Collective organizing and solidarity

"The demonstrations of [last] summer, the ongoing campaigns for mutual aid, and the growing movement against evictions are demonstrable proof that power is not only generated in mainstream politics but can be garnered through collective organizing and acts of solidarity. They also foretell a future in which the country does not return to a long-forgotten normal but is animated by protests, strikes, occupations, and the ongoing struggle for food, medicine, care, housing, justice, and democracy" --Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, in There's a Revolution Outside, My Love: Letters from a Crisis, edited by Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman. (Bold emphasis mine.)

I hope Prof. Taylor is right, and power can be garnered through collective organizing and acts of solidarity. A dear friend, a man I regard as a son and have known for years, called from Texas to tell me this story:

"I was having a peaceful day, and I drove to a nearby convenience store to get some bottled water and a pack of cigarettes. I'm friends with the proprietor, an Asian man I know and like, and we exchanged a few words about the weather. I walked outside and right into the face of a cop who said to me, 'Put the bottle down and put your hands behind your back.'

"I put the bottle of water on the hood of my car and asked, calmly, 'What's this about, officer?' He yelled at me, 'Hands behind your back!' and I stepped back. I wasn't resisting, I just wanted some kind of explanation. He drew his gun, pointed it at me, and said to a speaker on his chest, 'I need backup!' 

"I'm 6 feet 4, 250 pounds of Black man, and I guess some people see me as a threat, but I just wanted to know why this cop was demanding that I submit to his handcuffs and his gun. I said, 'You don't need to touch me, officer. Don't put your hands on me. Just tell me in simple words why you want me in handcuffs.' Another police car arrived, and two more cops got out and faced me like a firing squad.

"Just then the store owner came outside to see what's up, and he said to the cops, 'What are you doing? Leave this man alone. He's a good man. Why are you bothering him?'

"Long story short, the store owner had called the cops an hour before because someone he described as a Black man had taken something. When they got around to showing up, they saw me, and I matched the description of a Black man. If he hadn't come out when he did, I'd probably be dead now."

This happens over and over, every day, in this country. This is why I'm hoping Prof. Taylor is right about collective organizing, because the police, as they operate in this country, do not make us safe. I sent the friend who told me that story a copy of Mariame Kaba's book on the current Abolition Movement. I am deeply grateful that thanks to the store proprietor, this man I love like a son did not become the latest hashtag. 

The photo, a window with Pride colors flying is, I think, testimony to the success of community organizing over several decades. A breath of hope.