As Donald Trump cowered inside the White House bunker, former President Barack Obama stepped in to do his job for him by addressing the concerns of the protesters and writing up a plan of action to effect real change.
Trump hid in the bunker and turned off the White House lights, effectively abandoning the presidency and leaving the country rudderless in the middle of a national crisis as cities across the nation burn and millions of Americans continue demonstrating on the streets in protest against racial injustice and police brutality.
He abdicated leadership during one of our darkest hours, and so Obama stepped up to fill the void by crafting a plan of action and trying to calm the situation.
In a post on Medium, Obama noted the majority of peaceful protesters and commended them, including the police officers who have joined the demonstrations to call for reform.
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He also cautioned against violence and destruction of property, especially since many small businesses in neighborhoods across the country may never be able to recover.
Beyond that, Obama advised Americans to change the political system from the bottom up instead of just participating in high-profile elections.
“[W]e should be fighting to make sure that we have a president, a Congress, a U.S. Justice Department, and a federal judiciary that actually recognize the ongoing, corrosive role that racism plays in our society and want to do something about it,” Obama wrote. “But the elected officials who matter most in reforming police departments and the criminal justice system work at the state and local levels.”
“[I]f we want to bring about real change, then the choice isn’t between protest and politics,” he continued. “We have to do both. We have to mobilize to raise awareness, and we have to organize and cast our ballots to make sure that we elect candidates who will act on reform.”
Obama then gave Americans a plan to push for legal change beyond elections.
“[T]he more specific we can make demands for criminal justice and police reform, the harder it will be for elected officials to just offer lip service to the cause and then fall back into business as usual once protests have gone away,” he wrote. “The content of that reform agenda will be different for various communities. A big city may need one set of reforms; a rural community may need another. Some agencies will require wholesale rehabilitation; others should make minor improvements. Every law enforcement agency should have clear policies, including an independent body that conducts investigations of alleged misconduct. Tailoring reforms for each community will require local activists and organizations to do their research and educate fellow citizens in their community on what strategies work best.”
The former president went on to suggest making use of work done by his administration so that we have a base to start from when pursuing reforms. There’s also a link to the Obama Foundation so people can take “concrete action” right now.
In true Obama form, he concluded by once again expressing his recognition of the struggles Americans are going through right now and expressed hope that things will change for the better.
I recognize that these past few months have been hard and dispiriting — that the fear, sorrow, uncertainty, and hardship of a pandemic have been compounded by tragic reminders that prejudice and inequality still shape so much of American life. But watching the heightened activism of young people in recent weeks, of every race and every station, makes me hopeful. If, going forward, we can channel our justifiable anger into peaceful, sustained, and effective action, then this moment can be a real turning point in our nation’s long journey to live up to our highest ideals. Let’s get to work.”
This is real leadership, something Trump knows nothing about.
Featured image via screen capture
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