Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter is the manifesto of a time and a movement that has become the catalyst for the turning point in the civil rights movement that began decades or/if not centuries ago. It is a powerful statement that stands as the representation of the urgency for change and the recognition for the humanity of a people that had struggled through slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, Segregation, Lynching, and now racial profiling and police killings to demand the emancipation from systemic racism in order to enjoy the promise of liberty since the Declaration of Emancipation on January 1, 1863.

Jerry Alexandre, as the initiator of the collective class-action lawsuits against the city of Montreal and the police forces that is now ongoing, wrote a short memoire to relate his bitter experiences with an institution that has undermine the significance of the civil rights movement in North-America and the aspirations of the black population of Quebec. He suffered threats and intimidation tactics to remain silent since someone else wanted to usurp his legacy and achievements as a civil rights advocate in Canada. This institution must figure the vitality of liberty and the pursuit of happiness in the black communities of Montreal. Better yet, the province of Quebec, where black folks are still wondering about why their humanity is denied in the face of any racial injustice. So far, the leadership from that institution has failed in every aspect to demonstrate its ability to adapt and to move forward with time and the rise of a different voice in the struggle for racial equity and fairness. The institution, by all definition, has become a self-serving tool to enrich certain individuals, and the situation cannot stay the same. Montreal, based on racial profiling incidents and police brutality, is dangerous to a lot of black youths. They are tired of being victimized and criminalized in the system because of their skin color. This beautiful city within a fine province is a place where Jerry finds it extremely difficult for black youths to grow healthily and to live peacefully within their skin color since even the current prime minister of the province refuses to acknowledge the existence of systemic racism and racial brutality in the system.

Black Lives Matter is a call for immediate change and an end to unfair or unlawful police street checks. Basically, the change that is asking begins with the removal of the chief of police, Mr. Sylvain Caron, who seems absolutely reluctant to introduce firm but/yet comprehensive measures to reform the Montreal police force. The structure of injustice cannot remain the same. In reality, the situation ought not to persist until someone is murdered again by a Montreal police officer. That would be a terrible blow to everyone that yearns to live under different sets of rules and a better form of governance. So, Black Lives Matter is a proposition to engage the city and to encourage the mayor to walk on a different path. The compassionate plea the texts present appeals to the mayor and wish to convince her to play her leadership role in a determining moment that requires her determination to show concern for every inhabitant in the city. Black, white, yellow, red, and brown people are humans, and everyone needs to find a better sense of belonging. It is her responsibility to assure her city workers end the racial injustice in order to make Montreal that ideal place for those who love and desire to live in the city peacefully.

Dettagli