As you no doubt know by now, this past Sunday, police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot an unarmed Black man. In the back. Fom point-blank range. Seven times. Right in front of his young children.

His name is Jacob Blake.

The horror of that shooting was compounded Tuesday night, when two people protesting police violence were gunned down — allegedly by a teenaged Trump supporter who may have been affiliated with self-described militia members who flooded the streets of Kenosha to antagonize protesters.

Our nation is confronting a sickening stew of racism and incipient fascism, exacerbated and driven by an authoritarian in the White House.

It is, truly, a frightening time.

And it is hard not to feel helpless and even hopeless — especially with the isolation we are all suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Look, there are some big, difficult things our nation must do to address systemic racism, police violence, and rising fascist tendencies.

There are also things we can do right now. Here are two:

1. Help support Jacob Blake and his family by donating through their GoFundMe page.

2. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and leave messages urging each of your senators to support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which the House passed in June.

Neither of those are enough, of course. But each is an important step you can take today.

As challenging as this moment is, I want to be really clear about something.

Allow yourself to feel pain and anger.

But please don’t give in to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.

The Black Lives Matter protests of the past few months and the ongoing movement are proof positive that when bad things happen, we have to join together and fight for justice.

They have led to significant policy and resource shifts in cities around the country, on a timetable that was previously unimaginable, and moved national sentiment on racial justice in a fashion not seen in half a century.

They teach us that, in fact, we are not helpless.

And things are not hopeless.

We make a difference when we unite and demand justice.

In unity,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

P.S. Public Citizen — like many nonprofits and other small businesses — is feeling the financial strain of the coronavirus emergency. If you can, please consider donating to support the critical work we’re doing together. Thank you.
 
 
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