(WXYZ) — As protests continue across America including here in Detroit, it’s still unclear what happens next. Will change come and if so, what could it look like?
Eric Williams of the Detroit Justice Center is a Detroiter. He’s seen this insidious thing we call racism throughout his life.
He’s a social justice lawyer, who’s been working overtime, and hopes that this moment in our history leads to systemic change.
“We’ve been involved with putting together information for people who are out protesting in case they happen to get arrested, I think what we really need to be thinking about is not just changing how law enforcement works, but reimagine what public safety means,” he says. “Over the last four years we’ve spent I guess 20 million dollars on project green light related surveillance alone. If I told you, you have 20 million dollars to make Detroit safer is that what you would spend it on?”
Williams suggest instead of budgets going to surveillance and military equipment for police, some of the issues faced today can begin to be dealt with by dealing with years of disinvestment, education, recreation, infrastructure, job training.
That’s some of the kindling for the anger on the street, the violence at the hands of police, he says, was the match.
This conversation, this story however in his eyes is a sign that the protests, are leading to change.
“What we are seeing now is engagement by groups that didn’t feel the need to be engaged before. Quite frankly we’re seeing young white people who care about these issues and who have been activated in a way they simply weren’t 4 or 5 years ago,” he says. “This can’t evolve into politicians you know taking a few steps so they can say oh I’ve done something.”
And while some of the proposals Governor Whitmer floated this week are good steps, Williams says it will take time, elections, and people’s hearts to change and heal this country.
“It comes down to how you see yourself and how you want your children to see their lives and what you did to shape that. Dad - what were you doing in 2020? Mom what were you doing in 2020?,” he says.
