Voting for Obama did not protect black activists from police violence

Evidence

Gwen Ifill of PBS held a town hall meeting in Ferguson soon after the protests erupted. Law enforcement, government officials, thought leaders, and activists reflected on the tense days following Michael Brown’s death. Tef Poe of Hands Up United expressed his loss of faith in the country. For him, and many others in the room, “the system is broken.” Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri said she understood his position, but urged him and other young black people to get involved in the political process—to run for office and, most important, to vote. Tef Poe’s response was telling. “What do you say to those of us that are [politicized]? I voted for Barack Obama twice and still got teargassed.” It was a stunning dismissal of the power of the ballot. — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Democracy in Black, 606

Categorization

• QUESTION: This is the empirical anchor of Glaude’s whole argument that electoral loyalty to Democrats is not protective. Does the fact that this activist got teargassed despite voting twice for Obama still function as evidence today?
• XREF: connects to: Constitutional protections failed to prevent police violence that fueled Black Lives Matter. — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 4326