We Never Got a First Chance

The other day I had a scary experience that I and many black women experience over the course of our lifetimes. My partner, a dark-skinned, young, African American man, was walking the 6 blocks over to my house from his house late after work when he was followed by the police and a K-9 dog, profiling him to see if he was up to no good. As he walked, he could feel their presence, the dog’s nostrils sniffing for something wrong, and his sense of safety quickly disappearing.

Thankfully, he got to me safely and without incident but we know that this is a common reality in our community. How many black women like me, wait scared until their sons, uncles, brothers, and partners, come home from an errand, shopping, or work? Recent events in Ferguson, New York and even here in the Twin Cities, remind us, people of color, that we still have a reason to worry about our loved ones’ safety.

We have a justice system that is designed in a way to rob our communities of a fair first chance. My partner’s story is one that shows how young black men in this country are assumed to be “up to no good” and therefore need to be over-patrolled, profiled, and controlled in order to ensure everyone’s “safety”. A first chance is foregone for many, specifically young black men, for the sake of “security”. The reality is, this creates a cycle of injustice that actually makes ALL our communities unsafe.

As we move into the election season, with all the ads on TV and candidates knocking at your door, my hope is that if you are feeling like I feel, you join us as we build a block of family members, advocates and voters who are ready to demand that enough is enough.

Our first door knock is Wednesday August 27th from 5-8:30pm. Click for more details or email me if you want to learn how to get involved! kandacem@takeactionminnesota.org

Onward,

Kandace Montgomery