Time for a Game Change In America— Out with the Protests & Marches
By Yvonne Sam
Law enforcement continues the inordinate use of lethal force against people of color. A cure is urgently needed, not a diagnosis.
History has proven to be the most astute educator. It is now absolutely clear that the American justice system will give blacks as much justice as a wolf would give to a flock of sheep. Like the wolf, the system has completely devoured Blacks. Then again, what do Blacks expect now if they were not even considered by the initial designers of America’s system of jurisprudence?
There is something about the rampant gun culture in America, wherein we are witnesses to the reaction following mass shootings, the total sum of homicides in this country and notwithstanding a really contumacious insistence upon a reactionary fundamentalist version of the Second Amendment. On top of everything Philandro Castile was guilty of nothing more than taking at face value the same Second Amendment and identifying himself to Officer Jeronimo Yanez as a registered weapon holder. Instead it resulted in him being killed, fatally shot. The message is clear; these principles in the U.S are not made for nor do they apply to us. America may be the home of the free but free to be, not for blacks you see.
And so I think it sends a message here that these principles really are not made with us (Blacks) in mind. How much longer will we protest and march, waiting for oranges to fall from an apple tree? The back to back exonerations of police officers responsible for the deaths of black men serve as exclamation points. The more we protest, the more we march, the more we scream Black Lives matter, the more we witness black lives being lost with no justice gained.
Marching for justice will never produce enough justice nor will writing about justice. Decades later and American society has failed to agree that a particular form of evil is wrong, not to mention any displayed effort working towards rectification or remediation. Again, as prior stated, what is necessary now is a cure and not a diagnosis.
The shooting of Philandro Castile caught the nation’s attention last summer, at a time when it was already trying to come to grips with heightened emotions over police shootings. Now a jury has reached the known verdict, adding the name of another black to the stack. While better police training, improved de-escalation techniques and body cameras may limit the number of people being shot, what cannot be picked are fair-minded juries and the assurance that the prosecutors will put the best case forward.
The nub of the matter lies in the fact that even in the face of widespread concern all over the U.S.A regarding the disproportionate shootings of unarmed black men , convictions of the boys in blue or whatever hue have been rare- even in high profile deaths that inspired country wide protests. Even the launching of the Black Lives Matter Movement three years ago have not been effective in bringing about any change or semblance of change.
Yes, at stake is sanity of Black America or more aptly put Back America. In 2017 America every black individual especially males are just one run-in with the wrong police officer away from receiving the same treatment as a runaway slave. Documented evidence reveals that the American justice system and the media always treat black people with the most suspicion and the harshest brutality, from traffic stop to death row, from the cradle to the grave. The fact that cannot be factored out is that police unions rally around their own. So in order to prevent the ongoing police onslaught, and work towards a cure for the known diagnosis we must move differently— change gears. We must reclaim our power. If the police can stick together and win even in the face of blatant sin, then we must unite and get in the fight.
We must now become the helpers and protectors at all costs to prevent further lives being lost. Let us then without fail tell especially our males how their lives could be saved if they learn how they should behave when encountering the law. No need to act bold only move when told, for the police officer is in full control and try as they might they would never be right. And as for the garments they wear, avoid the ones that produce fear, remember Trayvon Martin and his hoodie.
Dress to look your best but not to put cultural sensitivity to the test. Each time the police encounters a Black male the same story emerges, he fears for his life, for the Black man may have a gun or a knife. The Black man never lives to tell his side of the story, for even if he was standing his ground, he would still dead be found. A game change and mentality alteration is a must if Blacks are to avoid biting the dust at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve.
Yvonne Sam
Comments
Black Lives Matter! I’m constantly reading and trying to understand where we are going with our youth, police, and this never ending cycle of distrust! The obvious fact is we , from all parts of North America are dealing with the same daily diet of ” us and them ” mentality which is taken us back to the sad era I thought was finally over!! I’m blessed growing up in a community that is tolerant to all religions and color.
Canada is a wonderful country and welcomes everyone.
Where are we headed, America?
Nothing will change even if blacks begin to dress like and even behave like white people. Whites are born with an inbred hatred of anything other than their own and blacks are born cowards who would rather be subgated than fight back. Until they develop some courage and decide to take the fight, at any cost, to whoever attempts to do them harm, as I previously intimated, nothing will change.
detow,
If as you state blacks are born cowards who would rather be subjugated then kindly explain the shootings in Chicago, Indiana, Baltimore etc. On what do they base their rationale for the ongoing elimination of their kind? If they are are born cowards am I to assume that it is a trait specific to Blacks, similar to the inbred hatred that you claim Whites are born with. Note that whites have not suffered a similar fate as the Blacks, so until that great day when Blacks develop courage and take the fight at any cost, to whomsoever attempts to do them harm we will just have to continue suffering the loss (of lives).
Incidentally I think Miss Sam meant among other things– don’t dress like a thug, start getting a taste of how better you look when pants are worn on the waist.
My opinion is that the Police:-
Are not adequately trained.
They do not practise what they were taught in training.
Are over confident in a “Rambo” sort of way.
AOTA.
In my youthful days, the annual Police Gymkhana at Eve Leary was one of pure enjoyment. One year we saw a robber, holding a black sage bush as concealment, crawl on his belly to sneak up on a couple. The female turned out to be a policewoman and the outcome was applauded in the finest Guyanese tradition. Policemen too, are taught “cover and concealment”. https://fortress.wa.gov/cjtc/www/images/docs/classes/Firearms_Manuals/Level_1_Handgun/level_i_section_8_manual_revisions.pdf
Fugitives can be arrested without a killing.
I am not talking about the motorist driving a car with a broken taillight; I am not talking about a drug dealer / addict selling cigarettes illegally; I am not talking about someone dashing away from a car stopped by the Police.
Donnie Rowe and Ricky Dubose had killed two guards on a prison bus, escaped lawful custody, hijacked a car or two, held hostages, and God knows what else; until they were held under “citizen’s arrest”.
One moral of the story is that if you are a fugitive, surrender to a citizen and let them call the Police. You might live longer.
Usually, when a policeman calls for “back-up”, it should mean ‘watch my back’. Nowadays, all it ensures is that the subject (remember, innocent until proven guilty!) ends up with twice as many bullets in his body.
When I first heard the story, I thought that those two criminals would die of gunshot wounds in the short term; or lead poisoning in the longer term, remembering the case of Freeland.
http://www.snopes.com/crime/cops/judd.asp
I invite you to look at the video clip of the last moments of Philando Castile’s life on earth; but this time look at the antics of the back up officer – “like a fifth wheel to a blasted coach” – my father would say.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/family-philando-castile-reaches-settlement-police-shooting-case/story?id=48279903
For policemen like Jeronimo Yanez, there should be the equivalent of a court martial. I am betting that three judges would more dispassionately consider the evidence; than a ‘jury of peers’.
Forgive my persistence; but it took a comedian to crystalize my thoughts and doubts. Please endure the first part of the video clip. The second part is soul-searching.
So there it is. “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun,” LaPierre said.
There is no doubt in my mind that Philandro Castile was the good gut with a gun. His gun permit attests to his behavior and character.
I do not know if, when and how Policemen are vetted before they are issued guns.
The NRA is showing its true colors.
I had read that the DOJ was investigating this shooting. If this is true (I am wary of fake news) I would be very interested in their report.