Using Human Rights, The Black Community Can Disband Police

In the early 1960’s African American leader Malcolm X expressed that the Black community must treat their grievances against the government in the context of human rights instead of civil rights. Such would take the case outside of United States jurisdiction in which the Black community would not have to rely on the mercy of the same system that seems to sanction racist practices such as police brutality. Civil rights suggest that the community seek a redress via acts such as petitioning, protesting, and voting within the current system while wishing the act has a positive effect. Human rights allow the complainants to exercise humanitarian intervention and assert rights that will stop the abuses with their own hands.

The number one human right used by oppressed people all over the world, including America’s founding fathers, is the right of self-determination. By asserting their right of self-determination, African Americans can assume independent political control over their communities and execute whatever policies they deem necessary to bring justice. Those policies can include such things as monetary reparations, free housing and conviction pardons to disbanding the police and creating an alternative. “Most Black people do not know that we have the option of asserting our right of self-determination so they have been giving ‘uninformed consent’ to the very system that is abusing us” says human rights policy officer Ramzu Yunus.

According to a report entitled “We the Peoples? The Strange Demise of Self-Determination“ published by Princeton and Tel Aviv University scholar Uriel Abulof, the government has used unlimited resources and various strategies to make sure African Americans do not discuss the right of self-determination or even know that it is an option. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which acknowledged the right of self-determination in Article 1, was ratified by the United States government in 1992. Thereafter African American law scholars and professionals immediately convened a conference called The Conference on African-Americans and The Right to Self-Determination held at Hamline University School of Law. Within the proceedings the suggestion was made for a “shift from a domestic civil rights model to an international human rights model” and that by focusing on the right of self-determination, those concerned “can now begin to contribute positively and meaningfully to African-American freedom..” In other words, the African American community should not expect any positive change if the actions to achieve such are not centered around the right of self-determination.

Georgia State University College of Law Professor Natsu Taylor Saito, who also advises that African Americans assert their right of self-determination to end racial injustice, writes “Are we moving toward genuine liberation, rather than simply asking for superficial adjustments to the status quo? In other words, will we take our right to self-determination seriously, and act on it?” Acting on the right of self-determination can be as simple as formulating a governing council then holding a vote within the African American community which asks if members want independent political control that comes with various new policies such as monetary reparations, free housing and an alternative police force if any at all. If they vote yes then the representatives can simply start governing with a new police or security force. There is a right of self-determination conference call hosted by Human Rights Policy Officers in which people can learn more. It is held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8pm EST and can be attended by clicking or pasting the following link in your browser: https://justiceconference.live/Detroit. You can also reach Human Rights Policy Officers via telephone at: 888-999-6530.