I wish there were a perfect victim of violence done by the hand of the state, one who did not have a checkered past. I wish there was a perfect spokesman to make the case for better stronger laws to reign in violence done in the name of the state. But we do not have that.
We have flawed people being shot and beaten and killed. We have flawed people speaking out. We have flawed protesters. We have flawed events and marches and actions, flawed and misleading reporting, flawed responses made in bad faith, flawed attempts to hijack voices of protest for personal and political advancement.
Wave that all away. It’s noise. It’s theatre. Focus on this: there are consistent, urgent voices telling us something.
We need to listen with our heads and our hearts. Not with what others are telling us to hear.
Our fellow humans, our fellow Americans, our brothers and sisters are telling us something hugely important.
Stop waving it away. Stop being distracted.
Listen.