My best friend, a woman of color called me today to tell me her daughter, 20 years old, who experiences a mental health disorder and Lupus was profiled by the local PoPo for driving/breathing while Black. They pulled her (sirens and beacon lights flashing) and asked her to throw her keys out the window. They had guns drawn. They asked her to exit her vehicle and promptly handcuffed her and forced her to the ground. My friend called the NAACP and the ACLU. Other suggestions? Thank you!
@Sassypants0210 Yes - if they're so inclined, their local jurisdiction may have some sort of pro bono attorney clinics or service, & they might look for a civil rights atty there.
Also, extra therapy or similar for her daughter. She's been traumatized & will need emotional support.
@Sassypants0210 I don't know what that kind of support will look like - therapy, temporar boost in any meds (under doc's supervision), rest & comfort & plenty of everything she needs to physically be healthy... might be religious support, if that's more their jam...
@Sassypants0210 Not knowing more about their lives, the details are less important than just making sure she has trauma-informed support of some kind.
@Sassypants0210 Political rabble-rousing is also an option, if they're up to it: who's the cops' boss? Who's *his* boss? & up from there - who holds them accountable, in that area? Anyone?
& reassurance that they don't actually have to take this all on, if they aren't up for it.
@Sassypants0210 Legal battles are *hard*. They take time & money & energy & can suck your life away. Doesn't mean they aren't worth it, or shouldn't be done, only that it's a good idea to really think & feel about what they *can* do w/o draining themselves. It's perfectly OK if they get fired up & go for it, & perfectly OK if they decide not to.