Don't champion civility and stay silent on injustice

Kary L. Moss | Detroit Free Press

This week there was a public call for civility from an impressive list of Michigan leaders. I, too, join that sentiment and condemn any kind of violent threats or personal attacks against individuals and their families.

It is a good first step but a call to action should also include a commitment to protect the most vulnerable among us. It comes on the heels of attacks against leaders in the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, attacks no one should endure. Many of the signatories on the letter have certainly spoken up but not all. For too long the silence from our leaders has been deafening when it comes to government scapegoating, targeting or ignoring vulnerable communities. For that reason, I do not believe this call for civility will have the desired impact. There is a profound imbalance of power at play and it is a serious error to ignore the consequences if we value living in a state where reasonable people can disagree and the normal give and take of politics allowed to flourish.

People are angry and afraid because they do not believe that representative government works for them. They feel powerless because they know that the playing field is not fair. They feel invisible because there has been a telling silence over attacks against Muslims and immigrants, the LGBT community, a free press, ICE raids at safe havens such as schools and hospitals, hate crimes and incidents, mocking of the disabled, racist attacks on Mexicans, juvenile name-calling and belittling of opponents, physically assaulting women — all acts of great incivility.

Martin Luther King, Jr, in a speech delivered in Grosse Pointe, said the following about the subject, while promoting non-violence: “...it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard.”

More on civility:

►Letter: Join us, commit to civility in public discourse

►Kaffer: Civility is for chumps — in defense of anger

►Column: On civility: don't be nice, be a good citizen

I fear things will get worse unless our state’s elected officials and leaders demand of each other a generosity of spirit and willingness to support public policies that enhance democracy. This moment demands that leaders demonstrate that bi-partisanship is possible and necessary. It demands that elected officials, particularly at a time of one-party rule, act to ensure that more, not fewer, voices are at the table and heard. This is how we build confidence in our system of justice upon which the stability of our democracy rests. This is how we move forward.

Kary L. Moss

Executive Director, ACLU of Michigan

