FEMWOC Signal Boost: Kalani Tonga on Dajerria Becton and McKinney, TX.

Recently, a young woman by the name of Dajerria Becton made national news when she was the victim of police brutality during the raid on a pool party in McKinney, TX. Dajerria Becton is the 14-year old bikini-clad girl who was thrown to the ground face first by a police officer who then proceeded to sit on her. This specific act was reprehensible, and the police chief himself said that the actions of the officer in question (who has since resigned) were "indefensible".

Growing up, I was taught that the police are to be trusted. If I was ever in trouble, I was to find the nearest police officer/firefighter/paramedic and ask for help. I grew up with my white skin affording me the privilege and security of assuming that all police could be trusted to do the right thing and treat me with dignity and respect, to help me, to uphold the law. Sadly, this is not the reality for everyone.

A friend of mine, Kalani Tonga, a blogger for femwoc, recently wrote a post titled "McKinney, Texas: Why My Kids Will Learn that Cops Can't Be Implicitly Trusted."Please read it, absorb it, take it to heart. If you as a white person feel the urge to respond defensively, instead of giving in to that reaction, sit with your discomfort and examine deep within yourself why you feel that defensiveness and where the work is that you need to do. Because all of us who are white - very much including white MoFems - have work that we need to do within ourselves and ways we an improve our intersectionality. I most certainly include myself in this. So let's read what Kalani has to say and take her words to heart. And while you're at it, check out the entirety of femwoc. It's a valuable resource for us to sit and learn from.

Link to Kalanis' post: http://femwoc.com/2015/06/08/mckinney-texas-why-my-kids-will-learn-that-cops-cant-be-implicitly-trusted/