The Importance of Selma the Movie

Let me start off by saying that I haven't seen Selma yet. I've seen some pretty extensive clips and listened to a number of in depth interviews with the director and a number of the actors. I believe I have a pretty good sense of the story. I do plan on seeing the movie as quickly as I have access.

Selma, the movie, is important for many reasons. First it was directed by a black woman, Ava DuVernay. That in itself is significant. But there's a lot more. History, as most people know, is really important. Especially when our children and grandchildren have fleeting memories of polaroid cameras, projectors, turntables and vinyl records. History is also important when we review and understand what is happening in cities across the US in response to policing in our communities and the perception or reality about how black people and people of color are treated by police.

In relation to the movie Selma, there are arguments and discussions going on about President Lyndon Johnson's role in encouraging and supporting the demonstrations in Selma in 1965. Revisionist history is always interesting. There is probably a kernel of truth at least to Johnson's understanding of the importance of the Selma confrontations, but I really doubt his manipulation of the events as some are projecting. No, the movie has its importance in some other critical areas rather then conjecture about Lyndon Johnson.

First, it is important for people to see and really understand what the voting rights struggle was truly about. For people to see Oprah Winfrey's character questioned and tested as she tried to register to vote is a critical piece of history that no one should forget as we travel down a new road to making voter registration more difficult in many states. This was the reality in 1965.

There is also the struggle between established civil rights leaders and younger more radicalized movement leaders. These same struggles go on today.

The other important item in the movie is the violence that was brought on people who were protesting these injustices. Sometimes it's easy to talk about or even easy to dismiss but seeing the violence played out, seeing people in authority committing these acts is important for movie goers to witness. The fear and the courage of protesters and movement leaders is important to watch, review and expierience.

Many times when I speak to groups about my own experiences in Selma in 1965, there are questions about the fear. Always the question "were you afraid?". The answer is always the same. I was very afraid. Scared to death as a matter of fact. I saw hatred I had never seen before and I saw violence just waiting to be thrust on me and others. The only thing that got me through those experiences was the solidarity with others who were being spat upon, arrested and beaten. That and a belief that we could protect each other. Outsiders like me, a white kid from the North, holding hands and hugging young, local blacks who had lived with the fear everyday of their lives. Naive? Probably but I made it.

So Selma, the movie, is important to see, feel and understand. Put it in context, but also understand that it's way too easy for us to get there again.

Here is a recent article that points to Selma's relevance - Why 'Selma' Is The Most Relevant Picture of The Year

Walking A Fine Line Along Seneca Lake

There are changes in strategy happening everyday as people who are defending Seneca Lake are facing off against a large corporation and the powers that be in Schuyler County. These strategies are changing on both sides. Legal issues are developing that could rise to the level of constitutional violations and challenges. As the arrest of protesters blockading gates at property owned by Crestwood Midstream continue, law enforcement officers from the local Sheriff's office and the Watkins Glen Police Department seem to be getting more aggressive. The NYS Police seem more matter of fact and perhaps understanding of protests. This can be seen in videos of the arrests. In addition, there have been pretty aggressive and confrontational  encounters by the Sheriff's deputies with the press and photo journalists documenting the protests and events. All of this, the protests, the arrests and the police actions are the result of Crestwood's plan to use unlined salt caverns for the storage of large amounts of LP Gas. The protesters for their part seem to be upping the ante by pulling together specific groups at ongoing arrests and protests -  one day educators and teachers, on another musicians and more recently Santa and his Elves.

As part of the strategy shifts, the County District Attorney, the Sheriff and the Town of Reading Court  seem to be skating on some thin ice and walking a fine line relative to constitutional issues regarding First and Sixth Amendment protections of those charged with trespass as well as the press and the public. Because a large crowd was showing up every Wednesday in support of the demonstrators, parking has been severely limited as the Sheriff is putting up temporary no parking signs along the roadway and closing off an adjacent parking area where protest supporters had been directed to park previously. In addition, the court last week actually tried to keep the public and the press out of the legal proceedings themselves. To me, it's almost inevitable that there will be legal challenges relative to some of the tactics being used by the Sheriff and the court. I'm not surprised. Challenges to the status quo through civil disobedience tend to cause reactive responses and that has certainly happened in this case.

There is an interesting piece written by Faith Meckley, one of the We Are Seneca Lake participants, that gives her perspective and report on recent proceedings at the Reading Town Court. I've placed a link to it here.

Also, on Christmas, Jesse McKinley, a reporter for the NYTimes, did a piece on this issue that basically presents the potential conflict between wineries and tourism and the infrastructure being developed for increased LP Gas storage on Seneca Lake. That article can be found here. It's all very interesting and it looks like things will continue for awhile.

Guns, Mental Health & Tragedy

Police tactics and policies relative to community policing as well as what seem to be weaknesses in the legal system are issues that continue to need discussion and people shouldn't be made to feel that having those discussions is an attack on the police or a cause of violence. But there's a lot more we should be discussing.

Isn't it interesting that there has been little discussion about guns, gun access and mental health since the shooting of the two NYPD officers this past weekend. We are two years out from the tragedy in Newtown, Ct and the death of so many innocents, children and teachers. There is something that ties these two events together if we can believe initial reports. Both seem to have involved young men with mental health issues and both involved guns.

Two things we should be discussing are mental health supports and guns it would seem. But instead the air waves are full of commentary about who's the victim, politicized statements about the mayor, the president, the police and the protesters. Some of the rhetoric borders on bizarre and some really sounds like hate speech. A real discussion though, about why guns keep appearing or why people don't get counseling and support when they need it is clearly missing.

The young man who shot the police officers had serious issues and they seemed to have been known by his family, acquaintances and the criminal justice system. There has been little mention of if or how he may have been involved with the mental health system. He also had a gun and traveled to NYC with it to do serious harm. Were there missed opportunities to help and/or stop him? We may never know but a discussion could help identify if that was possible or if interventions were possible. It seems those discussions would be more helpful then fingerprinting and name calling.

And finally, a black woman was the first victim of the NYPD shooter before he traveled to NYC. Where is the outrage for her. Her life matters.

All Lives Are Equally Important

Some people don't want to hear it or worse, they want to promote our differences. The killing of the two police officers in NYC recently, officers Liu and Ramos, is a real tragedy. So were the killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown and so many others. What we must remember is that all lives are equally important. This isn't a competition to argue about or find out whose life matters more than another's. These are all tragedies. These are all symptoms of other things wrong with society. We should all grieve these deaths together.

There is and will probably continue to be some rhetoric that is mean spirited. Blaming the Mayor of the City of New York is stupid and irresponsible. Blaming protesters and demonstrators is also stupid and irresponsible. The voices of a very few who call for the killing of police officers is stupid and irresponsible. Perhaps all of these things can be understood in the heat of the moment but some of it is planned, provocative language with a hateful purpose.

Revenge is never justified and yet many condone it until the shoe is on the other foot. In a world of violence it's fairly easy to threaten and retaliate against others who we dislike or hate at the moment. Take your pick - arabs, muslims, jews, North Koreans, blacks, Cubans, hispanics, police officers.

Thousands of black and white people who are upset about the system that seemingly treated Eric Garner, Michael Brown and others unfairly will no doubt demonstrate to support and mourn the officers shot in NYC. They understand this is not where this controversy should end up - dead policeman and dead civilians. It would probably help to have police officials and officers also speak up about the Garner and Brown deaths. That's some of the conversation that's needed. Not rhetoric that divides. Union leadership, rank and file officers, demonstrators, news commentators, politicians, all need to take a deep breath.

In the end, all lives matter and we all ought to recognize that. Black lives matter and police officers lives matter. We are all equal in death.

My Cancer and Not Cancer Life

I have a feeling that what I say here is something that lots of people have experienced. It's basically about the ups and downs of battling cancer. I used to be bothered by that terminology - battling cancer, a courageous fight, etc. but I've become much more comfortable with the language since I'm in the fight.

My not cancer life is pretty normal, probably much like yours. Getting up in the morning, doing what needs to be done, planning the day, taking on everyday responsibilities and enjoying most of it. I watch the news, some entertainment in the evening and then hit the sack, starting all over the next day. There are great interactions with people along the way, family, friends, colleagues and just people I meet.

My cancer life is very different. It comes with triggers. They're pretty straight forward. A scheduled doctor's visit, a blood test, a bump, a pain, something different in my body that I can sense or feel. I think it makes sense. I think most people will react the same way but it's a struggle, a fight if you will.

Earlier this week I had a six month check up since my surgery for colon cancer this past June. This takes place every three months and it's part of my cancer life. It starts with a blood test a week or two prior to the appointment. There's always apprehension. Sometimes there's outright fear. It ends with the appointment itself and the doctor letting you know all is well relative to blood work and how you seem to be doing. There's a surge of joy and energy and relief. Thank God!

And that was my expierience this past week - blood test, doctor's appointment and a confirmation that everything's ok for another three months. Unless of course I have one of those odd pains or a new bump to contemplate. It is a fight. It is a battle. So if you know someone with cancer or if you hear those terms and feel they're odd or strange, I hope this helps you understand them a little better.

Now back to my not cancer life.

Eric Garner Case - Outrageous

Like many others I am frustrated, feeling angry as well as a bit hopeless about justice and fairness in America. At this point, many lack confidence in the system, responses by government officials and police organizations and their representatives. The Eric Garner incident and his death are clearly recorded with video plus audio. Most people viewing it recognize the problems - the escalation, one officer acting very aggressively, after the choke hold, his knee going to Garners head and neck.

If this factual record can't show probable cause and get an indictment, then body cameras are a complete waste of money. I'm also tired of hearing police defenders accuse anyone who raises a voice for justice implying that all of this is an attack on the police in general. It isn't. It's an attack on bad policing and bad cops. There are cultural issues and biases that exist. There are structural problems with prosecutions and internal reviews. There are problems with violation of policy. Defending these actions is outrageous and sickening. Police officers on the scene could have and I believe, should have intervened.

Black lives do matter. Eric Garner's, Michael Brown's, Tamir Rice's and Trayvon Martin's lives did matter. If we've learned anything, I hope we've all learned to speak up when we see injustice. We need to speak up if we see bad arrests happening. We have to speak up when any person is being treated badly.

I saw a post last night by a black junior in college. She expressed total hopelessness in a world, in her country, that seems to view her as worthless. How sad and how wrong.

Non Profits Need Ethics & Transparency Too

I've posted before about transparency in government, or sometimes the lack of it. Some of this got me thinking recently about how all of this impacts the non profit world. I've worked and sat on numerous boards of non profit organizations over the years and some are certainly better than others when it comes to transparency or sharing information.

I'm aware of one large non profit that insists on an executive session at just about every meeting, shooing people from their presence to conduct major discussions and big business behind closed doors. If anyone is critical, the answer is always the same. It goes something like, "We're not covered by the Open Meetings Law, or Freedom of Information Laws." There's also usually a variation about the inability to "trust" those in the audience with information. In this particular organization, there is not even an attempt to be transparent to donors, members or other related parties. There are other organizations who try to be transparent but many times they fall back on "executive sessions" at a moments notice if some threat, real or imagined, seems afoot.

Now technically these organizations are right. They usually aren't subject to Open Meetings legislation, at least not yet. Of course probably the best way to change that is to show constituents and then government that you need to be forced to be open and therefore subject to new or existing legislation. I suspect that will happen over time. They are also technically right about FOIL requests. On the other hand most documents, financial reports, etc. that non profits provide to government agencies are accessible through a FOIL request to the particular state agency so why make it so difficult.

Now really good non profits tend to try to model their meetings and their openness on state Open Meetings Laws even though they may not be subject to them. It's easy enough to do. Create rules and practices that most everyone understands and agrees with. Executive sessions can and should be held around personnel issues, real estate transactions, litigation and a few other confidential areas. Conflicts will arise but at least there is and can be an attempt at openness and transparency. In addition, an organization that operates like this will be much better prepared for the day when these practices are mandated by government.

I mentioned trust early on. Many organizations are quick to point out that they can't trust people with information or discussions that go on in their meetings. It's my opinion that this just continues a vicious cycle of mistrust among all of the players. When people hear that people think they can't be trusted, they tend to mistrust the parties even more and so on and so forth. Trust is something that needs to be built over periods of time. When people in power use their power to control and withhold information from other people, especially stakeholders, relationships fail. It's just natural. So openness, supportive relationships and sharing of ideas, although sometimes difficult, can work miracles relative to building partnerships and trust.

The bottom line is that we can't just always point our fingers at government for not being open. The private sector of non profits has big responsibilities in this area too. A great resource for good governance practices can be found at the Independent Sector's Website. Non profits and their board members would be well served by reviewing these materials and discussing open business practices.