Friday, August 15, 2014

Racism:The Loudest Silence-Michael Brown Gunned Down

So I've been trying to gather all of my thoughts so that I can attempt to speak about the shooting of Mike Brown and the impact that has followed not only in the city of Ferguson, but over the U.S.  

Over the past few days, I've heard it all regarding the situation. Everything from "black on black crime contributing to police looking at black lives as valueless," to information about Brown allegedly being involved in a crime prior to him being gunned down, which quite frankly is irrelevant anyway. 

The fact of the matter, in case people are clueless or slightly confused, is that a black, teenage male was gunned down because the people that are paid to SERVE AND PROTECT are the very ones killing the innocent for what THEY THINK are justifiable reasons. 

But from my point of view, and I'm sure from many others, there is no justice. Well there isn't any when I hear of a police officer shooting an unarmed kid. Or a self-glorified street monitor taking the law into his own hands and then being found not guilty, but I digress. 

We are living in a post-Trayvon society, in that after the not guilty verdict for the Zimmerman trial, it made any black kid who came across someone of the law or someone who thought they had the power of the law, a justified target.

"Race is not the issue," a comment that has been said a few times, by whom I'm sure was a white person attempting to distract from the REAL issue. 

This is what I have to say to that comment: puhLEASE! Race is ALWAYS an issue when you have cases like this. Racism is that silent thing that no one likes to publicly address, but in actuality, it causes so much rumble. 

I don't know what they are teaching at these police academies, but correct protocol doesn't seem to be it. Or maybe their is a different protocol when white officers come across black people. Somebody PLAEASE give me the scoop so that I can better understand how this type of behavior is possible. 

It's a sad reality that growing up black, especially black male, that not only do parents have to teach basics like stranger danger or look both ways when you cross the street, but also things like WHEN you come in contact with an officer keep your hands up so you can expose yourself to them or be careful of what you wear or try not to walk alone...EVER, things that shouldn't have to be said. 

My only hope is that things TRULY start to change for the better, and that it doesn't take the loss of anymore lives for that to happen.