To build just communities we must first understand how we built unjust communities: In the new liberal (neoliberal) strategies of building enclaves of privilege/injustice, first the elite demonize the spaces they want, this justifies destroying them, then they rebuild them, then they boost the place for the new race and class, after they change the name. And lastly, they protect the new community from the rest of the city. Back in the day, they protected their new enclaves of power and separation by building walls around the people they loved. These days, they protect them with policing force. Case in point, Johns Hopkins University and its plan for private policing.
Ras Baraka reminded us this weekend at the Gentrification Conference in Newark NJ of this wise truth of Chokwe Lumumba: ‘if you don’t love the people, you will betray the people’. The powerful elite and our government of Baltimore and Maryland do not love the people of Baltimore and therefore easily betray them.
The only reason you would consider police force to build community is if you didn’t love these communities. The president of Johns Hopkins University said at the beginning of his presidency more than 10 years ago that his agenda included ‘a very significant community engagement’ piece. His interpretation of this includes engaging through increased local police powers and supporting immigrant policing. He was recently voted by the Daily Record, the most influential Marylander. It is that kind of power that assures the legislation in favor of a Johns Hopkins private police force, no matter how antagonistic it is to building peaceful and just communities, was passed. [Senators Jill Carter and Mary Washington were the only two senators who voted against the bill. In the House, 42 voted against it while 92 voted for it]. The majority of the Maryland General Assembly do not love the citizens of Baltimore city, a 64% majority Black city.
But the Johns Hopkins University students and allies are challenging that: they have been engaged in a sit-in at Garland Hall since Wednesday April 4, and going strong. Their demands: 1. Hopkins needs to find alternative ways to assure safety for themselves and the larger community. 2. Hopkins needs to end its contracts with ICE, who are legally and illegally targeting immigrants. This coalition against Johns Hopkins new liberalism has been going strong with testimony during the Maryland General Assembly against the bill and a massive walk out on April 4th before the last vote this past week. They along with the neighborhoods surrounding the elite institution’s campus love the people.
This is one way of building just communities.
Meanwhile, Goucher College is wrapping up its series on building just communities. Starting with the personal and moving outward into community, their series has explored positive-peace building. It began with an event on internal healing (Ruth King), then interpersonal/restorative practices (Restorative Response Baltimore), then cooperatives and collectives’ structures/practices (BRED and Red Emmas members, and Bloom Collective), and now “Building Just Communities” tomorrow night April 8 2019 from 7-9pm at Goucher. The theme through the series builds on personal and community healing and justice.
Join us on the front lines, stand up to power, and act for justice. Write letters to the editor and your elected officials, call in to talk radio and your elected officials, use social media, and stay connected with the struggle. And if you can, show up! We cannot allow police powers to build communities. We must stay focused on loving ourselves, loving our communities, and standing up for all of our communities.
