By Noah Dawson

I’ve been told by a few people that they are surprised I support recent protests against police brutality that has disproportionately harmed black people. I’m a guy who got mad when Amarillo’s City Council changed meeting times. I literally protested that. I even wrote an angry column after the city manager refused to call the way the times were advertised a mistake. Of course I’m mad that black people are being murdered by police.

While being angry about systemic racism resulting in the loss of lives is completely justified, I also know from experience that being angry about a political cause isn’t enough to fix the issue. Actual solutions are needed. The hashtags, slogans, and platitudes shared on social media are nice, but raising awareness isn’t the end of the problem. Policy must change. Until then, protests won’t stop, and honestly should not stop, because black lives will still be in danger.

One of the most visible proposals has been the Ending Qualified Immunity Act, being led in the House of Representatives by Justin Amash, a Libertarian from Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat from Massachusetts. The act would, as indicated by the title, end qualified immunity, a legal doctrine which has been used to stifle the ability of Americans who have had their rights violated by police to sue. Qualified immunity, in my opinion, has acted as a middle finger to the Bill of Rights since being created by the courts in 1967. It needs to be done away with.

That isn’t the only policy that needs to change. There needs to be a mechanism to prevent officers fired for misconduct in one place from being hired elsewhere. There are also problems that stem from officers not living in the communities they police which could be solved by residency requirements. Some form of independent oversight such as citizen boards should be established to investigate misconduct. Stricter rules about body cams need to be put into place. This of course is nowhere near an exhaustive list of policies regarding the police that need to be changed, and many more have been proposed and should be put into place. But, perhaps most importantly, we need to abolish the long list of victimless crimes that are on the books. The war on drugs must end. The exorbitant taxes placed on various goods, thus creating a market for untaxed goods, must be repealed.

The solution to these problems cannot be declaring war on Americans. Policy must change. How can this happen? Contact elected officials at the federal, state, and local level. Online petitions are okay, legally binding ones (such as ballot initiative petitions) are better. Research candidates, especially those running in down-ballot races. Register to vote. Look into how you can help register people to vote. The Amarillo branch of the NAACP is hosting an event at Bones Hooks Park tomorrow, June 6th, starting at 11 am, where they will help people register to vote. Vote.