Tonight the Orange County Redistricting Advisory Committee (RAC) met for the next to last time at the Orange County Administration building downtown. The committee has been involved in the process of redistricting for over 20 weeks now and we are finally about to reach a conclusion.
Next week the RAC will meet for the last time to present its final map. The lone proposal, or maybe proposals, will be presented to the Orange County Commission for final consideration.
In regards to how the final map will be drawn, some in the community are upset that there may not be a majority minority Hispanic district, others are angry that the African-American community may be diluted and a few people like nothing that’s been presented.
Allow me to dust off my soapbox for a moment.
Throughout this entire process the Hispanic community has come out in force to demand a majority minority district in their favor. There is even a potential lawsuit if no district with a majority Hispanic population is created.
I wish I could say the same for the black community. To the credit of David Rucker and a few others who have worked tirelessly for a fair district for both the Hispanic and African-American, these are the individuals who truly care for complete and equal fairness for all and not just a few.
But how many times must we go through this type of process where there is little to no participation from the black community? Why do we continue this toxic process of not being involved in something that directly affects our community? Or why are we so quick to move after we are affected?
Do we not realize the danger in that? Do we not see that taking that path has led us down a treacherous road filled with regret and inaction?
The same goes for Mr. Troy Davis.
There is doubt surrounding his guilt in the crime of murdering a Georgia police officer. Seven of the key eye witnesses involved in the case have recanted and some have stated that they were coerced by police to say that Davis indeed committed the crime.
Davis was scheduled to be executed by the state of Georgia tonight, but there was a last minute temporary stay to delay his execution. By the time this article is published we should know if Davis is a free man spiritually, or if he remains with us physically.
But what’s bigger than the potential execution of Davis is our response to it. Tonight via twitter, facebook and other social networking engines I’ve seen thousands of people cry and call out for clemency for Troy Davis. Many stating that he’s innocent and deserves to live.
What angers and irks me about this new social media activism is that there is no physical action and no follow-up to this microwaved anger. I believe what’s happening to Troy is wrong and that the United States of America may execute yet another innocent man of color.
Yet what happens when that one moment of antagonism fails to morph into a larger movement? We have another Troy Davis case next week or next year or within the next decade.
Its past time for our community, the black community, to get involved before we are punched in the face. Before that politician decides to remove money from your district and place in another, get on the offensive for a change. When that young man faces death row for a crime he says he didn’t commit, find something within that case that affected the outcome and try to change it.
Redistricting will shape the way we vote for the next ten years and if you failed to get involved, then your complaints may fall on deaf ears.
I just hope you have someone to listen when your voice is muffled.
Good article, keep up the good reporting work!