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Goddess Amani

Immanuel Goldmann says, “A system that is based on the submission of people and is established through fear and terror does not guarantee security, but this is the only system that governments have resorted to so far. Social agreement and peace are formed through the solidarity of interests. In a society where people always work but do not benefit from their efforts, solidarity of interests is an illusion. Therefore, social agreement has no meaning or concept. Therefore, the entire apparatus of governments, laws, police, army, court, legislative power, prison, etc. are heavily involved in bringing this contradictory system to an agreement and establishing order.” (1)

In democratic societies, there is a clear distinction between the limits and scope of government power and the people, and the government can only act within the framework set by the law. Civil society institutions are a symbol of the people’s power and monitor the activities of the government and its affiliated institutions to ensure that the rights of citizens are not violated and the demands and needs of citizens, especially marginalized social groups, are addressed in society.

Authoritarian regimes do not respect this distinction and hold the entire social, political, and economic system of society under their dark shadow. The economy of society is concentrated in the hands of power-dependent institutions and individuals who are part of the narrow circle of the powerful. The proliferation of political parties and institutions in power-oriented governments is not news, and the government exercises its power in all areas of citizens’ public and even private lives through the use of violence and its own mechanisms. The existence and vitality of a healthy and dynamic civil society requires basic human freedoms, as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and approved by the international community, including the freedoms of association, expression, and religion, and the functioning of these civil society institutions actually complements the role and function of the government.

The mechanisms of democratic societies and creating change through mobilizing social forces, dialogue and large-scale social discussions, and interaction around key issues and social tensions, and then drafting and refining laws take place. However, interaction in a society where social and political freedoms do not exist, where citizens cannot come together and express their opinions in a safe space, address challenges, identify social divides, and try to interpret them is not possible.

In Iran, despite the presence of a significant number of non-governmental organizations, due to the lack of social freedoms, social activists and human rights defenders are not able to express their opinions, criticisms, and beliefs; because people like Bahareh Hedayat, a student activist, and women’s rights activist, are accused of “insulting the presidency and the supreme leader and acting against national security”, or people like Narges Mohammadi, who protests against the alarming rate of executions in Iranian society, are thrown into prison; activists who deserve to be praised by society because they strive for a society where human rights are respected.

With this introduction, we will delve into one of the exercises of democracy and its manifestation in daily life in American society.

The Institute for Nonviolence Los Angeles (INVLA) (2) held a series of conversations and interactions between citizens and the Los Angeles Police Department in August 2015 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Watts (3) movement, which caused over $40 million in damages during a 6-day riot. This was one of the largest protests for civil rights in America, in response to the violence perpetrated by the American police, particularly against black people living in impoverished neighborhoods. This issue has been a major social tension in American society. The conversations were organized in collaboration with numerous civil institutions in Los Angeles, organizations that actively work towards social peace, and organizations that advocate for the demands and rights of the people and strive to create a safe and secure environment for youth in the cities of Los Angeles County.

Naturally, the inhumane treatment and violence towards African Americans has its roots in the shameful history of slavery. Although American society has come a long way in terms of human and civil rights for its citizens, there are still layers of racial discrimination present in society towards non-white residents, which manifests itself in the economic and social life of the community.

Police in America resort to violence on a shocking scale compared to other European and North American countries. According to a Guardian investigation in the first 6 months of 2015, 732 people were killed by police in America and it is estimated that this number will reach 1100 by the end of 2015. Of the people who have lost their lives at the hands of police, for every 1 million people, 83.1 white people, 2 Latin Americans, and 64.4 black people were killed. Additionally, 102 of those killed by police were unarmed. In the same report, it is stated that in the 24 days of June 2015, 59 people were killed by police in America, while in the past 24 years in England, 55 people were killed by police (with a population of 316.1 million in America and 56.9 million in England).

The interesting point is that police violence, especially towards black people living in poor areas, although it is one of the social challenges and tensions in America that has its roots in economic and cultural poverty and long-standing racial discrimination in America; but in the context of relative democracy in America, civil society and independent institutions from the government, the existence of social freedoms such as freedom of assembly and expression, allows for interaction between citizens and the police in a safe space.

In a series of non-violent conversations held by the Institute in Los Angeles, I had the honor of being invited by the organization Mediators Beyond Borders International to facilitate one of these discussions. The title of these conversations was “The Future Role of Police and Maintaining Order.”

The location of this session, of which I was one of the organizers, was at the office of the “Coalition for Youth Justice”. The goal of this coalition is to help and support young people in order to familiarize them with their rights, empower youth, bring back black youth from impoverished neighborhoods to a healthy life, combat armed and street gangs, and promote social and economic justice. It is the voice of young people who, due to poverty and racial discrimination, are trapped in violence and addiction and are unable to utilize their potential for their own and their surrounding community’s prosperity. Approximately 120 citizens and residents of the area, along with 4 police officers, including two black, one white, and one female, were present at this center.

From the few minutes that there was an opportunity for the session to begin, I took advantage and took pictures of the paintings on the wall by the neighborhood youth. In the corner of the community hall, there was a memorial with multiple candles and pictures of young people who had been killed by the police in this neighborhood. This permanent display in the large community hall serves as a reminder that the cycle of social violence must be broken and that through non-violent means and relying on civil resistance, we must seek solutions to social tensions and conflicts.

The group that I led consisted of 15 individuals with diverse ages, genders, and sexual orientations. As mentioned, a white police officer also joined our group and the majority of our group were black residents of the neighborhood.

In this group, there was a mother who, 7 years ago, had her son killed by the police. She was a young woman with her 3-year-old child, whose boyfriend had also been killed by the police. The discussion began with anger, protest, and insults from the locals towards the police. Some people, who may have never been able to express their anger towards the police in a safe space, were now face to face with them. The police officer in our group was someone with high skills in interacting in such situations and was able to reduce tension with his calm words.

Effective and interesting suggestions were finally collected by the community to reduce violence by the police, some of which included the following points:

1- Preserving security and creating a safe environment for young people involves the process of economic justice, access to educational facilities, and establishing centers to attract young people to healthy group activities.

2- The police in each neighborhood should be from that same neighborhood so that they can be familiar with the dynamics and relationships of the citizens and residents of the area and, from a cultural perspective, be able to establish connections with the residents of the neighborhood.

In the neighborhood where the meeting was held, a few months ago, a young man who everyone knew was “mentally disabled” (in colloquial terms, mentally challenged) was killed by the police and a few people mentioned that if the police were from that neighborhood, they would have been well aware of this issue and could have dealt with the young man without violence.

3- To maintain security, trust between citizens and the police force is crucial, but this trust does not exist in current circumstances.

4- The internal culture of police departments is contaminated with mental stereotypes and racial beliefs and needs to be diagnosed and addressed.

5- The role of the police is to maintain public safety and to prevent harassment and disturbance on the streets. Using this as an excuse to stop and use violence against individuals who are neither armed nor displaying violent behavior should be legally pursued.

At the end, one of the middle-aged women in the group said, “You protect the system and the system protects you; that’s why justice is never served for the police officers who initiate violence against the law.”

The report that is compiled by multiple facilitators throughout these sessions, from the collection of discussions and feedback, can encompass constructive suggestions for reducing violence and finding solutions for this series of social conflicts.

I left this experience with the hope that one day we can benefit from such manifestations of democracy in our daily lives in Iran. Achieving democracy and respecting the civil rights of citizens in Iran requires structural changes that can be achieved through coordination and harmony of various social movements and the presence of millions of people in these movements. As Arundhati Roy says, “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”

Postscripts:

1- Either Goldmann, a political activist, writer, and speaker who played a significant role in shaping political philosophy in Europe and America in the first half of the 20th century.

2- For more information, visit the website “

This is a website for the Iranian National Virtual Library.

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3- The Watts Riots, is one of the most significant civil protests in America. On August 11, 1965, Marquette Frye, a black motorist, was stopped by a white state police officer named Lee Miniky on suspicion of drunk driving. This led to a violent clash between the police and the people, resulting in a 6-day uprising and protest. During these 6 days, 14,000 National Guard troops were mobilized in South Los Angeles and a 45-mile military zone was established. In these protests, 35 people were killed, thousands were injured, and 4,000 were arrested. The Watts Riots were a result of poverty, unemployment, harsh living conditions, lack of educational opportunities, and other social, economic, and cultural deficiencies. For more information, visit the website “/resources/crdl_2016-02-29_1/

This is a link to the Civil Rights Digital Library, dated February 29, 2016.

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