To our loved ones,
The U.S. is burning. The protests that started in Minnesota after the murder of George Floyd have spread to all fifty states and D.C., as well as in other countries. This is not just a demonstration against the killing of one person – this is the uprising of the community that has been systematically oppressed and killed by state mechanisms for centuries. Other communities have joined in solidarity and added their voices against injustice against Black communities.
Almost everywhere, the protests have been largely peaceful. But the government has deployed armed police, tanks used in warzones, and the military against protesters holding banners. They have used force against unarmed protestors. Compare this to when white men with guns entered the Michigan state capital just a few weeks ago and nothing was done.
Yes, in some cities, there has been some vandalism and some shops have been looted. People have started to say that protests should be peaceful. The fact is, there have been peaceful protests for decades. There have been many peaceful marches, many stories and poems have been written, artists have given speeches, athletes have taken the knee during national anthems, they wore T-shirts with slogans – all peacefully. But what was the impact?
Police atrocities and impunity continued. Police kept killing black and brown people, one after another. White people chased people to death. The victims’ families did not find justice. Tired of peaceful protests, anger became explosive. It was because of this very explosion of anger that there has been at least some justice, and swift action was taken against the policeman who killed George Floyd.
Yes, some property has been destroyed. Some businesspeople have been affected. But as Ruhel Islam, the Bangladeshi American restaurant owner in Minneapolis said when his own restaurant was burned, “We can rebuild a building, but we cannot rebuild a human.”
We have also heard comments that the protests are dividing the country. But the real division is being created by the President, police and white supremacists who have escalated peaceful protests. Don’t buy into the rhetoric of the oppressors, we can unify for Black lives and justice.
What value system do we hold? Are a few things in Target more precious than George Floyd’s life? Is our property more valuable than Black lives?
We join in solidarity with Black communities to demand that the city end the curfew and defund the NYPD and invest in Black communities.
Always with you in the fight for justice.
Your well wishers, Adhikaar
आदरणीय प्रियजनहरु,
अमेरिका अहिले जलिरहेको छ। जर्ज फ्लोइडको हत्याले मिनेसोटामा शुरु भएको विरोध प्रदर्शन अमेरिकाको पचासै राज्य र डि. सि. देखि अन्य देशहरुमा पनि फैलिएको छ। यो एक जना व्यक्तिको हत्याको प्रतिकार मात्रहोइन – यो त शदियौं देखि राज्य संरचना ले दबाईएको र हत्या गरिएको समुदायको चित्कार हो। अरु समुदायहरुले पनि अन्यायको विरुद्ध साथ दिन एक्यबद्दता आवाज थपेका छन्।
प्राय सबै ठाउँमा प्रदर्शनहरु शान्तिपूर्ण नै रहेका छन्, तर पनि ब्यानर बोकेका प्रदर्शनकारीहरुलाई नियन्त्रण गर्न सरकारले सशस्त्र प्रहरी, युद्धमा चलाइने ट्यांक र सेना समेत परिचालन गरेको छ। तिनीहरुले निहत्था प्रदर्शनकारीहरु माथि बल प्रयोग गरेका छन्। तुलनात्मक रुपमा हेर्दा ,केहि हप्ताह अघि मिचिगन स्टेट क्यापिटल मा स्वेत मान्छेहरुले बन्दुक लिएर पस्दा केहि पनि गरिएन।
हो, केहि शहरमा तोडफोड भयो र केहि पसलबाट सामान लुटियो। मान्छेहरुले भन्न थाले कि शान्त रूपमा विरोध गरे त भैहाल्यो। शान्त रूपमा विरोध भएको त दशकौं भैसक्यो। शान्तिपूर्ण तरिकाले कैयन जुलुसहरु निस्किए, कैयौं कथा कविताहरु लेखिए, कलाकारहरुले भाषण गरे, खेलाडीहरुले राष्ट्रिय गान बजाउँदा घुँडा टेके, टिशर्टमा नारा लेखेर लगाए – तर त्यसको असरले के भयो त?
प्रहरीको अत्याचार र दण्डहीनता कायम नै रह्यो। एक पछि अर्को काला र अन्य अश्वेतव्यक्तिहरुलाई प्रहरीले मार्दै गए। गोराहरूले लखेटी लखेटी मारे। मृतकका परिवारहरुले कहिल्यै न्याय पाएनन्। शान्त रूपले विरोध गर्दा गर्दा थाकेको रीस आज आएर विस्फोट भयो। यहि विस्फोटकै कारण जर्ज फ्लोइडको हत्यारा पुलिस माथि यति थोरै दिनमै केहि त कारवाही भयो।
हो, केहि धनमालको क्षति भएको छ। केहि व्यापारीहरुलाई असर परेको छ। तर जसरी मिनियापोलिसका रेस्टुराँ मालिक बांग्लादेशी अमेरिकी रूहेल इस्लामले आफ्नै रेस्टुराँ जल्दा भने, “भवन त फेरि बनाउन सकिन्छ, मरेको मान्छेलाई फर्काउन सकिन्न।”
यि प्रदर्शनहरुले देशलाई बिभाजित गर्छ भन्ने टिप्पणीहरु पनि सुन्नमा आएको छ। तर अहिलेको राष्ट्रपति, पुलिस र श्वेत-वर्चश्व वादीहरुले शान्तिपूर्ण प्रदर्शनहरुलाई उकासेर असली विभाजनको सृजना गरि रहेका छन्। दमनकारीहरुको शब्द जालमा नफसौं – काला मानिसहरुहरुको जीवन र न्यायको लागि एक हौं।
हामी कस्तो मूल्य र मान्यतामा विश्वास गर्छौं? के टार्गेटका केहि सामान जर्ज फ्लोइडको जीवन भन्दा मुल्यवान छ? के ति वस्तुहरु काला मानिसहरुको जीवनको अस्तित्व भन्दा मुल्यवान छन्?
यी समुदायहरुको माग प्रति हामी ऐक्यबद्धता जनाउँछौं कि कर्फ्यू हटाउने र न्यू योर्क पुलिस डिपार्टमेन्ट (NYPD) को बजेट घटाएर सो रकम काला समुदायहरुको उत्थानमा लगानि गराइयोस।
न्यायको लडाईमा सँधै तपाईंहरुको साथ,
तपाईंहरुकै शुभचिन्तक, अधिकार