It took me a couple of days to write
this.
The Eric
Garner decision is just a flat out admittance by the judicial system, that it is
a flawed and inadequate process. I want to back track though for a bit, I want
to talk about the two youngest people you see on the list above.
Aiyana Stanley Jones &
Tamir Rice. What infuriates me beyond the point of words and just raw
emotion is that these were children, not pre-teens, teens, young adults, adults,
elders, they were CHILDREN. A seven year old girl, and a twelve year old boy,
both stripped of their right to become adults in this society. That is the point
in all of this, those were children and the fact that any system that's supposed
to govern law that serves as the protection of their citizens against such
threats, allows their killers to walk away, taken care of.
The same goes
for
Michael Brown. A teenager, trying to go to college to make something better
of himself, only to be gunned down and left in the middle of the street as if
he's some kind of animal that was put down. The fact that there are glaring
holes in this case that even the simplest of minds can see is not only
egregious, but it's flat out declaration of war against people of color in this
country. Not once was Darren Wilson ever treated like a suspect but rather a
hero, a savior if you will. He hid all the way until the day of the announcement
where he was allowed to freely walk into his Police Department, resign and get a
nice compensation package I'm sure. Then the announcement came, that was just
bullshit from the waiting period all the way til the end of it. Oh let's not
forget that
ABC has paid Darren Wilson
$500,000, half a million dollars, just to have the exclusive first interview.
So not only are our children targets
of racial discrimination, they are also bounties, paid out from the highest
bidder.
That was the hardest thing I've probably ever had to write. Just
thinking about how our children, the future of our race, are being
gunned down with no consequence and no remorse. Reading how they
were so young and how people benefit from their deaths, and not the
families for simple things like funerals and other things that they
actually need. It's sad, sickening and downright a disgrace. But as
I was reading the reactions on twitter and the outcry, the picture
above came across my timeline. And another point clicked into my
head, if they aren't killing our children and keeping them from
growing up, they're killing the mothers and fathers of the family so
that they can't lead the children to better days and better ways of
living.
The whole thing in this country is that while it may be the land of
the free, it's not. The opportunities for growth are not prevalent
unless you play a dog and pony show. That's where
Eric Garner &
Rakia Boyd come into play. Rakia never had a chance to become a
mother, her life was taken at the mere age of 22 by a police
officer, off duty at the time, discharging his weapon in a fashion
in which he wasn't taught. She was shot in the back of the head and
subsequently passed away within 24hrs. She had no involvement in the
altercation that took place; she was simply at the wrong place at
the wrong time. She will never be able to enjoy the pleasures of
being a mother, and her parents will never enjoy the feeling of
being grandparents.
The case of
Eric Garner is a tough one for me. To actually sit and see the
video of him dying isn't something I could watch more than once, and
the fact that there is actual video proof of an officer using
excessive force along with a chokehold that is banned by the police
department. It's just disturbing that there is evidence of a clear
manslaughter and the "grand jury" decided to no indict the officer.
He was a father and husband who was clearly trying to make money
anyway he can to support his family. I would've understood if he was
out there punching cops in the face and body slamming them on the
ground, he did none of that, he simply had his hands raised in the
sky and the police officer came up behind him and proceeded to choke
him out. My view of resisting arrest is when someone is physically
endangering a police officer’s life, none of which happened.
I
saw the following tweet that hit the nail on the head:
What really disturbs me about all of this is the fact
that there are African Americans making excuses as to
why this shouldn't happen from our end. I've heard "well
maybe we should get our kids off welfare and they'll act
better", "maybe if you're not out here trying to sell
dope and gangbang then maybe you won't be profiled", oh
and my favorite one; "if you just behaved yourself, then
you won't be a target". Never mind the fact that these
African Americans aren't seeing the bigger picture here,
it's the manner at which they convey it and think
nothing is wrong with the way they are thinking.
There is no secret that the system is designed for us to
lose, there's documented proof of this throughout
history. Right along with the systematic destruction of
the Native American culture through the theft,
imprisonment and cultivation of their natural resources
in this country, those are the facts. It's just a side
situation when the whole world is watching and you have
terrorist organizations saying they support us, even
though we all know it's because they want to cause
divide within our country and create panic and unrest.
But the point being is that everyone sees that it's
wrong, everyone knows that it's wrong, and everyone
wants change, well most of us anyways, and the
government has yet to do anything about it. Looking at
the names, looking at those children's faces and seeing
the hurt in the eyes of my community is just a sad
situation, especially in this day and age. Things are
going to get worse before they get even close to being
better. It's going to take a lot, and people are finally
ready to give it so they can see change.
But there are things that I do hope never come true, the meme above
describes my sentiments exactly. Right now I'm just a man who's in
his thoughts about whether or not I want to create and raise a
family in this day and age, because as the way it looks now, even I
am not safe from death and racial persecution in this country, and I
don't want to raise a family in this. For now we have to keep
pushing our efforts to let it be known that we matter too in this
country, that we are tired of being prosecuted, judged and executed
in the streets by the same people swore to protect us. Like I said
in my previous blog, the time is now for action and people all over
the country are stepping up to support the cause for change, but
there is a lot more work to do. If you're African American, just
remember that you matter too, and don't ever let anyone else tell
you otherwise.
How do you feel about the unfolding events within the past year,
what do you think needs to change within society so it can better
function as one. Leave a comment below.
As always guys, until next time.
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