New Civil Rights Movement

                                          Young Faces From Worcester In NYC 12-13-14
                                            Photo courtesy fo Robert lBlackwel Gibbs

The New Civil Rights Movement

The demonstrations against the killing of unarmed Black men are a good thing. This fight against racism will eventually benefit everyone as it will cause a review of police procedures and policies. The criminal justice system is rigged in such a way that no police officer who kills anyone is ever indicted. This should change to a different standard of any police officers who wrongfully kills someone should be fired. The standard is a long struggle before it could be effectuated. And it might never be accomplished without a complete dismantling and overhaul of our justice system.

On November 13, 2014 there were three demonstrations for racial justice seen on Worcester, Boston, NYC, and Washington. At least twenty five people went to the NYC demonstration from Worcester. The trip to NYC was organized by Communities United Collective (CUC). A group formed shortly after a Support Ferguson Mo rally in July of 2014 in the Worcester commons. The CUC consists of mostly relatively young people of all races who are too young to have participated in the civil rights movement of 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.  All of the people in CUC are enthusiastic and this showed when they and students boldly blocked the streets of Worcester and made their voices heard at the Worcester City Council meeting.

A weakness of the CUC seems to be that they are never certain from meeting to meeting what is needed to be done.    

The description of the rally in New York by some of the people who went shows this enthusiasm.

Jules

“The Millions March was a peacefully organized Rally. It was a very successful. We shut the streets down and raise awareness. It won’t end until Justice is brought to those who ripped families apart and took the lives of the innocent. If I had to do it again, I’d do it a thousand times over.”

Jonathan

“The bosses have to have heard and that is why they are discrediting the marchers in any way that they can. This was no rowdy bunch of hoodlums. This was an extremely well organized political action. I expect reforms to come in the long term. This is just the beginning of a growing movement. The police can't do this anymore. The people aren't going to let them

 Ed

“Yeah sure! I thought it went really great and it was amazing how many people came out in solidarity. I think are point of why we're fighting got across but we still have a ways to go and we need to take that people power past protesting.”

Robert

“Uplifting while sorrowful! It was moving to see so many like minds there for the main cause. The police were calm but we knew what they really wanted. When we all took Brooklyn Bridge and shut down both sides to traffic it was a show of real power.”

The rally in Washington D.C. might indicate a difference in tactics between the old guard civil rights activists and the young activists. A group of younger demonstrators from St. Louis wanted to go up on the stage when the TV cameras were and speak. The people running the rally said that the people from St. Louis needed VIP passes to get on stage.

This new civil rights movement apparently has reached a critical stage. What is next? More blocked streets, more teach ins, or something else is next? Will there be a division between the young and the older civil rights activists?  Hopefully this new movement will have the lasting power of the effectiveness of the old.