Black and brown lives matter! I can't
breath!" are the new rallying cries of outraged Americans. I
recently saw a meme that read "you mean to tell me that I can't whip my
kids, but the police can kill them?" with impunity, I add. The mayor
of the City of New York is piloting a program using body cameras on a
small number of "NYC Finest"; however, in the wake of a Staten
Island Jury's refusal to indict the chokehold officer, Daniel Pantaleo,
caught on camera delivering NYC style justice to Mr.
Eric Garner, for the heinous act of selling cigarettes on a
NYC street--honestly--ask yourself, what good will the program really do?
Even with video evidence law enforcement officers appear to be above the
law.
Akai
Gurley, and 28 year old unarmed, totally innocent, African American
male who just happened to be walking down a stairwell with his girlfriend in
Brooklyn--at the same time that a scared, gun toting rooky happened
to be--lost his life; was labeled an "unfortunate tragedy." Nevertheless, it has been reported that P. O. Peter Liang, allegedly called his union rep before calling for help.
Eighteen year old Michael
Brown's murderer, P.O. Darren Wilson also emerges unscathed when a Ferguson
grand jury refuses to indict. He retires
from his job with a 1 million dollar “war chest” from online fund raisers and
supporter. After the decision not to
indict, Wilson gave an interview painting a shocking portrait of Michael Brown, the like of which those who knew him were in shock and disbelief (content can be see here). It is said that dead men tell no tales.
Twelve year old Tamir
Rice, shot twice while caring a toy gun, something that many children in
the United States and abroad have played with for generations. Thirteen Year old Andy
Lopez, of Santa Rosa California, killed by police while walking to his
friend’s house holding a replica AK-47 pellet gun which was mistaken for a real
weapon.
There are so many of these stories that it is
virtually impossible to keep count.
Young men of color have historically been disproportionately
incarcerated, and now we must add murdered—at the hands of those charged with
the job of protecting and serving—the list. Society has been preconditioned to view
blackness as a threat, something that is dangerous, needs to be controlled, curtailed, and suppressed in order to
protect the status quo.
America’s legacy on race and class has far too
often been one of “justice delay and justice denied” that the decry of contempt from her ethnically
diverse citizenry should not come as a surprise.
