It’s been a week since a 12 year old black kid was shot to death in Cleveland playing with a toy gun at a park. I’m still grieving him. The video shows a police car racing up and shooting young Tamir Rice within seconds of its arrival. I keep thinking of how many times as a youth I placed with a plastic pistol without ever once fearing that I would be shot as a result. I keep thinking of all the white males who argue for the right to carry guns into public spaces, and how that same action might be a death sentence for a black male. I have been stunned by the readiness of our nation to blame the victims. Nick Wing of Huffington Post points out that the grieving family of the young boy woke to the headline, “Tamir Rice’s father has a history of domestic violence.” The article also pointed out that both of the child’s parents had criminal records. My hope is that even white people who joined in the vilification of the other black teens killed in the last few years can find some empathy for a 12 year old kid who was just playing with a plastic gun in a park.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 21:50:39 +0000
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