True democracy requires collaboration

I walked between a line of Los Angeles Police Department officers brandishing their batons and a crowd of protesters berating those officers on Sunday, June 7.

It was a déjà vu moment for me.

More than 50 years ago, I was righteously yelling at cops during student protests against the Vietnam War. Like the current protesters, we held up signs and insisted on our First Amendment right to tell our government of the people, by the people, and for the people what the people wanted. We spoke loudly, boldly and confidently that we represented the people. After all, the 26^th Amendment lowering the voting age to 18 was passed on March 23, 1971, and was ratified by July 1, 1971. The whole country was with us ... or so we thought.

The anti-war candidate was Sen. George McGovern. Our opposition was the incumbent President Richard Nixon. I cast my first federal election ballot for McGovern and was certain he would win, despite the polling.

Instead, Nixon won 49 out of 50 states and took 60.7% of the popular vote.

What happened? Everyone around me agreed with me. We were all anti-war. We were the new generation changing the world.

What I forgot, or did not want to see, was that "We the People" is more than just my friends and those marching with me. "We" is all of "us." The police officers. The President (I did not vote for). The citizens who watched us on television and saw ungrateful, immature, destructive and disrespectful kids who do not have enough experience in the world to have any common sense.

The unique beauty and challenge of a democracy of the people, by the people, and for the people is that to form a more perfect union, we cannot be blind to what others see and hear and believe. We does not mean "my way or the highway." We does not mean we can disdain or disregard those who hate or disrespect us. We does not mean to fear each other, divide, and run to the safety of our group.

If we want to move our democracy toward justice and fairness, we need to live and normalize our ideals and not just reciprocate the injustices of others. When we gather peacefully, we are speaking through multiple channels to those with whom we disagree. They cannot hear us if they are distracted by news loops of fires, graffiti, violence and property damage.

But with humble non-violent vulnerability, like that demonstrated by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, George Floyd, and the No Kings gatherings on Sat., June 14, we can discourage hate and encourage trust and collaboration.

At the heart of our democracy is the rule of law. Not just any rule. But a humble set of expectations and agreements that assures: (1) We all have a chance to be heard; (2) We all are treated with dignity and respect; (3) We all are subject to transparent rules that are fair and not at the whim of someone in power; and (4) We all are governed and judged by trustworthy (credible, reliable, vulnerable and selfless) people.

Using these procedural justice principles, Lyndsey Olson, St. Paul, MN's city attorney, a former JAG officer in Iraq, helped the St. Paul Police Department bravely shun military gear and tactics during the 450 days of protests that followed the death of George Floyd. While the twin city across the river battled fires and armed conflict, St. Paul had zero claims of civil rights violations.

Other police chiefs (Chris Swanson, Flint, MI; Andy Mills, Santa Cruz, CA; Kenneth Miller, Petersburg, VA; Anthony Ambrose, Newark, NJ; Joe Wysocki, Camden, NJ; Art Acevedo, Houston, TX) had similar results when they put down their batons, took off their helmets, listened, kneeled and walked with the protesters. It is amazing how much cooperation can be achieved when we humbly treat each other with respect rather than try to dominate with force.

The assassinated Minnesota state Speaker of the House, Melissa Hortman was a shining example of seeing past differences and embracing the larger goal of a democracy - to work through conflicts for the greater good.

Known for her skilled bipartisan negotiating ability, Speaker Horton led the passage of a sweeping liberal agenda with a paper-thin Democratic majority. In 2024, her party's losses ended her term as Speaker. Still, she negotiated with her Republican counterparts.

Last week, when Republicans refused to budge, Hortman was the lone Democrat to vote for a bill that eliminated a healthcare plank, for which she fought dearly, to avoid a potential government shutdown. Right up until her death, Melissa Hortman courageously chose pragmatic collaboration for the greater good over ideological purity.

As she recognized, when she was first elected Speaker in 2019, "We are not here to avoid conflict. We are here precisely to have conflict. It's an important part of the democratic process. But if we can have that conflict with good humor and humility, we'll be better off and Minnesota will be better off." 

We are all in this together. We can accomplish great things if we see each other as fellow human beings with similar hopes, dreams, and fears.

Hating and treating each other as enemies only creates fear and revenge, and more fear and more revenge. It does not help us build. We cannot hear each other until we de-escalate and give each other the grace to feel safe enough to be vulnerable, kind, and compassionate. "We" live in the land of the free because we are the home of the brave. Let's show a little bravery - and not let Melissa Hortman's amazing leadership and legacy die in vain - by making courageous collaboration cool again.