“I am going to wait for the facts to come out,” is the most inflammatory sentence that is being uttered, particularly by my Anglo brethren, in the past 100+ days since the shooting death of Mike Brown on August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Arent these folks waiting on an affirmation that Officer Wilson did what was right, that he had reason to shoot to kill? It is part of our privilege of being Caucasian that we have entirely different experiences with law enforcement than people of color and see the criminal justice system as just because it typically works for us. It was, in fact, designed by us and for us. See, I easily drew my conclusion to stand on the side of protesters based upon facts: • Mike Brown did not have a weapon. • Officer Wilson put multiple bullets in the young man’s body. • We have a “justice” system that requires a process, which does not allow for street execution of anyone. Normally a very understanding person, I fail to comprehend how these facts arent enough. Critics of protesters say, “Why are they making this a race issue?” Critics, can you fathom a young white woman being gunned down by an officer and then laying dead uncovered in the street in your neighborhood for four and a half hours? Then, not immediately, but several days later, you see a report that she may have shoplifted the day she was killed. Is this the point at which you refer to her as a “thug,” and believe she deserved it? This is a race issue because of all of us. If we do not care the same when a person with more melanin than us is executed, aren’t we the people who contribute to this being a “race issue?” “Why aren’t you in Chicago, Rev. Jackson?” asked a FOX News reporter days after Mike Brown’s death, to Rev. Jesse Jackson, suggesting that “black on black” homicide should be Jackson’s concern, more than the murder of Mike Brown. To the people who keep insisting that there is no outrage for “black on black” homicide, here are some more facts for you to ponder. • Racial profiling and the African American homicide rate may be born from the same roots but require different solutions. Many protesters work with fervor on solutions for both issues. • Law enforcement officers are paid entirely with public dollars and, therefore, should be publicly scrutinized and held accountable for all their actions. [Not one dime of my money is allocated to some man on the block for murdering his rival, nor is he supposed to protect and serve me]. • Protesting Mike Brown’s murder does not mean people have turned a blind eye to other homicides. • St. Louis has a higher homicide rate, per capita, among African American people than Chicago (St. L is ranked #2 in the nation). So, for the FOX News reporter concerned for the total welfare of people of color, St. Louis can certainly be the epicenter of both discussions. Has anyone wondered why reporters and social media critics arent asking police officers (rather than Rev. Jackson) what they are doing about black on black homicide?
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 15:58:18 +0000