September 28, 2014 1:19pm Good afternoon. I wake in a weird mood. I am excited about my return to work in the morning. I’ve been off for two weeks and a day for my third surgery in the last twelve months. But I admittedly have some dread. It’s not due to a lack of enthusiasm about returning to reporting, but there is a developing story here in Savannah that I do not look forward to covering: A fatal shooting of a handcuffed black man by police. It happened nearly two weeks ago and the protests and calls for answers continue. Reporting racially charged subject matter is not my idea of a good day at work. I have no problem asking the tough questions, but the larger question in my mind is when will we, as people of all shades, move beyond looking for racial motivations in the actions of others? For those who don’t know, there is prejudice in this world. I have seen it and reported on it. Once, a man looked me in the eye and said I need to get on the next boat to Africa because that’s where I belong. But that kind of ignorance has not been the prevailing thought among the men and women in law enforcement I’ve encountered. I personally find it hard to believe that every shooting involving a white officer firing on an African-American suspect is motivated by the thought, “This is my chance to take a brotha out.” I think it’s more about surviving the encounter when they pull the trigger. I could be wrong, but it saddens me when I think of the mindset of those who seem to believe that. I have talked to many mothers who are now living in fear for their sons. I pray for some comfort for them and others who share that worry. On the other side, I can’t recall a case where a black officer shot and killed a white suspect and immediately the race card is played. Prejudice is not exclusively “a white thing. I’ve met many people of my race who are as narrow minded as anyone donning a sheet and hood at the base of a flaming cross. There’s real irony in the fact that prejudice has no color code for those who practice it. In the hours after the incident in Savannah, I saw some of the video as the crowds gathered. Cops in riot gear were called to the scene. One woman was shouting, “They are just trying to make us slaves again!” I wish I knew how to spell that Scooby Doo sound of confusion, because I’m pretty sure that’s the sound that I uttered to myself. left my lips when I heard that statement. Really? I have very limited military police training, but I do know that we were told to fire when our lives or the lives of those around were in danger. On some level, I believe the thoughts of self-preservation were the dominate thought for officers, here in Savannah and in Ferguson and most of these cases. But even if these shootings are eventually found to be criminal, how does one jump to the conclusion that the incidents are the path back to bondage for an entire segment of the human race in America? In my view, we need to move past labels of Black, White, Latino, Asian, or whatever and live under the real label we all share: Human! There is now growing fear that somehow, in the law enforcement community, it’s open season on dark-skinned suspects. It seems to be fueling fear on both sides of the window in a traffic stop. There is no easy answer to this dilemma. Police officers are charged with the enforcement of laws and there are people of every race who spend every waking moment trying to figure out how to break those laws. They don’t care who they harm in the process, so long as they can take what they want or do what they want to anyone in their way. It’s my main reason to support the right to bear arms. My challenge will be to sift through rhetoric of an agitating nature to get to the truth…which may be that many officers are scared when they deal with a culture and mindset they don’t understand. It’s fueled more by poverty than skin pigmentation in my humble opinion. But make no mistake, if we found a way to end poverty it won’t eliminate the criminal element. Police really are that thin blue line between the law-abiding citizen and those with a larcenous lifestyle. My sincerest wish on this day is driven by a quote from the criminal who triggered some of the nastiest rioting in modern memory, “Can’t we all just get along?” is resounding in my mind. I remember hearing those words from Rodney King and thinking how stupid a statement that seemed in that moment. Because if Mr. King, God rest his soul, had pulled his little Hyundai over on that fateful night, the parts of LA that burned would not have been scorched by the perception that police plan to beat a path back to bondage for black people. It was King’s own actions that led to the epic beat-down he received. But images of that arrest seemed an obvious case of excessive force. We didn’t see pictures of the high speed chase on the freeway or of him refusing to lay down to be searched and handcuffed. If you review that video, the dude had been tazed twice and was still getting up and appeared to be combative. Are there bad cops? Sure, but there are bad doctors, teachers, reporters, and every occupation you can think of has someone who’s just not cut out for it. But I’ve seen no real evidence of some cop conspiracy to oppress or re-enslave any segment of the citizens except the criminals. There are innocent people in jail just like there are guilty murderers among us. I don’t know about the guilt or innocence of the officers involved in the recent shootings that are driving unrest, but each case seems to release more pent up frustrations. They are boiling over. Someone told me they are eager for my return to the news so I can ask the questions some are avoiding due to race & power here in Savannah. I am not looking forward to jumping into the fray of coverage over these cases. Because if time proves we can’t get along, I fear I will be reporting on the demise of our great democracy. My wish is that my daughters can, to paraphrase Dr. King, live in a world where character counts more than skin color. ()
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 17:22:08 +0000
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