Dominick: The bill I'm pushing for is going to be signed by the governor of California tomorrow

Check out the English version at https://www.noxyang.com/post-n8dh3/dominick-i-am-here-because-i-intend-to-be-the-change

  
  Advocacy: An advocacy action that expresses support for a social issue or public policy.

  Student advocate: A person who participates in the above-mentioned advocacy as a student.

  Dominick is an active student advocate currently attending UC Berkeley. I met and interviewed Dominick last week at a summit organized by the UC Student Union in Los Angeles. 

  Dominick's experience takes place in a completely different context from mainland China, and some concepts and judicial procedures may be unfamiliar to domestic readers. But the student strength, belief in justice and action force reflected in his story make me feel that it is necessary to share his story, hoping to inspire more people.

Interviewer: Nox

Interviewee: Dominick

Tell us about your situation?

"My name is Dominick and I studied Political Science at UC Berkeley. I grew up in Sacramento."

I remember you speaking on a bill at a media briefing in front of the California government building during the Student Lobby Conference in Sacramento at the end of March. What is this situation?

"Yes, in March I was invited to a press conference to speak on AB 392 (CA Act to Save Lives).

That bill would impose stricter restrictions on law enforcement officers' access to guns, requiring police officers to use lethal weapons only when there is absolutely no other option. Passing the bill would make California the state with the strictest police gun control. "

"I speak out against this law because I'm a black male living in California — and that statement has several meanings:

This means that even in one of the most radical, diverse, and inclusive regions in the world, as a black person, I am still 6 times more likely than the average person to be suspected and arrested by the police for no reason;

This means that I will be used racial profiling, law enforcement agencies based on racial or ethnic characteristics, rather than individual circumstances, to more suspect or target certain races. In the United States, black and other minorities are often as an object of suspicion);

This means my father will be racially profiled simply because he exists as a black male;

My father is nearly 1.9 meters tall and weighs nearly 100 kilograms. He's big, bald, and dark, so he always fits that profile of a criminal.

This meant that the police would always have the wrong, undeserved impression of my father. "

"So I gave a speech on this issue and encouraged everyone to realize that this is something that we as students should be concerned about. Because this affects not only people outside the education system, but also the parents of students within the system, and even students. Myself - I am experiencing these issues myself.

If students don't feel safe in school, and some can't even go to school because of it, then that's our problem, we're not serving our student body.

At that time, my speech touched a considerable part of the people present. "

So what happened to that bill?

"When I spoke, it was a question of whether the bill would pass the California legislature. After I gave that speech, I continued to work on this matter, organizing and mobilizing a large number of students to make a statement to the legislators by calling or lobbying. stand, express support.

(Note: States in the United States will be open to the public for a certain period of time before the introduction of the law to accept voter policy comments (Bill comment). When the legislator finally decides whether the law is passed, the voter's opinion will be taken into account. Many students Advocacy's actions include mobilizing large numbers of people to take their stand by bombarding legislators with phone calls, text messages, and emails.)

That bill finally passed Parliament a few months ago. Tomorrow, the bill will be formally signed into law by the governor. "

Have you been active in Student advocacy?

"I've been exposed to this stuff since my freshman year, but didn't really get into it until a few years ago. Because then I didn't really realize it was getting worse.

As I just said, I'm from Sacramento. There was a shooting in that city at the time, just 20 minutes from my neighborhood.

That event shocked me a lot, and since then, I've started to do more. Not just rhetorically commenting on current events, posting opinions on social media, giving safety advice to friends, but actually taking some action and doing something. "

So what have you done?

"In addition to my various efforts on this bill, I've helped push for reforms in the way police are enforced across the California system. We're not just looking at police abuse, but how they're hired, how they're oversight, to make sure they do their job."

What are your plans after that?

"I will use my final semester at Berkeley to continue to strive for greater diversity in the faculty and student body.

There is a lot of research showing that the need for diversity benefits both the faculty and the student body. Minority students need to see teachers of the same skin color and similar experiences as them in the classroom to be better understood. At the same time, teachers also need to develop a deeper emotional and professional connection with students of similar backgrounds, so they also need to see students of the same skin color and appearance in the classroom.

So not only for the benefit of the students, but also for the benefit of those who work and research in the education system.

There are other arguments that the more diverse a place is, the easier it is to produce more and better ideas. "

Tell me why you are here and why you want to attend this summit?

"I feel like I have a responsibility to see my work passed on and taken over by people who understand and are willing to fight for it. I want to see them have the ability and confidence to carry on this work.

I want to let more people know through my experience that your voice has weight. You should be as involved as possible in the things you care about.

I myself have been primarily involved in student activities in terms of police accountability, racial diversity.

I'm just a normal person, but I've done a lot of things to improve the problem.

Anyone can do what I do, as long as you have enough determination and patience. "

Summarize in one sentence?

"My name is Dominick and I want to be the change, so here I am."

The above conversation took place on August 18.

On the second day of our interview, the things that Dominick actively promotes mentioned in our conversation

California bill Assembly Bill 392

Officially signed by the Governor of California.

—END—

/ Photography Project i See LA /

Opened in Los Angeles in June 2019 by photographer Nox Yang, collecting stories of people you meet in Los Angeles.

/ Photographer Nox /

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