Justice, Unity, and Community Resilience in My Hometown of Kenosha
By Mark Ruffalo, Kenosha News
05 September 20
After too many days of devastating events in my hometown, my father called
me. He was crying.
"Kids are out there painting murals over graffiti, giving out food," he
said. "They're singing, dancing, making art - it's beautiful. It's a miracle
what's happening here."
A community coming together - hopeful, strong, and determined to have their
rights respected and secure the safety they deserve - It should be an
unremarkable thing. But at a time when a few powerful politicians are trying
to divide people into "us" and "them," it is all the more necessary to see
people showing up and supporting one another. This is the essence of real
community, of safety; and if you take a moment to look, it is on full
display in Kenosha.
After likening the police shooting of Jacob Blake to a golfer missing a
putt, the president touched down in Kenosha. Meanwhile, the family of Jacob
Blake - a Black man shot seven times in the back by police in front of his
three young children - joined with neighbors and groups like the newly
formed Black Lives Activists of Kenosha to host the Justice for Jacob
Community Celebration near the site of the shooting. There was a community
clean-up, music performances, homemade food, a voter registration table, a
COVID-19 testing station, and even a bounce house for kids.
And there were calls for justice. Neighbors spoke passionately about unity,
safety, and ending police brutality. There were calls to ensure safety and
well-being for everyone by funding community services, schools and
healthcare for everyone, while overhauling our police departments. Jacob's
uncle, Justin Blake, made clear this event had zero to do with the
president's visit; "We don't want to be disrespectful to the man, we just
don't want to talk to him," he said. "He has his message, and we have ours."
Don't be distracted by the politicians and vigilantes who seek to undermine
people gathering together to demand justice for all. They are only trying to
sow division and foment fear. Instead, pay attention to those like the Blake
family, gathering their community together and taking constructive steps to
call for justice and a better tomorrow. Honor them and take part in the
broad support - across generations, races, and places - that is lifting up
calls for change in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd in
Minnesota, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and Rayshard Brooks in Georgia, and
now the police shooting of Jacob Blake in my hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The unrest touched off by repeated police brutality against Black people is
not happening in a vacuum. Polling shows that nine out of 10 Americans
understand that racial and ethnic discrimination is a problem in the United
States, and that police violence is part of that problem. Most of us
understand that if we want our country to be truly safe, all people need to
be able to trust our systems of law enforcement. That can't happen as long
as police kill, disrespect, and unfairly target Black and Brown people and
people who struggle to make ends meet.
We all want to live in safe, vibrant communities, no matter what we look
like or what our zip code is. We can accomplish that by putting our belief
in liberty and justice for all into action, and by refusing to take "no" for
an answer. Times of upheaval can also be times of opportunity. If we want
equal justice, real public safety, and a more perfect union, this is our
chance to make it happen.
Mark Ruffalo is an actor and the co-founder of The Solutions Project, which
works to accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy and equitable access
to healthy air, water, and soils by supporting climate justice
organizations, especially those led by women of color.
