Last week we witnessed not only the storming of the U.S. Capitol but a stark reminder that our justice system is imperfect. In June 2020 the D.C. National Guard flanked the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during a peaceful protest against police brutality and the death of George Floyd. In January 2021, rioters had already made it inside the Capitol before the D.C. National Guard was activated. The disparity in response did not go unnoticed. Many colleagues and friends of mine wondered out loud last week how things would have been different had those rioters been Black. This continues the conversation from last year where lawyers I know shared that they were scared for their children’s lives when they are pulled over for a traffic violation or refused to let them wear a hoodie for fear of being shot. This may not be your experience, or mine, but it has been the experience of some of our colleagues.
This is one of the many reasons why the SDCBA created an Anti-Racism sub-committee of the Committee of Diversity and Inclusion last year. Maybe we can’t change the world. But we can work to change our legal community. As we said last year in our statement after the death of George Floyd we can and should do better.
As lawyers who prosecute, lawyers who defend, lawyers who appear in courts, lawyers who advise, lawyers who mentor the next generation, we can contribute to a better justice system starting right here in San Diego. Tonight we will do just that at our Exchange on Equity Roundtable: Leading as a Community. Please join us.
Yours,
Renée N.G. Stackhouse
2021 SDCBA President
Reading now: Raising Good Humans by Hunter Clarke-Fields, MSAE
Listening to: Where the Streets Have No Name by U2
What are you reading or listening to? Tag us #sdcba