Commentary:Even a perfect storm must come to an end

When inequality is continually perpetuated by actions — the origin of these actions is where we need to start. True equality must originate from within, but it can also be enforced through solutions, and today, there are so many things getting in the way of these needed solutions.

The current Black Lives Matter movement has emerged from a fierce place that will take no prisoners. On a national level, there are communities large and small where the footprints of protesters have left their mark. With the countless number of lives that have already been lost — May 26 marked the specific day and the specific time that the brutal killing of George Floyd would be the spark to this powerful new movement. A spark that grew to be a huge flame when the widely shown video made this another incident that just could not be ignored. Never before in recent history has there been such an uprising bringing unimaginable numbers of people into the streets to raise their fists and voices against the inequality and unjust treatment to people of color — and as the world watches, it is the images of diverse crowds, not just black people, but people representing all creeds, colors and ages that are standing up daily to usher this perfect storm to an end.

All around the country, this civil unrest has been brewing in conjunction with the effects of COVID-19. Growing reports that African American communities were suffering from the disease disproportionately were further exacerbated by high numbers of unemployment; the call for social distancing; familial separations; mandated stay-at-home orders; constant threats of police brutality; an election season and the ever present daily reports of divisive national leadership.

Floyd's eight minutes and 46 seconds of lethal distress has led to the renaming of schools; removal of monuments, statues and flags; and on the day before Juneteenth, Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the removal of portraits in the Capitol depicting Confederate leaders, noted as a symbolic step to rid the U.S. Capitol of proslavery relics amid a nation reckoning over race. With these actions, which definitely stand as valuable long term successes for the movement, our hope is that they be replaced with images and figures that are respected and deemed positive to society.

Each step in the right direction is one that can walk miles into eternity, but true changes in support of the Black Lives Matter movement must also be ones that affect those who walk the pavement. On a national level there has been a resounding call for action and new solutions that seek to address swift justice and reform; defunding the police; anti-violence training; health disparities; economic challenges and more. Some changes made across the board within these areas could be key factors toward reducing a history of racism in America. Unfortunately, the changes are often gradual, and protocols that have been known to hinder workable solutions are long standing.

Seven years ago this month, the Black Lives Matter movement was launched in the wake of the murder of Trayvon Martin to combat implicit and anti-Black racism and to protect and affirm the value and dignity of all Black lives. The immediate culture of the protest was in response to the fact that then, and multiple times since then, police officers often tried for the offense, were not immediately arrested. Protocols outlined within the process of the law and those supported through police unions have made it difficult for municipalities and complaint review boards to affect immediate change. Current solutions placed on the table, such as defunding the police, have been focused on identifying new ways to support communities by reallocating funds to municipal programs. These funds, in turn, can be used for youth programs, summer jobs and positive opportunities for families to become more involved in the growth and development of their community.

On June 25, 2020 the U.S. House of Representatives strongly supported H.R. 7120, the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act,” which among other things, enforces legislation to hold all law enforcement officials accountable for their actions, ends “qualified immunity” for police officers, ends racial and religious profiling, empowers our communities, establishes uniform polices for the use of force, mandates data collection on police encounters, bans chokeholds and “no knock” warrants, limits military equipment on American Streets, requires body-worn cameras and classifies lynching as a hate crime, therefore making it open to Federal resources for investigations and prosecutions.

Since 2013, the movement has continually moved in the right direction. With the support of allies and those in power to regulate change, we will begin to see this perfect storm subside.

• Shaunese Teamer is executive director of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce.