Middleton: How to turn grief into reform

At a quiet holiday lunch, a friend who is a faith leader and activist surprised me by asking, “Do you think the good will is going to last into the next (legislative) session?” He was referring to the collective grief and longing for unity that followed the tragic violence of 2015 in our state.

I didn’t know how to answer the question. The optimist in me believes that progress toward more justice and fairness is really possible, and that the revulsion against racism and violence felt by so many of us in South Carolina can lead to positive change. The realist in me recognizes that the legislative session is short and the agenda is packed.

Unfortunately, it is packed with measures that don’t advance public safety or ensure equal treatment under the law for everyone in our state. In fact, some bills would promote intolerance and discrimination based on race, ethnic origin or other personal qualities. Not one but at least three measures are aimed against refugees who are fleeing terrorism in their home countries. Some bills aim to protect civil servants who refuse to provide government services to others based on their sexual orientation. Others would exclude some of our fellow South Carolinians from protection against hate crimes.

More promising are the bills that aim to reform historic biases in our criminal justice system. Measures that would end the practice of allowing children to be tried as adults, reduce detention for violation of status offenses and make it easier to expunge minor offenses from the record — all of these are smart reforms to replace the “tough” approach that has filled our jails and prisons. These changes would make it possible for more people in our state to stay in school, apply to college and hold a job.

Proposals to end harsh school discipline, dramatized in the Richland 2 school arrests this autumn, also are directed against over-reliance on law enforcement. Criminalizing student misconduct all too often results in school pushout that disproportionately affects children of color. Several bills would promote better policies and less policing in schools.

And in a year in which our state logged a record number of police shootings, most notably in Seneca, Columbia, Walterboro and North Charleston, we hope to see real progress in reforming police practices. Our legislators can and should protect citizens’ right to record the police, while ensuring that video from police dashcams and body cameras can, as appropriate, be accessed by the press and public.

Real public safety and security depends on citizens’ ability to trust the police. It depends on recognizing the rights of our neighbors to be treated with dignity, despite our differences. It depends on a collective sense that justice must be administered equally, without regard to race or ethnic background, sexual orientation or gender identity, or income.

Our hope for 2016 is that our legislators will be moved by the tragedies of the past year to make enacting these reforms a priority. But hope is not a strategy, so our New Year’s resolution is to turn from remembrance to action and advocate for smart justice and equal treatment to prevail in South Carolina.

This story was originally published January 3, 2016 at 11:25 PM.