Yesterday’s landslide victory for Amendment 1 tells us a lot about the growing people’s movement in Nashville and it provides us with a wealth of lessons. While the victory, led by Community Oversight Now, took the form of a 60-40 vote in favor of a public referendum, that’s just a small chapter of the story. A story of grassroots organizing campaign involving an untold number of volunteers dedicated to racial justice

As Community Oversight Now has repeatedly pointed out, community members, especially in the Black community, have been calling for independent oversight of the police for decades. Two years ago, Gideon’s Army’s “Driving While Black” report exposed blatant racial profiling by MNPD. After Officer Lippert killed Jocques Clemmons, shooting him multiple times in the back, activists joined Sheila Clemmons Lee and other family members in organizing multiple marches, a months’ long sit-in at the police station, and a disruption and takeover of a Metro Council meeting to demand justice for Jocques. Those who coalesced around Community Oversight Now adopted multiple strategies to win in face of vocal opposition from the mayor, metro council members, the police chief, and Fraternal Order of Police. After their attempt to pass an ordinance that was rejected by Metro Council, Community Oversight Now took the issue to voters directly through a massive petition drive.

Then Officer Delk shot and killed Daniel Hambrick, taking the life of a second black man in less than two years. Same story involving different families. White cops shooting black men in the back in public housing. More street actions, more calls for justice, and then, finally, murder charges brought against Delk – a first in Nashville’s living history. And then months of canvassing and phone-banking involving an untold number of volunteers.

Community Oversight Now, primarily led by black women, showed how to build a major campaign involving wide-ranging strategies and tactics, pulling in anyone willing to pitch in. This unstoppable force of grit, adaptation to obstacle after obstacle thrown up by hostile opponents, and involvement of everyone who wanted to help, demonstrated what movement can look like, what it should look like, and what the future portends in a city of rising economic and racial segregation.

Many will dissect, analyze, and critique state and federal elections. We’ll let others say their piece on that. Right now, let’s celebrate this accomplishment of people power in face of enormous opposition. Shout out to Community Oversight Now and every single person who played a part in moving the needle of racial justice.