Although protests are a great way to support the Black Lives Matter movement, contributing to bail funds can be a great alternative for those who cannot participate in protests.
People around the nation have moved in protest of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25. This is a good thing, but not everyone can go out and protest.
Community bail funds are one way to help out. Harris County has one of the highest rates of pre-trial, legally innocent people locked in prisons. Donating will help out people who are unjustly thrown in prisons around the nation. Working as a community to help out those in need is, hot take, good.
Across the nation police have faked solidarity, only to turn around and attack civilians, and Houston was no different.
On June 2, the police in Houston attacked peaceful protesters with tear gas and pepper spray. This is according to people who were there, I have no reason to doubt their claims. Cops were brought in with riot gear and started to use excessive force after Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo gave his speech.
Houston is not the only city where this has happened, but still, it’s disgusting what police officers have done to people who were peacefully protesting.
Even after these current protests stop, it is still important to keep contributing. Mass incarceration is a big problem in the United States and these groups help those who cannot defend themselves.
It is time to demilitarize the police, call your representatives and tell them to divest money from the police to invest in the community.
Police around the nation are using intense and violent tactics to terrorize protesters, again. These tactics include the use of tear gas, rubber bullets (emphasis on bullets), shoving people into the streets and running cars into crowds of people.
This is disgusting and it will take wide scale systemic change to fix this problem, like defunding the police.
Santiago Gaughan is an education sophomore who can be reached at [email protected]
