Notes On LA

Like many folks I’ve been taking in the horrific images, videos, and stories from the streets of Downtown LA. My heart is sore with betrayal, frustration, anger, and sadness. As a participatory democracy, we have the bedrock right to speak truth to power, call out wrongs when we see them, and take to the streets in protest if needed. It can be easy to take these rights for granted when we haven’t experienced the opposite. But our founders embedded these freedoms into our constitution because they knew vividly what it was to live under repressive monarchical rule. To not be able to fully express themselves or their views.

Throughout my life as a queer black non binary fem, I have availed myself of this right both out of a duty to extend all rights to all people and a deep love for this multicultural melting pot. I have pounded the pavement for Queer and Trans Rights, Workers Rights, Women’s Rights, against police violence and brutality, for economic justice, and for Black Lives all in an effort to ensure that this democratic freedom experiment succeeds by extending to all people. As I celebrate this pride month, I hold on to my tradition of resistance, which flows from a pride of self and of country.

We’ve seen flavors of this overreaction by the state before, during the Civil Rights Movement, Farmer Workers Movement, the Coal miners' strikes, Kent State, Occupy Wall Street, the BLM Protests of 2020, and so many more throughout history. What we see today is an escalation of force to what was initially a small, peaceful protest against unjustified ICE action. This can’t go unchallenged. We’re seeing a mass disregard for our laws, norms, and due process. People on the streets are being brutalized and disappeared by unidentified police. We are seeing citizens and the press literally targeted with rubber bullets. Meanwhile, our troops have been unconstitutionally sent to LA under-supplied with limited food, equipment, places to sleep, and a clear mission. They are being asked to violate their oaths and turn their weapons on their fellow citizens. This is to the tune of $120 million dollars when we’re meant to be cutting spending and finding efficiencies.

As a legislator in a border state like Vermont, the implications of this time are chilling. When, in California, we see a situation where the Governor, State Legislature, and the Mayor of a major city are forced to take lethal “assistance” they didn’t ask for. “Assistance that has done nothing more than to fan the flames and sow chaos. I think about whether this were to happen here. Vermont’s values that push for freedom and a tight knit community nature do not always comport with this current federal administration. Where does that leave us? In a world facing threats from unregulated AI and diminishing privacy regulations, it is incumbent on us to assert our humanity and care for one another.

This is a critical moral moment for us as a nation. I have lived long enough now to understand that America represents an uneasy alliance at times. We’re a multicultural, pluralist, democratic society made up of a broad diversity of people with varying traditions, thoughts, and opinions. We are a comparatively young country made of a vast variety of cultures that are older than we are as a nation. Though we don’t always feel it on the ground, our economy has been the envy of the world for over 50 years. The issues that divide us, race, gender, religion, politics, or sports, become our weakness and are easy to exploit. We must be mindful of the narratives we tell about one another. We must be conscious of the hasty, broad generalizations that seek to diminish and dehumanize one another.

The impulse in a situation like this can be to distance ourselves from one another in order to isolate the harm. It can be easy to stay silent in order to hide from the danger. These strategies can keep us safe in the moment, but they don’t build lasting solutions. As the summer heats up,  on my website are some actions that we can take toward solutions in our community and beyond.

Remember The 3.5% rule for social change: Nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts – and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change.

Find joy, beauty, and humor: It’s important to pace ourselves during this time. We have permission to laugh, love, and bask in beauty where we can.

Share your thoughts. Raise your voice: How is this moment making you feel? What concerns or worries do you have? How do you see a way out from this? What productive strategies do you think we need to use at this moment? Find a listening partner to share your ideas with. Gather in groups to study and discuss solutions.

Remain open and curious: It can be tempting to close out the world but remain curious and open to others. Continue to learn and deepen your understanding of one another.

Break Bread: Share a meal with someone new. Listen and learn from what they have to say.

Have tough conversations from love and curiosity: Be willing to work out differences. Stay invested in relationships enough to return and repair any harm done when possible. Learn to listen and communicate across lines of difference.

Make change within your capacity: Being a change maker takes many forms. It may be protesting in the streets. But it also may be contributing to your community, on the select board or school board, helping neighbors in a time of need, mentoring someone or advocating on behalf of a cause. There are many ways to give back and be involved.

The night may be long but soon comes the dawn. Stick together, remain hopeful, stay strong.