Cop Shootings in America

Another tragedy has occurred in the St. Louis, MO area.  An 18 year old black male was shot and killed by a police officer.  Regardless of who pushed the first domino to commence the event, none of this had to happen.  Just one small variation could have turned the tides on this entire ordeal.  Of course the stories vary on who did what, but the overall picture is still the same: another young, black male is dead at the hands of police.  It's time that we re-educate America and stop these senseless acts and both black people and the cops can help.

Black People

Stop teaching your kids to hate cops.  I know that all of us don't do it, but there are enough of us who teach that even if subconsciously.  Cops are to be respected for multiple reasons: they're hired to be an authoritative figure our communities and oh, yeah, they also carry guns and a license to kill.

The latter should be reason enough to teach your kids how to protect themselves by respecting the law.  Teach your kids (especially sons) to remain calm at all times around the police.  There's no need to get emotional even if you're in the right.  If you get pulled over then already have your license and registration in your hand before the cop gets to your car.  Keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times.  You want them to always be visible and not move in a quick or unpredictable motion.

I know people are thinking, "why should I be forced to do that?"  The answer?  Because you want to increase your chances of getting home that night, that's why.  What's more important: how you feel or being alive?  Even if you're being harassed or unfairly targeted it's better to have your day in court than to do something that can cause a misunderstanding.  Ice Cube once famously said in a song that he'd rather be "judged by 12 (jury) than carried by six (pall bearers)."

And I agree with that 100%.

Cops

Stop assuming that all black males are dangerous.  If there is anything that is embedded in our brains in this country is that black males are to be feared.  We see things everyday that lead us to believe that they're unpredictable and have no respect for authority.  In some cases, that may be true, but you're not going to get me to believe that it represents anywhere near a majority of black males.  I know too many of them to believe that.

Here's what needs to happen: cops need training.  Badly.  Being a cop is more than just physical conditioning and gun training.  It should be more mental training than anything else.  Somehow you have to scrub their brain of every racial bias known to man and I don't think that it's as easy as one would think.  Even if you hire 500 cops, just 1% of that number can be enough to ruin the entire reputation of the police force.  That's right.  Just five people.

So, if and when a suspicious shooting does occur, it would be more beneficial for the police to treat it like a normal crime (which it is) rather than to start playing politics.  It would also give citizens more security in thinking that you are trying to protect and serve them and not just your own interests.

The police also need a change in policy.  Shooting to kill should never be the first option; it should be the last option.  Why some cops feel as if they need to empty their guns on a person is beyond me.  Especially when there are multiple cops on the scene.  Again, that goes back to training.  You can disarm a person without killing them.

Oh, I know that I only listed two things at first, but I have to add a third and it may be the most important of them all...

Media

Often they are the root cause to the mental images we all have of black males (and sometimes the police).  Whenever there is a shooting of a black male some of the media can't wait to post the most "gangsta" of photos of the victim.  Just like with Mike Brown who was shot in Ferguson, MO.  A recent high school graduate who may or may not have been a model citizen (I won't claim to know the kid), but he should have been afforded an "innocent until proven guilty" opportunity.  What does the media do?  They post this photo of him all over from the USA Today to lesser sites.

That's right. Show a photo of him throwing what a majority of the country will consider a gang sign.  That makes the police so much more believable when they say what they said about the incident.  After all, Like Trayvon Martin, he's not here to defend himself, so there's no backlash, right?

What was wrong with using this photo below instead?

Oh, too tame, right?  We wouldn't want people thinking that black males graduate now do we?

I know that I'm starting to get cynical with all of this, but it comes from a point of frustration.  We all realize that there is a problem yet we choose to only protest a few days after an incident happens.  Then it's on with our lives until the next incident.  I'm somewhat guilty of that, too.  However, I do exercise my right to vote and makes attempts with each election to actually vote for the best candidate and not my favorite political party.  If a majority of people gave Independents a chance we could actually see a change in this county.

But, that's a blog post for another day.  As for Mike Brown and other victims, all we can do is hope for justice.  Hopefully convincing evidence will show that either Mike Brown was well within his rights and gunned down unfairly or that the cop was well within his rights to protect himself.  It doesn't matter as long as it's the truth.

The only problem is: who's willing to tell it?

Trayvon Won't Be The Last of #RacialProfiling

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Last night, we witnessed yet another tragedy in the court room. We witnessed a man being absolved from a situation in which he clearly instigated. Last night, George Zimmerman was found not guilty of anything in regards to the death of 17 year old Trayvon Martin.

Now, I don't feel the pure anger that some do and that's not to say that I don't care. What's sad is that I don't feel the outrage because I've seen this before. I've seen minorities suffer atrocities at the hands of non-minorities without convictions being made. And I stress the word "minority," because this doesn't just apply to blacks. It applies to anyone who looks black from Haitian to Dominican.

I've also seen inconsistencies on how convictions are made. A black woman named Marissa Alexander, who we have discussed on my radio show before, got 20 years for firing warning shots at her abusive husband. Warning shots! This also happened in Florida. Where is the consistency in the law?

There is no consistency when it comes to minority victims getting justice. However, there is consistency when it comes to the outcome of cases involving minorities: Amadou Diallo, was followed by cops because he looked like a rape suspect, shot at 41 times, hit 19 times, for pulling out his wallet to show his ID to plain clothes cops. Someone yelled "gun" and they start shooting.

Sean Bell was killed as he and his friends were shot at 50 times by plain clothes cops the morning before his wedding. He, too, was followed to his car because someone thought he mentioned that he was "going to get a gun" to settle an argument.

Patrick Dorismond was approached by a plain clothed cop who asked him for drugs. When he got offended at the notion that being dark skinned and standing outside of the club made him a drug dealer, there was an altercation. The undercover officer said that Patrick swung at him, but even if that were the case, the cop had failed to ID himself at that point. A second cop arrived and stated that he heard Patrick yell to his friend, "get his gun." The scuffle resulted in Patrick being shot in the chest and killed.

Now, there are more details to each of those stories, but the constant is that all of the victims had dark skin. All of the victims were being followed or approached for looking suspicious. All of the victims were accused of having a gun or being some sort of immediate threat. All of them are dead.

None of the shooters who followed had dark skin. None of the shooters were correct in their assessment of the victim's intent or presence. None of the victims saw the suspect with an actual gun. None of the shooters who profiled them were convicted of any wrong doing.

He didn't have a gun, "Oops, sorry." 

He wasn't a rapist? "Dag, my bad." 

He didn't sell drugs? "Whoops. My fault." 

So, excuse me if I'm not jumping off the walls in reaction to this verdict because I've seen this mess before! This is a recurring living nightmare that we as minorities have each day of our lives when we leave our homes. It's the reason why my father taught me how to talk to a cop before I was even old enough to get my drivers license. It's the reason why my mom taught me about being respectful in public because of how I may unknowingly intimidate people around me resulting in police presence. I thought those lesson were about respect, but little did I know as a pre-teen that my parents were teaching me survival skills!

What's so sad in all of this is that Trayvon Martin will never get to tell his side of the story. Neither will the next victim...

The media has perpetuated the problem with divisiveness instead of offering solutions.

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Using Your Voice

It's about time. Time for what, you ask? It's about time that some mainstream black athletes finally showed some concern for something other than themselves. Now, I'm sure you're saying to yourself, "but, athletes give money to charities all of the time on top of visiting kids hospitals, etc."

Yeah, but all of that is the safe thing to do. How many of today's black athletes actually stand up for a cause that's political? How many of today's athletes stand up for a cause that's racial? For something that involves the possibility of losing a sponsor therefore losing one of many paychecks?

I'm sure by now, unless you've been living under a rock a la a Geico commercial, you've heard of the Trayvon Martin shooting tragedy. If you haven't, then Google it. Long story, short, the Miami Heat basketball team did a photo shoot of all of the players wearing hoodies just like Trayvon was when he was killed. To many, this photo means absolutely nothing, but to a black man like myself, it's a breath of fresh air.

Reportedly organized by LeBron James, this photo represents so much to black culture. In a world where no one wants to have an opinion on anything political because they want to avoid scrutiny, these guys, black and white, took a stand. And it's not LeBron's first political statement. He once said that if he could dunk on anyone in the world, that he would dunk on and shatter the backboard on George W. Bush. That's a strong statement from someone who I'm sure has to see Republican season ticket holders sitting courtside at his games.

Muhammad Ali, the most polarizing figure in the history of sports (despite what Skip Clueless Bayless thinks), was the first person to turn an athlete into a celebrity. However, he was willing to throw all of that fame away to take a stand in what he believed. His beliefs actually landed him in jail for a period of time in the prime of his career.

That doesn't happen now. It hasn't happened on a regular basis in 30 years. Michael Jordan once famously said that he wouldn't endorse a Democratic candidate in a local election because "Republicans buy shoes, too." He would rather be selling shoes than using his celebrity status to bring awareness to something political. That's mainly the reason that I'm not a fan of the off-the-court Michael Jordan. He's very selfish and would rather add millions to his millions rather than make a difference in the world.

If you have the spotlight and you're not using your voice, then you may as well lose it all together. LeBron James and the Miami Heat have decided not to fall prey to pressure. The photo may not be as powerful as the one from the '68 Olympics with Tommie Smith and John Carlos, but it does make a statement that justice has not been served in the case of Trayvon Martin. I'm not saying who's innocent or guilty, I'm just saying start the process already!

This blog is about common sense. Sure, I do blog postings on things that are funny, provocative or random, but ultimately, the message I want to convey is that "there's always another way of doing things." People who have the means to make a difference in the country prefer not to do so because they don't want to stop their cash flow. No one wants to rock the boat.

Well, I'm glad LeBron James and the Miami Heat decided to do so. It's amazing how something so simple, so subtle, can be so important.