Be prepared for catastrophic success

Hi,

In the two weeks since George Floyd’s killing here in Minnesota, the uprising that started here has since spread around the world. Out of catastrophe has come a movement for racial justice unlike any the world has seen in decades. Read a summary of the sweeping changes of the past two weeks, from Slate.

The transformational change we are seeing in Minneapolis in the uprising over George Floyd’s murder is a call for everyone to imagine a better world.

In Europe, statues are being toppled that celebrated key figures in the 500 year history of transatlantic slavery and colonialism. In Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Australia, racist policies that uphold violence and discrimination are being questioned with fresh eyes. See a summary of the global response to the killing of George Floyd, from the Guardian.

In Boston, USA, people have shared countless stories of "existing while Black" Read some of the stories that have been shared, from the Boston Globe. that have sparked a #MeToo-like movement confronting systemic racism head-on. In Washington DC, protesters have turned a hastily-erected White House barrier into a makeshift memorial and peace wall See photos of the peace wall, on Twitter. for Black lives.

And in Minneapolis, where the latest uprising started, a super-majority of the city council publicly vowed to disband the police department Read more about the movement for police abolition in Minneapolis. , “to end policing as we know it, and to recreate systems of public safety that actually keep us safe”.

The Black Lives Matter movement is not new. The fight for racial justice is many centuries older. But what’s happening right now, in the middle of a pandemic that has disproportionately claimed the lives of people of color, amid a climate emergency that adds to the urgency of transformational change, is what Retired US Navy Rear Admiral David Titley might call Read my interview with Titley, from 2014, in Slate. a “catastrophic success.”

This week’s good news on climate

In recent years, Minneapolis has established itself as a progressive leader on climate policy. Read more about the Minneapolis 2040 plan, which radically transformed housing laws in the city. But a lot of work remains to do Read more about the racial disparities in Minneapolis’s climate policies. when it comes to making climate policy that puts the lives of people of colour at the centre.

Police abolition, This is a great overview of what the police abolition movement is and some frequently asked questions. like the climate movement and the Black Lives Matter movement, is about justice. It’s about repairing the mutual responsibility we all have to care for each other. So police abolition is a core part of the movement for climate justice for many reasons.

Here are a few:

• The US spends $100 billion on policing each year. Read more about the oversized budget of police departments in the US. For most cities (in the US at least) the police department is the single biggest municipal expense, often 30-40% of the total budget. That would take us a huge way toward a Green New Deal in every city.
• The disregard for Black lives in policing is the same disregard for Black lives evident in the protection of the fossil fuel industry. The police and military violently defend a system which is injuring and killing peaceful climate protestors around the world. Read more about violence toward climate protestors, from In These Times.
• The climate movement is, at its core, a movement to defend life in all forms. There can be no climate justice without racial justice. Read my essay, "The climate crisis is racist. The answer is anti-racism." Our mutual liberation is tied up in all movements for justice; as climate people, we have a duty to stand with others when they need us.

The lesson here is simple: Fight for what you need, not just what you think you can get. If we all do that, in solidarity with each other, we’re gonna win.

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