From the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
A central truth underlies the events surrounding Christopher Dorner's actions and demise: “Racism is endemic to all law enforcement agencies in the United States, and is part and parcel of the foundations of the United States government, its historic mission, and its systemic functioning.”
Dorner, Racism, and Police Repression
From the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
“Our people must step up our organizing efforts to curtail the repressive apparatus being built by the US government to contain oppressed peoples and radical social movements.”
The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM) maintains that regardless of what one may think of Christopher Dorner and the rights or wrongs of his actions, we want to call attention to the truth’s stated in Dorner’s manifesto regarding the pervasiveness of racism in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
As many historians and commentators have pointed out since the release of Dorner’s manifesto, the LAPD is a notoriously racist institution. The Ramparts Division scandal of the late 1990’s is one recent reminder of how racist and corrupt the institution is, and to what extent the judiciary and other branches and institutions of the US government support its actions.
We should be clear that the LAPD is not an aberration or an exception to the rule. Racism is endemic to all law enforcement agencies in the United States, and is part and parcel of the foundations of the United States government, its historic mission, and its systemic functioning. What Mr. Dorner’s manifesto call into question is the degree to which racism is blatantly ignored, reasoned away, and legitimized in this society. This is further evidenced by the fact that William J. Bratton, the innovator of the infamously racist “stop and frisk” policies and tactics, who was the Chief of Police in Los Angeles when Mr. Dorner filed his complaints and was subsequently fired, has been hired by the city of Oakland to reportedly “clean it up.”
“The LAPD is a notoriously racist institution.”
In July 2012 our organization issued a critical report on the Extrajudicial Killing of Black people by the Police that highlighted the cold facts regarding the deadly impact of racism and national oppression, made several concrete demands on the US government, and encouraged Black people to unite and reorganize ourselves to defend our communities against the various forms of state repression aimed at us and our social movements for justice.
We maintain that our people must step up our organizing efforts to curtail the repressive apparatus being built by the US government to contain oppressed peoples and radical social movements, and we resubmit the critical demands we posed in 2012, as they are no less relevant in 2013, which have been graphically illustrated by the impact of Mr. Dorner’s statements and actions.
Some fundamental demands
Los Angeles specific demands:
1. We call for an independent investigation into the numerous allegations made by Christopher Dorner against specific named individuals, as well as his general allegations of police conduct, and the charges of nepotism that he contends surrounded his firing.
2. We call for an independent commission to investigate the documented abuses of the LAPD and to hear unfiled claims of racial discrimination and abuse against the department, and to try the department before a Federal court to provide redress for the victims.
3. We call for the immediate institutionalization of a Police Control Board in the city of Los Angeles directly elected by the people, which possesses the power to monitor, review, and change all racist policies and procedures, and to fire, subpoena, and try offending police officers.
National demands:
1. We call for the institutionalization of Police Control Boards that are directly elected by the people.
2. We call for the elimination of the Police Bill of Rights and the numerous civil service rules and judicial policies and procedures that give the police anonymity, freedom from having their behavior recorded and virtual immunity from accountability and prosecution.
3. We call for the end to the various polices of containment such as racial profiling, stop and frisk, gang injunctions, secure communities, etc.
4. We demand the demilitarization of domestic law enforcement, including eliminating the use of Drones and various surveillance operations and institutions.
5. We call for the redirection of military funding to social programs, such as public education, housing, health care, public transportation, and grassroots-controlled programs to prevent domestic and intra-communal violence.
6. We call for the institutionalization of a National Plan of Action for Racial Justice to combat racism and racial discrimination in the institutions of government and the social relations that shape the economy.
Organize and Take Action! The system will change, only when we make it change.
Forward,
The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
The world needs a new United Nations. Its current formation gives great power to a handful of nations, ignores most of the world, and is ineffectual in addressing issues such as the climate…
The undercount of communities of color worsened in the 2020 census, the 20th commemoration of Gabriel's Rebellion at the African Burial Ground in Richmond, Virginia, and the quest for justice for…
Kelly Percival is Senior Council with the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. She is co-author of the report Improving the Census. She joins us from New York to discuss the…
Ana Edwards is Chair of the Virginia Defenders Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project in Richmond, Virginia. She joins us to discuss the 20th annual Gabriel Gathering scheduled for October 10…
Dr. Melina Abdullah is Co-Founder and Director of Black Lives Matter Grassroots. She joins us from Los Angeles to discuss the 2014 death of Andrew Joseph III and the issue of qualified immunity for…
