In light of the deaths in Baltimore of Freddie Gray and Tyrone West and others as well as Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner and most recently of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, it is beyond time to say enough is enough ("Race and police shootings," July 9). Outrage, anger, sadness, despair — the emotional responses can be overwhelming. For those of us who are white, we can easily choose to not pay attention, to brush the news reports and our feelings aside and get on with our day. But then we must be willing to live with the consequences. How many deaths does it take? How many lives lost, whether at the hands of police or from community or domestic violence, before we wake up and take a stand? Our lack of action perpetuates white privilege and white supremacy in our country. If we do not act against it, we are complicit in it.
So what can we do? First of all, wake up and notice the differences in the ways that white people and people of color are treated in our society. Believe people of color when they talk about discrimination and racism they have encountered. Be brave and have the sometimes difficult conversations with other white people — your friends, your family, your co-workers, your neighbors — to raise awareness and find ways to act together to bring about change. Educate yourself — local groups like Baltimore Racial Justice Action and Baltimore's chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice are great resources for learning more and connecting with like-minded people. Demand that our local officials do more to end police brutality. Baltimore's recently updated use of force policy is a start. "Building From the Ground Up: A Toolkit for Promoting Justice in Policing," compiled by the Center for Popular Democracy and Policy Link has even more steps our city can take. Locally, we can follow and support groups like Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle who are advocating and organizing for police reform.
We must understand that what might feel uncomfortable, what might look like giving up some of the comforts and conveniences we have come to take for granted, is not a loss at all. What we stand to gain — true justice and equality for everyone — is far greater. It is worth the effort, worth the growing pains, worth the arguments we will have and friendships or relationships that will be challenged. Because we can no longer stand for freedom for some. We must work together to ensure that freedom applies to everyone, justice applies to everyone, that Black Lives Matter. We must not just tolerate but respect and embrace the diversity of life and culture that make up our communities. We must honor both the sanctity of life and the freedom to live it. What we stand to gain is a strong, vibrant community where we're all better off because we've broken free of a society that has wasted far too much time, money, resources and energy holding people down.
Gretchen Tome, Baltimore