There is a lot of controversy about what “Defund the Police” means. To the point where I thought about taking down the last post. Because the way I wrote that, if I am being completely honest with myself, it was polarizing. It assumes all police officers and their departments are to blame for the current problems we are facing. When we champion only one idea as a simple chant, we ignore the complexity of our humanity. We lash out at everyone when we wage what we think is a righteous war. And isn’t every cause we are each fighting righteous to us? The problem with any justified rage is the…

The influence of protests has been a life long interest of mine. I often found Martin Luther King Jr. inspiring because he understood the way violent protests would be perceived. He understood human beings in ways that we have either forgotten or refuse to acknowledge. To me the most important thing he did was teach protesters what to expect, how to have courage in the face of overwhelming odds, and how to command presence through peace. That is over simplifying it, because he knew that not everyone was motivated by the same reasons. Which is why he continuously reminded and refocused people who participated and supported his movement.  Sometimes when…