The Georgia Democratic Party wants black voters to turn out in droves in the upcoming November election. This is primarily because the senatorial election between Democrat Michelle Nunn and Republican David Perdue is one of the races to watch in determining which party will control the U.S. Senate for the next two years. To encourage voter turnout, the Democratic Party of Georgia created and released fliers featuring images of black protesters in Ferguson outraged over the murder of teenager Mike Brown. The fliers read “If you want to prevent another Ferguson in their future — vote. It’s up to you to make change happen.” This was an obvious attempt to pull on the heartstrings of black Democrats who sympathized with the Brown family and the Ferguson movement.
This gesture is misguided, to say the least. Turning out to vote is the responsible and right thing to do, especially in state and local elections. However, the reality is that blacks in this country are voting for government structures that set them up for failure. These institutions include the nation’s police departments, which are ostensibly tasked with restoring peace and order to our communities. This is what Phillip Agnew and Shamile Louis of the Dream Defenders and Malcom London of the Black Youth Project 100 tried to explain on Wednesday at a forum at Gainesville’s esteemed Civic Media Center. These are three black activists who only see voting as a partial solution to ending police brutality. The impact of the police on black communities has real-life implications.
Appealing to black voters ignores one big issue: Police militarization is not isolated to the city of Ferguson. It occurs all around America. The Department of Defense, through its Excess Property Program, provides military-grade equipment to any city that reports any kind of domestic threats, particularly narcotics. The city of Gainesville itself has acquired military-style weapons and military-style training within its police force.
The precedent of police action in Ferguson unfortunately makes militarization in cities and towns across America, including Gainesville, much more possible. The fact that weapons used in the mountains of Iraq and Afghanistan are being used against American citizens should be baffling and shocking to everyone.
Again, voting is a fundamental right that every citizen should exercise. Turning out the black vote, however, unfortunately doesn’t dismantle the system that sees blacks as less than equal. Today, through the media and through the criminal justice system, society sees blacks as robbers, thieves, troublemakers and ultimately unhuman. That assertion may sound harsh, but it is important to mention that this narrative is not perpetuated by whites, blacks or individual persons, but is upheld by a system that ignores the humanity of blacks. Using the vote does bring about change through elected officials who will repeal laws, amend laws or create new ones to benefit society, but getting Democrats elected can only go so far in reining in the police.
Missouri has a Democratic governor and attorney general. The St. Louis County Executive is also a Democrat, yet police militarization has retained its legitimacy. Police brutality is nothing new. It has been a tool for protecting the state and the property of elites for many years.
All people should pay attention to state and local politics because they are important and vital to ensuring representation. However, voting and elections are only means to an end. Human beings who dress, speak, think and act differently than you do are still human beings and deserve respect simply by virtue of their existence.
Harold Joseph is a UF political science junior. His columns appear on Fridays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 10/24/2014]
