Change The World With Your Phone
I had not realized the immense power we hold. Literally, at almost any moment of any given day, the phones we grip in the palms of our hands can change the world.
The recent killing of George Floyd was caught on phone cameras held by civilians. By identifying the police who were involved in this act of racism and murder, these amateur videos have opened a path to potential justice.
As citizens of the Earth, we all have a duty, a responsibility to each other, to record what happens in our world. Especially right now, we need to document whatever we can of our crisis within a crisis. The struggle to eradicate institutional racism in our nation is drawing increasing crowds out of their homes and into the streets even as the threat of COVID transmission continues to hang over our heads.
We need one another to capture and spread our stories and the stories of those around us, not only to bring justice to each individual case, but to identify and demonstrate the scope and significance of the problems our society must resolve.
A recent video of an elderly man, Martin Gugino, age 75, being pushed over by police, was released by WBFO (Trigger Warning: graphic video). The Buffalo Police Department came out with a statement saying that Gugino tripped, which is clearly false as seen in the released video. Gugino is currently in stable but serious condition. The world is thankful to those who filmed the incident, providing evidence that can be used to punish the two officers who pushed Gugino if they are found guilty, as well as all of the police who walked by Gugino without offering him help.
However, our problems are larger than the physical violation of one activist. In protest over the suspension of the two officers who pushed Mr. Gugino, all 57 officers of the Buffalo Police Department’s Emergency Response Team resigned from the team.
Note that they resigned from the team, not from the police department. All of these police brutality sympathizers still have these jobs and are still getting paid.
One problem the video shows is the fearful warrior mentality of some of our police, who close ranks at the slightest hint of a threat to their reputation.
On the positive side, in dozens of cities, police officers have been caught on camera demonstrating their support and solidarity with the protesters. Police in Los Angeles, Napa, Denver, Fort Worth and even New York City, for example, have been taking a knee in front of mobs who could overrun them. Despite the risks of COVID, many officers have been photographed shaking hands and even hugging protesters. These officers deserve our gratitude for faithfully aiming to protect and serve the people of the United States. For some of us, at least, these moments are signs that we can have faith that our country can come together to change things for the better.
Keep those phone cameras rolling. When you go to protest, or even just go out on a walk, take pictures and videos with your phone. That device has so much power. In our hands, it has the power to spread the truth as well as hope.
