Reclaiming Justice: Southwest Workers Union & Communities Across the South Speak Out
The Zimmerman case sets a dark precedent that legitimizes the use of racial profiling in conjunction with claims of self-defense and so-called Stand Your Ground laws that already encourage violence and undermine public safety. For communities of color in the U.S., and particularly the South, this case follows a long history of racial discrimination and hate crimes that were protected by an abusive use of the “Rule of Law,” which allowed any white civilian to police the public presence of a person of color.
Such Stand Your Ground laws, also and perhaps more aptly known as Shoot First laws, are part of the next generation of public policy deeply entrenched and motivated by notions of fear and control of people of color. While the civil rights movement challenged such culturally embedded notions through civil disobedience, direct action, and finally legislation, ultimately moving the nation to redefine justice and fairness; this case has forced the country to reflect on the course of the civil rights movement and U.S. race policy in the 21st century. As Stand Your Ground laws and other legislation are increasingly used or used with discrimination to uphold white supremacy and devalue the lives, power, and participation of people of color, communities will have to push back and reclaim the notion of justice and fairness.
Southwest Workers Union (SWU) stands in solidarity with the organizations and community members calling for justice for Trayvon Martin and his family. We recognize that this case and the precedent it sets has direct implications for families and youth throughout Texas, one of the 31 states in the U.S. with Shoot First laws.
For these reasons, SWU is joining churches, community groups, and individuals from across the South in the Walk for Dignity this week from Jacksonville to Sanford, Florida. Our immediate collective demands are:
To demand the resignation of Angela Corey, Florida State Attorney; and
To demand the release of Marissa Alexander, a black woman sentenced 22 years in prison for protecting herself under the Stand Your Ground law
We are encouraged by the fact that the nation is being forced to have conversations around racial discrimination, violence, and terror against communities of color; however conversations are not enough. Please support the organizations, families, and communities participating and follow our journey on Facebook and Twitter. Join us as we put pressure on our communities, legislators, the national media, and the national public debate to call for justice rooted in fairness and equity for all.
