Stay in Your Lane!

Let's talk about freedom. Americans are having a huge problem with mandates that are being issued to address the Covid crisis. Those who are opposed often speak of the mandates "taking away their freedom."

For instance, look at what happens when governments, schools, and businesses try to enforce a simple mask mandate. There is outrage! Parents show up to school board meetings and speak of protecting their children's freedom. People act rudely or even attack the customer service worker who is tasked with enforcing the mask mandate. Republican government officials refuse to wear a mask, and cry persecution. Just a simple request... put a piece of cloth on your face, to reduce the spread of this virus... and some people will lose their minds over this!

The truth is, the government, schools, private businesses, etc have a right and a responsibility to enforce public health measures. These measures are in place to protect the general public from this horrible virus. And yes, they can and should enforce it!

Consider driving on an interstate. There are rules that all the drivers must follow: speed limits, one ways, proper lane usage, etc. Imagine if drivers suddenly refused to follow these rules, and there was no one there to enforce them. It would be deadly chaos! People driving at reckless speeds, darting between cars, driving the wrong way on a one way. Accidents would happen everywhere, people would be seriously injured or killed. It would snarl traffic, making it impossible to travel safely. And that would negatively affect everyone.

The truth is, freedom does not give you the right to recklessly endanger another person. There are rules, regulations, and guidelines in place to protect the general public, and everyone must follow them.

Your freedom ends when it begins to endanger others. That is not up for debate on an interstate, and it shouldn't be questioned when it comes to public health mandates.

So to all of you who are crying persecution over a mask mandate, I say to you. Stay in your lane or get off the road!

Facebook Ban is not enough

Today the news broke that Facebook will continue the ban on Donald Trump on the grounds that he incited an insurrection. Why is it that Facebook and Twitter are the ONLY ones holding him accountable for this? There has been precious little talk about the events of January 6. It is almost as if we are to pretend it never happened. And yet, it did happen. The President of the United States encouraged his people to march against Congress and stop the counting of the Electoral Votes. He told them to “fight like Hell.” The people responded by doing exactly that. They marched to the Capital, chanting about Civil War, breaking through barriers, busting through windows, and trampling the capital police. They forced Congress to evacuate and flee for their safety, as the mob overtook the building. They were not going to stop until they had overturned the government and installed Trump as the President again.

The thing is, we watched this happen in real time. We heard Trump’s speech and we watched in horror as the crowd descended on the Capital. And we wondered how this could happen in America. And yet, very little has been done about this grievous attack on our democracy. The Republicans have called for us to just “move on”. They act as is they did not just incite a deadly insurrection! A couple hundred of the most radical members of the mob have been arrested. And yet, the very ones who should be held accountable are still blissfully free from any serious consequences.

If the worse thing that happens to Trump and his Republican cronies is that they can’t post on social media… we have failed. Trump is already talking about running for office in 2024. How can we allow that? How can we allow him and all the Republican congressmen and women who fueled this insurrection with deception to continue to hold their positions? There must be consequences. If there are no consequences, this will happen again. And the next time, we may not be so fortunate. We CAN NOT stick our heads in the sand and pretend this never happened. We must continue to DEMAND accountability. There must be a full investigation, not just into the most radical members of the mob, but into the high profile instigators who called for the insurrection. And there must be serious consequences. Bans on social media are not nearly enough!

Solidarity(A Call for Mayor Parry's Resignation)

Last summer, I attended the Black Lives Matter Protest in Michigan City. I felt strongly that I needed to show up and show my support and outrage over the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. We walked up and down Michigan Boulevard, shouting and demanding that we be heard. However, the moment that stayed with me was when the organizers asked us to lay down in the middle of Michigan Boulevard, with our hands above our heads and cry out “I can’t breath!” At that moment, I was trying to imagine what must have been going on in the mind of George Floyd. They said he cried out for his mama. They said he begged the police officers to stop, crying out that he couldn’t breath. How mortified and terrified he must have felt. Laying on that cold, hard, asphalt with a man’s knee on his neck was such a cruel, unjust way to die.

As I lay on the ground, I looked around me and I noticed something. While I was trying to imagine that terror filled moment, my brothers and sisters around me were living it. I could hear the desperation in their voices, I could see it on their faces. This was their reality. And in that moment, I felt their pain and I burned with rage. But something else began to creep in. I felt humbled and ashamed. I felt like I could not fully grasp what the Black Community had been through. Each person there had a story, and they bore the scars that racial injustice had left on them. I began to realize how privileged I was. And I started to feel as if I didn’t belong there. Was I the enemy? But then, a young black woman came up to me and hugged me. She thanked me for coming. And she told me something that has stuck with me, “We need you here.”

“We need you here.” I received her gracious words with humility. She made me realize just how important it was for me to stand in solidarity with them and to use my voice and speak up for those who were not being heard. And not only to speak up, but to fight for and with them. I could not remain silent in the face of injustice any longer. I needed to show up, speak up, and join the fight.

I learned that day that anytime we witness injustice, we cannot remain silent. That is why I believe we must stand in solidarity with those in our own community that have been disrespected by Mayor Parry. The mayor proved by his own words and actions that he does not respect the Black Community, and that he does not intend to serve them as his constituents. His apology was hollow and forced. And he has ignored the calls from community leaders to resign.

This is not something we can just shrug off and ignore. The mayor’s words were racially charged and they revealed a deep disdain for “black men”. Such a man cannot lead this community fairly and serve each and every citizen of Michigan City equally. Such a man cannot be the peacemaker our city needs.

He has shown us who he is, and we must now make it clear that we will not tolerate racism or bigotry of any kind. We must stand in solidarity with our black brothers and sisters and insist upon his resignation. Anything less is simply unacceptable.