Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Angst rules America this week. We have to do something. What can I change and how? Here is a set of questions to guide me.

I write this in early June 2020. We have demonstrations and protests calling for justice and change. Perhaps I am too rational or practical, but I feel that if we want change, we have to think about it and tackle what we can tackle.

• Question A: What is it I want to see changed?
• Questions B: What would have to happen for this change to occur? Can I start this?

For example, (A) I want all Americans to be fair towards all Americans. This is limited in that I am not considering everyone on earth. (B) Well, I think I am stuck on this one.

Let’s change our answer to (A) to find something we can do. (A) I want local law enforcement to change their policies towards encountering citizens suspected of wrongdoing. (B) Local Police chiefs could do this. I could gather 100 friends to sit on the sidewalk at Police headquarters so that the local Police chief would talk to us. I could gather 100 friends who each gather 100 signatures on a petition asking for reformed policies. Hmmm, this one might work.

Let’s try this one. (A) I want local police to change how they train local police officers. (B) I could obtain a copy of the curriculum used to train police officers, publish it locally, and petition for changes. I could obtain this by filing the local version of a Freedom of Information Act request.

All that is needed to start this change is for me to file a local FOIA request. I can start that change all by myself this evening.

That is a good candidate for me to cause change.

I am sure there are others.

Consider a really rich and famous person. That really rich and famous person could hire a think tank (any group of smart persons) to answer these questions and find good ideas. Instead, we seem to see and hear really rich and famous persons saying nice things, but doing nothing.

(A) I want a really rich and famous person to hire a think tank to find several dozen good ideas that persons like me could use to cause change. (B) I send emails, cards, and letters to really rich and famous person asking for such. I can start that change all by myself this evening.

NOTE: the email addresses for CEOs of companies are usually listed on the company’s website (think Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, and others). While the CEO won’t read the email, they have groups of persons who do read them. Perhaps if I send a dozen or so such emails each evening for a week, one of them will do something. I can do that this week all by myself.

I am not really smart. I am sure readers can find more ideas that they can start today to cause change.