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Ferguson Grand Jury

Below is the email I sent to a popular local radio station that asked the people to offer solutions to this huge issue:

Click here to hear what I was responding to on the radio.

I was listening to the radio on my way to work this morning and caught the "Donkey of the Day" session. I have a ton of respect for what Charlamagne said, and wanted to respond to his request for people to offer solutions. Especially after hosting an event at a college, where students came together to discuss these issues and offered their solutions.

1. First off, I agree with what Angela said, which was to require police offers to perform some sort of community service in order to allow them to interact with the public they are serving. An example of which could be for them to volunteer with the local youth sports’ teams. Most civilians don't know the officers who are serving them, and vice-versa. This would enable a chance for sensitivity and better relations from both ends.

2. It's also important to frame this issue and offer solutions for both parties.. civilian and officers alike. The biggest problem for officers is that there is no real mechanism that exists to restrain them from abusing their powers. No one really polices the police. To address this, there should be a government-employed third party that is in charge of ensuring officers are mentally fit for their responsibilities. No officer would be able to turn that down, since a "good cop" would of course want to get rid of the "bad cops" so they don't further a negative stigma against their profession. Leading psychologists and socialists should take the lead with the best interests of the public as their responsibility like any other government-employed worker.

3. For civilians, the biggest issue is the lack of knowledge of how to interact with police officers. In which case, there should be a required class offered during high school that teaches just that. Working officers could help teach the class and advise the proper protocols that should be taken during various situations that are likely to occur. Empathy and understanding would increase, and reinforce a social contract that must be agreed upon by both civilian and officer alike.

4. Ultimately however, this is not a racial issue. This is really a class issue... the rich vs. the poor. The ability for someone to imagine they are above another comes from the disparity between classes. The only way to truly address this for the long term future is to demand a Meritocracy that is sustained by a 100% inheritance tax. Laws are what define the culture of an era, so it goes without saying that as a whole we need to be conscience of what laws we want: laws to protect the property of the rich or laws that protect the people. To learn what a 100% inheritance tax is and how it is the single law that is required if we ever truly want to see positive change, then please refer to this website: http://meritocracyparty.org/2013/03/100-inheritance-tax/

In reality, riots will continue until something changes. The only way to obtain change within a system that refuses to hear you is via an unwavering list of demands. What are the communities going to demand?