I guess I am a liberal! I am so tired of seeing White outrage on the whole Michael Brown killing in Ferguson. White people do not get to express this until they at least aim the same outrage at the killing of unarmed teenagers and people of color. This is just silly. To be a person of color in America is to live with subtle indignities daily. Doctors, lawyers and successful business people get treated by their skin color first. Look at the undercover pieces of hailing a cab or how people are treated in stores. It is real. White people do not get a pass and pretend they don’t see it. It has been documented. Take a minute and acknowledge this racism before you start your rants and outrage. After your moment you will see what you look like to others. How can you rant about others using the race card if you yourself can’t take the time to see what it must be like to live here as different (meaning non-White)? White people use the bully pulpit they have access to on television, print and other media to make their claims of reverse racism and how the people of Ferguson are being lawless or unacceptable. Before that statement can be uttered someone has to stand up and say killing unarmed teenagers is unacceptable! Somebody has to say those who are sworn to protect and to serve need to overcome prejudice. My response to this and all the rest of the shootings is…this killing of unarmed citizens of color must stop! My other response is a little understanding by all that are detained by the police goes a long way. Admittedly my interaction with police is extremely non-problematic. I present as a middle aged White man who is less than zero threat. I make no aggressive moves or even argue with police. I cooperate. I have been told to shut up. I complied. I have been made to feel like I was a child being scolded after a speeding ticket. I did not respond. To me the time to address if the officer was right, wrong or whatever is after the fact. During the stop I know they have a tough job and I have no idea what their day has been like. The few times I have interacted they seem to relax once they see I will cooperate. That is human nature. Our citizens of color are much more graceful and forgiving than I would be if subjected to additional scrutiny or harassment every single day they are alive in our country. But how long can we ask these citizens to bear the brunt of our failure as a society? When they are being killed for reasons that have nothing to do with law enforcement-they have a right to feel wronged-I feel wronged as a fellow citizen! I support the police. They have an unimaginably hard job, but saying that I want this killing of unarmed civilians to stop forthwith. I know I will get painted with the liberal brush here. Ok-I will take it. I am conservative fiscally but here I will gladly be a liberal socially. If being liberal means making these shootings end then I am indeed liberal. My heart is bleeding today. I am a parent. I am a citizen. I have a mixed race four year old son. I want what we all should want here in America-the right things done! If wanting that puts me in the liberal column then I am there. If acknowledging the difference between being a person of color and being White makes me a liberal and not a realist-I am a liberal! If I am just like the” liberal media” in my outlook then I stand gladly with them. I will stand with whoever will address this issue fairly and help end it ASAP!
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 15:01:28 +0000
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