"Monks, even if bandits were to carve you up savagely, limb by limb, with a two-handled saw, he among you who let his heart get angered even at that would not be doing my bidding. Even then you should train yourselves:
'Our minds will be unaffected and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic, with a mind of good will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading these people with an awareness imbued with good will and, beginning with them, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing world with an awareness imbued with good will — abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.' That's how you should train yourselves." -
Buddhist Sutta
"...the best way to assure oneself that love is disinterested is to have love for the enemy-neighbor from whom you can expect no good in return, but only hostility and persecution." - King,
An Experiment in Love, 1958
"Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace.” - King 1964
“Over the past few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends.” - A Letter from Birmingham Jail, King 1963
To all protesters I urge you to move, react, and stand in solidarity with those marching today. If you can take time out and can safely protest then
do so. The world as of right now is watching. There are eyes on Minneapolis, D.C., Richmond, Seattle, New York City. There are sister protests in Perth, Sydney, Australia. There are sister protests in London, Copenhagen, Berlin.
People are taking notice. This movement has genuine cause to change things, for the better. Regardless if you think that George Floyd, or Tamir Rice, or Trayvon Martin, or Philando Castille, or any of the other countless executed were guilty of their crimes, if you call yourself an American then you should be in support of this movement and of reform.
There is no reason that people should die in custody. There is no reason that people should die in jail. There is no reason that jail should be punitive and not rehabilitative. There is no reason that people need to senselessly die with no recourse. It defies our justice system that hinges on accountability, it defies our justice system which relies on preserving the autonomy of the individual, it defies our justice system which works to promote fairness and equality to all. There is injustice that must not go unanswered. There is injustice that has not been answered for decades, a systemic rot within the foundations of our country.
With that said please do not use this civil unrest as an opportunity to pillage or cause harm, whether direct or indirect. What justice imbalance is righted when an
innocent person's car is torched? When he is now vehicle-less, in an area where the job opportunities are 20-30 minutes away? What justice is there in looting
an Iranian immigrants attempt at the American Dream? What justice is there in
looting a 120yo black-owned business. What message does it send, where does it resonate that it is OK to loot one of the only
black-owned dentistry and pediatric care centers?
There are people who are attempting to co-opt the narrative, to justify property destruction, to pillage and cause violence and anarchy. These are not people that you want on your side. With the world's spotlight on you, millions looking in from countries all over the world and emulating, do you truly wish for anarchy to be the focus of the message? To haphazardly destroy any business or property, without any forethought to how that affects those people's livelihood and ability to provide for themselves, their families? In the middle of a pandemic, is it justified to ignore the ramifications of violent riots?
The vast, VAST majority of protesters have been nonviolent. Just in Richmond alone protests were entirely pacifist. Until 7:46 PM when RPD fired tear gas to disperse the crowd prior to curfew.
and still they were nonviolent. This is the image that should be shown to the world. Do not let the media, let the police, or instigators goad you into violent antics, because that is
what they want. The police and the media would love nothing more than for violence to escalate and will plant rioters in the crowds, will teargas and send rubber bullets at you, will arrest and terrorize.
When asked on his thoughts concerning the liberation of Tibet from China, the Dalai Lama stated thus: "Yes, I absolutely refuse the use of violence. For several years now I have been asked on several occasions what I would do if the despair of certain Tibetans drove them to violence, and I have always replied that if that were to happen I would give up and step back. I have reasons for thinking in this way; it is not merely a blind belief First of all,
I believe that the basic nature of human beings is gentle and compassionate. It is therefore in our own interest to encourage that nature, to make it live within us, to leave room for it to develop. If on the contrary we use violence, it is as if we voluntarily obstruct the positive side of human nature and prevent its evolution. "
I urge all protesters to take action but to practice compassion in each step of the way, each chant, each act of property destruction. Know what and who is being affected and if you don't know imagine it is your own brother and let that affect your compassion. The world is watching, change is upon us and this time the revolution is indeed being televised.
