA's avatar

I’m definitely envisioning this road trip

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