by Van Jones

About the author: Van Jones is the director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in San Francisco.

Looking to make an example of someone, security forces enter a middle- income neighborhood. Two officers single out a youth for arrest, pick him up and slam him viciously on the pavement. His mother emerges from her home, screaming “My baby! My baby! Stop!” One officer spins around and punches the woman in the stomach, doubling her over.

Seeing this, hundreds of people come pouring out of their houses. They free the boy, rough up the officers and send them on their way. Sirens wailing and lights flashing, the security forces return minutes later intent on restoring order. But the growing crowd—made up of mamas and grandmamas and everyday folks...