The Right Kind of Identity Politics

Rhetorically beating White people, good, bad and in-between, over the head about American slavery ( to the convenient exclusion of other nations and individual's sins ) doesn't undo the past nor uplift the present. It does, however, provide invaluable context for current contempt some progressives have for American Blacks. However, reducing it to a verbal baton doesn't honor those who suffered-and even triumphed-so that our better day as fully enfranchised American citizens can arrive. In the same vein, continually comparing today's police officers to yesteryear's slave patrols won't enhance public safety nor community relations. As disrespected departments depolice, more inner citizens die without a chant from anti-cop protesters.

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This stems from the wrong kind of identity politics, where non-Blacks and law enforcement of all shades, are stereotyped as the enemy- period. The right kind of identity politics recognizes the past but uses it as a yardstick by which to advance oneself and the good of society, which for me means creating safety with urban stakeholders and supporting police as part of safety creation. I'm a citizen of the present and it’s not slave masters nor statues which are now threatening life and liberty. The right kind of identity politics recognizes this fact. -Nadra Enzi aka Cap Black, Your UrbanSafetyist. @nadraenzi on twitter.

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