This video was made from a larger project that was 5 years in the making at the time. I went out to Cincinnati with a colleague to do some gorilla reporting on the uprising in Cincinnati OH sparked by the murder of Timothy Thompson. A few years and many killings later another Timothy was murdered unarmed of the roof of his building in BK. I wanted to do something and I knew my camera was more powerful than a gun... I thought. If I could just show the world something would change. I was younger. Where are My Brother Keepers? Will they say, we need to be nonviolent, stay clam, Gods gonna work it out? I’ve been in these streets, been to these young men funeral’s. Lines down the street, flickering candles, their faces on T shirts, tears in children’s eye and grown ups shaking their heads. Listening to punk a$$ gangbangers who would otherwise try to intimidate, extort or kill me for less of a violation to Their Hood saying this aint over Braa Only to hear about how they killed a baby in his carriage trying to kill each other. And you know what? I never see any protest for that, the President, Mayors or Governor don’t weigh or wade in. It’s just the bad luck of a kid in the hood. I traveled around this country talking about going Beyond the Bricks (with a budget that nobody else would have attempted) speaking to hundreds of people of all ages and races, missing time I will never get back with my children only to be told “you are a game changer but try back next year when we have a new budget or our focus is changing”. After being active for almost 15 years now I learned that: 1. Murdering Black Men and no one getting punished for it has been going on since time immemorial. 2. The 3/5th rule still applies to Black Men today with Americans with generations in country to new immigrants. The latter not recognizing the work that has been put in to make it possible for them to be in the ballpark to try out for the game played in this country. History has a way of hiding when you don’t take the opportunity to find it. 3. Lots of people rally, few do anything, less stay for the long term. Just think about recent history, George Zimmerman might live in Harlem now. You laugh! 4. Many times the subversive people are undercover cops or hired civilians. 5. The police take picture and record protester in order to... 6. People will join your cause because they want to further their career, not really bust their knuckles on the ground doing the hard work. 7. After the dust settles Geronimo is neutralized and gets a reoccurring spot on the daily show because to quote Dr. John Jackson If everybody who said they marched with Dr. King, really marched with Dr. King he would probably be alive today I got the password again;) The thoughts of Derek are solely his own and do not (necessarily) reflect the thoughts and opinions of the Beyond The Bricks Project
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 04:38:27 +0000
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