Injustice Boycott

I spent yesterday moving and singing and speaking in community at an InterPlay celebration of Dr. King led by Caroline Blackwell and Masankho Banda. I left with greater determination than ever to do my part. I will not be, as Dr. King writes in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”: “the white moderate who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says, ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action;’ who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a ‘more convenient season.’ Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”

I signed up with Shaun King’s Injustice Boycott when it was unveiled, and now the time for action has come. Shaun King is an impressive and thoughtful organizer. It is time to take action, and to stand strong, and to support each other in an organized way–not just with petitions and phone calls (although they have their place). This is the new Montgomery Bus Boycott. You may be shocked to see that two progressive cities, New York and San Francisco, are being boycotted. But this is because we need to demand more from our so-called “progressive” leaders. Did you know that New York is one of only two states in the nation that automatically prosecutes all 16- and 17-year-olds as adults? Did you know that the San Francisco Police Association has blocked the passage of crucial reforms supported unanimously by the SF Police Commission? The Injustice Boycott is a thoughtful and fair approach to righting wrongs. The cities can be taken off the boycott list by meeting reasonable demands. And businesses that take a stand in favor of these demands will be put on a “Buycott” list and given public support and endorsement by the organizers and participants in the Injustice Boycott.

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