Solomon Jones

Ten Lives, Ten Demands Solomon Jones

Told through his perspective as an activist, acclaimed commentator Solomon Jones tells the stories of real people whose lives and deaths pushed the Black Lives Matter movement forward. He explains how each act of violence was incited by specific instances of structural racism, and he details concrete and actionable strategies to address crimes committed by our “justice” system. The ten demands he makes here form an actionable plan to repair our past, change the present, and bring justice to the future—assuring that these victims did not suffer or die in vain: • George Floyd: Pay financial reparations to Black communities that have been damaged by legalized racism. • Michael Brown: Use consent decrees to reform police departments that demonstrate a “pattern or practice” of racism and police brutality. • Hassan Bennett: Offer compensation for all those who are wrongfully imprisoned. • Breonna Taylor: Require functioning body cameras and ban no-knock warrants. • Eric Garner: Make public all police disciplinary and dismissal records. • Alton Sterling: Change federal law to allow prosecution of flagrant law-breakers within police departments. • Tamir Rice: Use independent prosecutors to eliminate conflicts of interest. • Trayvon Martin: Eliminate stand-your-ground laws. • Deborah Danner: Defund the police, and move funds to trained social workers, mental-health professionals, and conflict-resolution specialists. • Sandra Bland: End racial profiling.