Russell Brand & Alay Dangal: Love the Police

In the video below, British comedian and activist Russell Brand talks about attending the Anti-Austerity march in London, which he saw as a “display” of people creating positive culture together.

Then, most interestingly, Brand calls for people to protest on behalf of the police, noting how police are caught up in the same repressive system as everyone else. Brand says that he has spoken with several police, who complain about awful pensions and the loss of their jobs to private security firms.

“The police force are our police force,” Brand says. “Is there a way for the police to be once more integrated into our communities?”

It’s worth thinking about Brand’s call-to-action in light of alay dangal, a Filippino term for active nonviolence that essentially means “to offer dignity.” It was with alay dangal that the Philippines People Power movement unraveled Marcos’ dictatorial regime. By offering soldiers food, water, and humanizing conversation, activists tipped the scales in the people’s favor.

With the latest episodes of police brutality in mind, it’s not surprising that Brand’s #lovethepolice sparked a bit of outrage in the press and on social media. Yet he’s onto something: showing compassion for the police may be our best means of moving their hearts. (Side note: I touched upon changing the hearts of police in a Metta post last year).

Here’s a similar way of looking at, from something Michael Nagler writes in The Nonviolence Handbook: A Guide for Practical Action: “Because all violence begins in the failure or refusal to recognize another as fully human, the deeper reaches of nonviolence must involve (re)awakening the humanity of one’s opponent.”

What do you think? Brand mentions the police at around 4:54.