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[kakakayou]

Black Lives Matter: Day 6 Today, I signed a local petition to defund police in DC, and tweeted at local leaders in advance of a budget hearing today.  I will also plan to tune into the budget oversight hearing this afternoon.

[kakakayou]

Black Lives Matter: Day 5

Had a conversation with my dad about the administrative changes BLM is looking, based on this DCist article: https://dcist.com/story/20/06/08/dc-black-lives-matter-blm-demands-change-how/

[kakakayou]

Black Lives Matter: Day 4

Signed a bunch of petitions. Was more conscious of a "micro aggression" I may have committed.

[kakakayou]

Black Lives Matter: Day 3

Today, I downloaded two apps, EatOkra and BlackNation that can help you identify local black-owned businesses. I also purchased a Groupon for HalfSmoke, a black-owned restaurant in my area, so that I can use it at a later date.

[kakakayou]

Black Lives Matter: Day 2

Today, I unsubscribed from the BA Test Kitchen YouTube channel in the wake of ongoing accusations that the channel fails to pay its minority staff (at all) for their video content. I also emailed the BA customer service email letting them know the reason that I had unsubscribed.  I would like it to buttress efforts by staffers to stop creating content until existing pay structures become more fair.

[kakakayou]

Hi all -

For the next 30 days, I'm going to be posting about small steps that I'm taking to try and support the Black Lives Matter movement. I am a D.C. resident and not an expert in criminal justice but as an American, I believe I have both the right and obligation to set the intent for local and national institutions to deliver on a fair and equitable justice system for all. As the movement works to capitalize on the outpouring of support and mass protests, hopefully the small steps I identify will help others identify similar actions they can take in their communities.

So without further ado:

Day 1:

Today, I emailed my local council member, and the office of the Mayor to express my support for BLM calls to defund and demilitarize the police. I view it as a way to re-evaluate the scope of policing and to consider whether some interventions that currently rely on police (mental health, domestic violence) are better suited through different means. I don't see this as a radical call; in fact, I see this as necessary across institutions to avoid "mission creep" and allow institutions to focus solely on what they are best suited to do. Hopefully my voice can help sway these local representatives, who despite their symbolic support for the black lives matter movement, have remained undecided on reducing or reevaluating police budgets.