Bret Fetzer is a writer and director of film and theater. Courtesy of Bret Fetzer
Good morning. It’s Thursday, June 11, and just because things are (momentarily) peaceful between SPD and demonstrators doesn’t mean this fight is over.
The movement to defund the police and reinvest that money in communities hardest hit by centuries of racist law enforcement is only just beginning. We need everyone in this fight. For years, The Stranger has been encouraging white people to start talking about racism as a white-person problem. Last week, the director Brandon Ivie made a message tackling this subject directly, and today the writer Bret Fetzer joins him.
“We can’t put the responsibility for changing the system on the shoulders of people of color when that system is designed to prevent them from changing it,” Bret says. “That is a whole other form of do-nothing racism. That is white people not taking responsibility for cleaning up their own shit.”
Bret has been making theater, film, and fairy tales in Seattle for over 30 years. He’s a former artistic director of Annex Theatre.
As he points out in his message: “In 2006, the FBI reported that white supremacists were infiltrating police departments throughout the country. And if anything was done about that—if that even came to be seen as something that something should be done about—I’m not aware of it.”
He has a message to other white people who have not been engaged in this fight: “Speaking as a white person to other white people: Do something. Do whatever you can. March in protests. Donate to anti-racist causes…” His list of ideas goes on.
Thanks for speaking out and speaking up, Bret.
See you at tomorrow’s Black Lives Matter march.
Have a good day, everyone.
* *
Previously in this series:
Kyle O’Quin’s message to the city on June 10.
Elisheba Johnson’s message to the city on June 9.
Michael Jinsoo Lim’s message to the city on June 8.
Brandon Ivie’s message to the city on June 5.
Kimya Dawson’s message to the city on June 4.
Jennifer Nelson’s message to the city on June 3.
Erin Jorgensen’s message to the city on June 2.
Brangien Davis and Daniel Spils’s message to the city on June 1.
Timothy De Clue’s message to the city on May 29.
Elizabeth Aquino’s message to the city on May 28.
Christopher Frizzelle’s message to the city on May 27.
Elby Brosch’s message to the city on May 26.
Mila Skyy’s message to the city on May 22.
Michael Lee’s message to the city on May 21.
SassyBlack’s message to the city on May 20.
Seattle Symphony horn section’s message to the city on May 19.
Lori Goldston’s message to the city on May 18.
Ibidunni Ojikutu’s message to the city on May 15.
RL Heyer’s message to the city on May 14.
Garth Stein’s message to the city on May 13.
Okanomodé’s message to the city on May 12.
Zoe Scofield’s message to the city on May 11.
Aham Oluo’s message to the city on May 8.
Pete Rush’s message to the city on May 7.
Trent Moorman’s message to the city on May 6.
Renée Valencia’s message to the city on May 5.
Justin Huertas’s message to the city on May 4.
Charles Mudede’s message to the city on May 1.
Kathryn Rathke’s message to the city on April 30.
Anthony White’s message to the city on April 30.
Miss Texas 1988’s message to the city.
Matt Bishop’s message on April 27.
Cherdonna’s message to the city on April 26.
Shenandoah Davis’s message to the city on April 25.
Lorena González’s message to the city on April 24.
Clyde Petersen’s message to the city on April 23.
David Ritt’s message to the city on April 22.
Sara Porkalob’s message to the city on April 21.
Julia Sweeney’s message to the city on April 20.
Linda Derschang’s message to the city on April 19.
Molly Sides’s message to the city on April 18.
Nick Garrison’s message to the city on April 17.
Tomo Nakayama’s message to the city on April 16.
Rebecca M. Davis’s message to the city April 15.
Heather McHugh’s message to the city on April 14.
Brandon O’Neill’s message to the city on April 13.
Kate Wallich’s message to the city on April 12.
Rebecca Brown’s message to the city on April 11.
Lucien Postlewaite’s message to the city on April 10.
Betty Wetter’s message to the city on April 9.
Amanda Morgan’s message to the city on April 8.
Nancy Guppy’s message to the city on April 7.
Jonathan Biss’s message to the city on April 6.
Chris Jeffries’s message to the city on April 5.
Lesley Hazleton’s message to the city on April 4.
John Roderick’s message to the city on April 3.
Bill Carty’s message to the city on April 2.
Price Suddarth’s message to the city on April 1.
Kary Wayson’s message to the city on March 31.
Ellen Forney’s message to the city on March 30.
Major Scales’s message to the city on March 29.
E. J. Koh’s message to the city on March 28.
Ken Jennings’s message to the city on March 27.
Demarre McGill’s message to the city on March 26.
Lynn Shelton’s Message to the City on March 25th.
Timothy White Eagle’s message to the city on March 24.
Cookie Couture’s message to the city on March 23.
Sarah Rudinoff’s message to the city on March 22.
John Osebold’s message to the city on March 21.
Ben Gibbard’s message to the city on March 20.
Nathan Chan’s message to the city on March 19.
