I have an uncle who was a cop.
His kids, my cousins, were around my age and when we visited our family in Québec every summer I practically lived at their house. As soon as we got to my grandmother’s house, all rumpled and grumpy from our eight hour drive, I would start dialling my cousins’ number on her beige rotary phone. I spent the whole damn school year waiting for summer, and my time with my cousins, to come; we wrote each other letters all through the dreary winter, hatching plans for new summer exploits. Life with my cousins – swimming in their pool, family barbecues, playing hide-and-seek in my grandmother’s mammoth hedge at twilight – was lightyears better than my boring life in Ontario.
Pretty much every summer my uncle would, at some point, take us to visit the police station. He would pretend that we were criminals and take our fingerprints, maybe a pretend mugshot. He would let us explore the holding cells they had at the station; I remember being utterly fascinated by them – bare blank rooms in miniature, each with its own personal toilet and sink. One time I lingered so long that he threatened to lock me in if I didn’t come out soon. I said that was fine, and asked what the prisoners were going to have for dinner. I wasn’t afraid. I had no reason to be afraid.
Like most white people, I grew up with the idea that the cops are on my side. Over and over again, I was told that the police were here to protect me. As a little kid, I was told that if I was ever lost or in danger, the first person I should try to find was a police officer. I was taught that this is the system; I was taught that the system was here to take care of me.
What I was never taught was that the system takes care of white people like me first, and everyone else second. If at all.
I’ve been trying to figure out over the past few months how white people can be so blindly outraged over the events that have unfolded in Ferguson. It’s honestly baffling that they can argue that it’s fine for a police officer to fire six shots at an unarmed man because he maybe stole some cigars and also wasn’t walking on the sidewalk. I’m in awe at the vast mental gymnastics required to believe that there’s nothing wrong with a cop shooting an unarmed man six times in “self-defence.” The same goes for white reactions to the cases of Trayvon Martin, John Crawford III, Tamir Rice, and countless other young Black men who have been murdered for no reason. I’ve lived a privileged enough life that the white responses to these crimes still shock me; I know that for Black folks, these responses are just par for the course. I can’t even wrap my head around what it would feel like for this spew of racist hate to just be part of another average day – and that’s my privilege showing right there.
White people have been taught for their entire lives to believe in the system. The system is civilization; the system is democracy, the courts of law, the way the state cares for and supports us. We’ve been told over and over that the system is what allows us to live safely, free from fear. But every time something like Ferguson happens, we white folks see glimpses of how completely fucked the system is. And those glimpses terrify the shit out of us, because they shake the foundation of every bit of patriotic jingoism that’s been crammed down our throats since day one.
A popular belief among progressive white people is that the system is broken, but it’s absolutely not. It was built this way; it was built to prioritize the safety and security of white people over everyone else. The way the system works is by oppressing Black people and other people of colour. As Ta-Nehisi Coates said at a recent talk that I attended, “the machine is running as intended.” The very foundations of the American economy are based on the enslavement of Black people. Throughout American (and Canadian) history, there are so many examples of state-sponsored marginalization and oppression of people of colour. These examples continue today – just look at the overrepresentation of Black men in prisons. This is the fucking system – this is how it is meant to run. We don’t need to “fix” the system, because it’s operating exactly the way it should be. What we need is to completely overthrow it and start again from scratch.
I have friends who have Black sons, and today, as they struggle through grief and pain and fear, they are trying to figure out how to make sure that their son isn’t the next Mike Brown or Trayon Martin. They want to know what they have to tell their kids in order to keep them safe. I wish I had some kind of answer for them, but of course I don’t – both because I’m white and this is so far outside of my realm of personal experience that I am absolutely not in a place to give advice, and also because there are no answers. The only way to ensure these boys’ safety would be for them to be white – and that’s both an impossible and terrible response. There is nothing about this situation that doesn’t feel impossible and terrible – and, again, that’s me as a white person saying that, and I can’t even imagine the depth of horror Black communities are experiencing right now.
We – and by “we”, I mean white people who want to be allies – need to take action. We need to de-centre ourselves, and start promoting Black voices. We need to, in the parlance of social justice circles, take a fucking seat. We need to take a whole goddamn chair factory’s worth of seats. We need to listen, and then we need to turn around and share what we’ve learned with other white people. We need to let Black people lead, and we need to learn to be good followers. We created this broken system, and now we need to humbly help build a better, fairer system.
Because maybe even right now my friend is sitting her three year old son down and telling him that he can’t always trust the police. Meanwhile, some white kid with a cop for an uncle is being taught that a police station is a neat place to visit and a fun place to play. The only difference between those two kids is the colour of their skin. And that is both incredibly fucked up and also exactly how this machine was designed to run.
Below are some excellent pieces by Black writers. If you are white, please take some time to go through it and educate yourself. That is our job right now. If you have any other articles (or blog posts, or videos, or whatever) by Black writers or activists, please share the links in the comments and I will include them in this list.
The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates
About Ferguson, White Allies and Speaking Up When It Matters by Awesomely Luvvie
America’s Not Here For Us by A’Driane Nieves
A Letter to My Unborn Black Son by George Johnson
Youth Are on the Frontlines in Ferguson, and They Refuse to Back Down by Muna Mire
If There Are Good Cops Out There, Prove It by Albert L. Butler
The Belle Jar 
Reblogged this on fidepoetica.
Reblogged this on Human Interest.
This is absolutely right and so important for everyone to understand. I was also raised to think of cops as the good guys, so I understand the impulse to dismiss these concerns and to look for any reason why the cop’s actions were ok. And, more importantly, why what happened to Mike Brown won’t happen to us.
But that is the wrong impulse and it’s a selfish one. We should all be working toward a more just society where no one has to fear the people meant to protect us. And by “us” I include teenagers who may or may not have robbed a convenience store. What is the point of having a legal system if we allow cops to execute suspects before they even get appropriate process? And what is the point of a legal system where that outcome is ok?
The system was absolutely built this way, but I think voices like yours and all the people you linked to can help change that.
Also, I’d like to include some of the links you provided at the end in my own post on Ferguson. They’re great articles and I agree we should be amplifying black voices on this issue. I hope that’s ok, but please let me know if it isn’t.
Very well written and good points made. It is truly soul destroying to witness ignorance as extreme as this and watch people show their true, somewhat racist colours. Of course not every white person is racist and not every cop is bad but when not one white officer has been convicted for the killing of a black youth that should be evidence enough that change needs to be made.
This situation isn`t just about race. We`re kidding ourselves if we think it is.
Saying `white` people need to fix this and `white`people need to show support is just ludicrous. How about we need to stop looking at everything as a coloured vs. white situation and start encouraging everyone – all races, all religions, EVERYONE – to stand together united to make sure tragedies like this don`t happen again.
How about this is about the fact that our world is a messed up place and we`re giving people like cops and the military way too much authority? How about we go back to the days where we looked out for one another, cared about each other and took care of each other instead of depending on the police to solve all the problems in our society?
Why do the cops have so much control? Because clearly, people want them to. We don`t want to have to look our for our neighbours. We don`t want to keep a watchful eye on other people`s kids while they play in the street. Because we`re too concerned with ourselves to give a damn about anyone else. Instead we rely on the police or the military to solve the problems of the community and the world and then bitch and whine when they abuse the authority we`ve so willingly given them.
If we want to stop things like this from happening, we have to be willing to admit that it`s not just about white cops killing people of colour – it`s about cops being allowed to use whatever force they feel is necessary to protect themselves and if that means shooting someone dead, because a cop believed his or her life was in danger, then that cop isn`t going to have to face the consequences of his or her action.
It`s too simple to say this is about race. There are bigger issues here. And unless we`re willing to accept, examine and fix all the issues this tragedy has brought to light, nothing is going to change.
There’s not been a time when people look out for each other in American history. Whites looking out for other whites and blacks looking out for other blacks, maybe.
It is about race, whether you like to believe in that or not. The world has never been about fucking rainbows and sunshine. Maybe we can fix things if we do come together as a whole, realizing people are people no matter their race, but to totally dismiss race in general will help nothing. Just keep pretending there is no problem.
Oh believe me, I know the world isn`t all rainbows and sunshine.
Clearly, you read my comment very selectively. I`m First Nations and I know about racism. Not once did I say it wasn`t about race – I said it wasn`t ALL about race. There are a numbe of issues here. Not just one.
I don`t think Darren Wilson killed Mike Brown because he was black. The problem here is that WIlson is a cop and he is protected by his perception that Mike Brown posed a threat to him. Because HE believes Mike Brown posed a threat to him, he killed him.
It scares the hell out of me that cops can hide behind that and get away with murder.
Again, as a First Nations person, I am VERY familiar with racism and broken systems that only serve some people some of the time.
Go back and read the first part of my comment which says, `This isn`t JUST about race.` I know race is part of the issue, but there are other issues too.
Two long replies, not word for word duplicates, but saying a lot of the same things. Okay.
P.S. It’s about race. Don’t kid yourself that it’s not.
White people need to speak up TOO, is the point. The black folks can’t fix this themselves. Also, here’s how race plays into it:
This whole thing reminds me of the Ipperwash Crisis, when the cops shot Dudley George who was an unarmed protestor.
This isn’t just a black and white issue and you’re kidding yourself if you think it is. In fact, you’re basically nulling and voiding the numerous other issues this tragedy calls attention to by making it all about racism.
This is about a cop killing a kid because he felt his life was in danger and the only way to deal witht he situation was to shoot this kid dead. It’s about the fact that it’s hard to charge police officers with a crime, especially if a situation occurs while they’re on duty.
It’s about the fact that we’re basically living in a police state because we’ve given the police and military to solve all the problems in our communties and the world. We don’t want to have to look out for one another any more. We don’t take care of each other like we used to. Instead, we expect the police and the military to do all the dirty work but then we bitch and whine when they take it too far and someone ends up dead.
How about knocking off the whole “white” people need to show their support and “white” people need to take responsibility. How about everyone, of all races and religions and cultural backgrounds, needs to stand united to make sure tragedies like this don’t become the norm? EVERYONE needs to work together to make this insane world we live in a better place and we need to accept, examine and fix all the problems this tragedy has highlighted.
And as much as the system is broken and doesn’t work for some, PEOPLE have a responsibility to themselves to strive for something better. There’s no law that says all black people have to grow up to be criminals or all First Nations people have to be drug addicts and alcoholics (I’m First Nations so please refrain from beating me with the comment stick). The system can be beaten if PEOPLE make the choice to beat it. No one has to be just another statistic if they don’t want to be.
You see the issue as an intellectual, who believes that responsibility for one’s own acts starts with the individual and not society. The idea that everything can be explained along racial lines and that racism fuels of all Black Americans’ ills gives no credit to the very people who supposedly the victims. According to this post White American should step back and allow Blacks by racial default to offer all of the solutions for the alleged and apparent racism, while society foots the bill.
Two long replies, not word for word duplicates, but saying mostly the same thing. Okay.
P.S. It’s about race. Don’t kid yourself that it’s not.
Actually, both witnesses, crime scene investigation and autopsy suggest that. Michael Brown had his hands up and kept his distance, projecting no premise of threat other than (through racial profiling) his ethnicity.
Source #1, Witnesses:
http://boingboing.net/2014/11/28/analysis-of-michael-brown-shoo.html
Source #2, Autopsy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWUkBxmFUvU
This established, officer Darren Wilson had no basis for his assault beyond racial profiling.
Were Brown a threat, Officer Wilson ought to have used non-lethal force: his tazer, for one, which he purposely didn’t take with him. Excessive force is a criminal, and if an officer is incapable of resolving unarmed conflict without resorting to lethal force six times over (as six shots were loaded into Brown’s body) the officer isn’t fit to serve. Wilson’s excessive force again suggests prejudice.
Source #3, Taser:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/26/darren-wilsons-missing-taser-renews-debate-over-re/
Wilson’s conduct was demonstrably racist. The use of a 3/4ths white jury in a 2/3rds black community for Wilson’s case (9/12 white in a case that needed 9 votes to let Wilson off) is observably racist. The judge that let Wilson go without charges but convicted a black cop for merely striking the hand—literally slapping the wrist—of another individual is observably racist. The system is flawed, and all parties need to take action to resolve this, but you can’t defend the opinion that this isn’t a race issue.
Source #4, Jury:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/11/24/ferguson-grand-jury-darren-wilson_n_6215784.html
Source #5, Black Officer:
http://www.dailydot.com/politics/ferguson-prosecutor-indicted-cop-for-using-baton/
Citing the Ipperwash Crisis does your position no justice. It’s fairly clear that the Natives are facing racism (and imperialism) too. These are both cases where racist prejudices are pushing white authorities (consciouslessly or otherwise) into making unjust decisions about how they treat coloured communities.
Although I agree that there is endemic racism in America and that I am where I am because I am white, I don’t think this case was the best one to discuss in this light. The kid struggled with an officer. He tried to take the officer’s gun. I believe that all the witnesses supported that. That is pretty much why they let him go. If you don’t think officers should be able to defend themselves or take in people they think are violent, as this kid absolutely was, then you’re living in LA LA land. Any change to the system that you want to revile right now would have to retain the right of the cop to defend himself and would require him or her to arrest someone who acted violently. To think that cops can operate in the US without guns is extremely unrealistic. Let me ask you this, would we have this discussion right now if the officer was a woman? Would we say, “Oh, the marks on her face weren’t too bad – she shouldn’t have shot him!” I think not.
Actually, overwhelming evidence suggests that Michael Brown did not struggle with the officer, but rather kept his distance and kept his hands up. 16 out of 18 witnesses supported this conclusion.
I’ve already commented in grater detail here.
What’s more, I think we would be having this conversation if the officer were a woman. Officer Darren Wilson sustained no obvious damages, which goes to support the conclusion that he wasn’t attacked to begin with. And I don’t think guns should be kept from cops, but cops should be obligated to keep non-lethal weaponry. Darren Wilson refused to take a taser with him and expressed no regret over his conduct in shooting Michael Brown six times.
Pardon me. 12 out of 14 witnesses.
Reblogged this on mejanhngl and commented:
Later
I also feel the need to state for the record that I have never trusted police.
Sure, my parents and teachers told me if I ever had a problem to try and find a police officer because the officer would keep me safe until help arrived. But you know what? I never trusted that.
In my mind, a police officer was a stranger and it had also been drilled into my head not to trust strangers. So, I didn`t. I still don`t. Police officers included.
Everyone wants to bring race into this, and that is understandable. However, look at it from the perspective that we are all gray. How do you think it would have played out differently?
Look at the facts surrounding the case. Brown had just strong arm robbed a clerk for some cigarillos. That is a felony. Wilson did approach them and ask them to use the sidewalk. Brown did attack the officer while he was in his vehicle.
White or black, any officer (white or black) would have defended himself for fear of his life.
Does anyone here really think there would have been an uproar if the tables were turned? Do you think this would have gotten the media attention if Wilson had been black and Brown was white?
I can understand how blacks feel this way, because it is a reality. They are profiled more than white people. Why though? Look at statistics and you will see why. Most black Americans are law abiding, productive members of the society. Unfortunately there is a large segment who are not.
I found this post a bit too condescending. Maybe that’s just me though…
Well but then again, whatever the occurrence was, people will always go back to races, to categorizations, trying to be “a part of something” which i think is not necessary. I think that most people are blinded by that and that this wouldn’t be a huge deal when people would look at it in a different way. I mean, we labeled Brown as “black” and the officer as “white”, whether to say which one’s the victim or the devil. Both are equal human being. Once we try to categorize things, it gets more specific supports and hatred. I mean, if we people look at this case not as a “white” cop who has murdered a “black” boy, but just as a cop who murdered an 18 yo boy, things wouldnt have to be this fired up…
Reblogged this on certainthought.
I live a long way away from the US. For me and for all us outsiders looking in… This problem is rooted in the ‘right to bear arms’ in a country like mine where these ridiculous laws allowing free gun ownership do not exist, this scenario would NEVER occur. First because the 13 yr old would not be carrying, bob gun or any gun ( if a kid was carrying a toy you’d know it was a toy because people just can’t get their hands on weapons like that. Also, police here don’t routinely carry handguns. There are strict rules around when and how police can use a weapon. A special armed squad is called out where there is an armed offender, they have specialist training in deescalation. Shooting is a last resort when under threat of imminent harm themselves.
If you want these killings to stop people, you need to change your outdated gun laws. This is no longer the Wild West. The right to bear arms has become the right to shoot another person dead.
This is SOOO obvious to everyone beyond your borders.
This particular trending issue is way out of the realm of gun ownership or sorts like it.
And yes. Using a gun is always the last resort in any situation. But in Darren Wilson’s immediate predicament back in August, using his gun was his ONLY resort. His testimony attests.
I think you’re missing the point, Take the guns out of the equation… The outcomes in all these cases would be very very different
Darren Wilson was a cop. He was entitled to have a gun in his possession.
And if you’re talking about precluding the whole idea of personal/civilian gun ownership-America has been through that since the virginia and sandy hook school shootings. They don’t even make it a discussion now. Once again proved how powerful NRA really is. Boohoo.
I don’t believe every cop should be carrying a gun either. They don’t where I come from. Loose the guns and nobody gets shot.
Unfortunately the ‘right to bear arms’ exacerbates all other issues and escalates these to a violent place.
I know it’s not an easy fix with corrupt gun lobby groups and government officials but you have got to get rid of the guns!
That’s gonna be a very difficult reform to put into effect. And it’s gonna take firm guts and sheer passion to make it charge through.
A greater fraction of Americans don’t wanna hear about gun control being discussed, especially on their media platforms. Which is why they got rid of Piers Morgan from CNN. They believe there is a better alternative than gun control. Some assume the problem is more of a human factor. But whatever the dilemma may be, it has not be properly confronted yet. Boohoo!
10 important takeaways from Ferguson Grand Jury documents:
The following are the facts from the case. Come on, if I were a cop, would I have waited to see whether he would shoot me or not? No. I have a family. I value my life. And I sure in the hell am not going to take a chance with some POS hoodlum, regardless of their color. If someone attacked me and was trying to rape me, you’d better believe I’d shoot them 20x if I could. It all comes down to my life vs his. Life vs death. It’s unfortunate this guy was black. That makes it a race thing. But the officer would have prob done the same thing whether the guy was white, Hispanic, Asian, etc. You want to be an upstanding citizen? Don’t break the fucking law or you suffer the consequences.
“Last night, a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri decided not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch also simultaneously released all evidence presented to the grand jury. Here are the most important takeaways from the documents…
1. Officer Wilson identified Michael Brown as suspect in a robbery.
From County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch:
“At About 11:53 AM, Wilson heard a radio broadcast of stealing in progress at a market. The broadcast also included a brief description of the subject.”
“As Officer Wilson was attending to his emergency call, Michael Brown and a companion were in the local convenience store. Michael Brown’s activity in the store was recorded by the store security cameras. The video often played following its release in August by the Ferguson police department shows Michael Brown grabbing a handful of Cigarillos and heading toward the exit without paying. As Michael Brown and his companion left the store, somebody inside called the police.
“As Officer Wilson continued west, he encountered Mr. Brown and his companion walking in the middle of the street. As Wilson slowed, he told them to move to the sidewalk. Words were exchanged and they continued to walk down the middle of the street. Wilson observed that Michael Brown had Cigarillos in his hand and was wearing a red hat and yellow socks. At approximately 12:02 PM, Wilson radioed he had two individuals and needed assistance.”
2. Michael Brown initiated the attack on Officer Wilson inside his police vehicle.
From Officer Wilson’s sworn testimony:
“He then grabs my door again and shuts my door. At that time is when I saw him coming into my vehicle. His head was higher than the top of my car. And I see him ducking and as he is ducking, his hands are up and he is coming in my vehicle.”
From Officer Wilson’s sworn testimony:
“I had shielded myself in this type of manner and kind of locked away, so I don’t remember seeing him come at me, but I was hit right in the side of the face with a fist. I don’t think it was a full-on swing, I think it was a full-on swing, but not a full shot. I think my arm deflected some of it, but there was still a significant amount of contact that was made to my face.”
From County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch:
“Several other witnesses described Mr. Brown as punching Officer Wilson while Mr. Brown was partially inside the vehicle.”
3. Michael Brown grabbed Officer Wilson’s gun.
From Officer Wilson’s sworn testimony:
“He grabs my gun, says, “You are too much of a pussy to shoot me.” The gun goes down into my hip and at that point I thought I was getting shot. I can feel his fingers try to get inside the trigger guard with my finger and I distinctly remember envisioning a bullet going into my leg. I thought that was the next step.”
From County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch:
“A total of 12 rounds were fired by Officer Wilson. Two shots in the car, 10 more farther east. Mr. Brown sustained a graze wound to his thumb while standing next to the vehicle.”
4. The gun was fired twice during the initial struggle.
From Officer Wilson’s sworn testimony:
“At this point I’m like why isn’t this working, this guy is going to kill me if he gets a hold of this gun. I pulled it a third time, it goes off. When it went off, it shot through my door panel and my window was down and glass flew out of my door panel. I think that kind of startled him and me at the same time.”
From County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch:
“Many of the witnesses said they heard a gunshot while Mr. Brown was still partially inside the vehicle.”
5. Officer Wilson feared for his life during the struggle
From Officer Wilson’s sworn testimony:
“I felt that another one of those punches in my face could knock me out or worse. I mean it was, he’s obviously bigger than I was and stronger and the, I’ve already taken two to the face and I didn’t think I would, the third one could be fatal if he hit me right.”
6. Officer Wilson repeatedly told Michael Brown to surrender
From Officer Wilson’s sworn testimony:
“At this point I start backpedaling and again, I tell him get on the ground, get on the ground, he doesn’t. I shoot another round of shots. Again, I don’t recall how many hit him every time. I know at least once because he flinched again.
Well, he keeps coming at me after me again, during the pause I tell him to get on the ground, get on the ground, he still keeps coming at me, gets about 8 to 10 feet away. At this point, I’m backing up pretty rapidly, I’m backpedaling pretty good because I know if he reaches me, he’ll kill me.”
7. Michael Brown was charging Officer Wilson when he was fatally shot.
From Officer Wilson’s sworn testimony:
“When he does that, his left hand goes in a fist and goes to his side, his right one goes under his shirt in his waistband and he starts running at me.
At this point it looked like he was almost bulking up to run through the shots, like it was making him mad that I’m shooting at him.
And when he gets about that 8 to 10 feet away, I look down, I remember looking at my sites and firing, all I see is his head and that’s what I shot.”
From County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch:
“Other witnesses stated Mr. Brown stopped for a very brief period and moved toward Officer Wilson again. One described his movement as a full charge.”
8. Michael Brown hands were not held up in surrender when he was shot.
From Officer Wilson’s sworn testimony:
“His first step is coming towards me, he kind of does like a stutter step to start running. When he does that, his left hand goes in a fist and goes to his side, his right one goes under his shirt in his waistband and he starts running at me.”
From County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch:
“Several witnesses stated that Mr. Brown did not raise his hands at all or that he raised them briefly and then dropped them and turned towards Officer Wilson who fired several rounds.”
9. Michael Brown had marijuana in his system and on his posession at the time of the incident.
The official autopsy performed on Michael Brown showed that he had THC in his system–at a level that would have been more than twice what would have allowed him to be arrested for impaired driving in Washington State, where marijuana is legal. THC is the chemical most responsible for the effects of marijuana. Brown was also carrying a bag of marijuana at the time of the shooting.
10. Not all witnesses spoke to the media.
From County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch:
“According to some witnesses, Officer Wilson stopped firing when Mr. Brown stopped moving towards him and resumed firing when Mr. Brown started moving towards him again. These witnesses did not make any statements to the media.”
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/11/6-revelations-grand-jury-documents
Thank you for speaking the truth.
Reblogged this on Engineer Marine Skipper and commented:
#ferguson
While there is grounds for Ferguson being tied to racial issues, isn’t the culture of policehood to blame as well? We employ millions of people into our armed forces and police force, and we train them for a few months then hand them weapons with deadly force to “protect” our nation and communities, without much forethought to their psychological tendencies. Furthermore, the entire culture of policehood is one of trigger happy individuals, they are raised in a world where the media portrays a “shoot on sight” use of weapons. Although the police handbook may read otherwise, they are raised with entertainment which desensitizes them to the violence guns can cause. Black or white, cops are not being raised to protect us but rather to look forward to firing a shot. They are honored for bringing down suspects and not punished enough for bringing down innocents as seen in the recent result of the Ferguson trial.
Thank you, this is what I was trying to say. Exactly.
You are perpetuating racism. I am raising a black male he isn’t a thug, oharrassing the police or rioting. My son goes to school and is on the A/B honor roll. He behaves the way I have brought him up to act.
Foreal
Reblogged this on Angry, Not Cute and commented:
Too good not to share.
Reblogged this on sarashugaa.
Reblogged this on phodographyetc and commented:
This is worth a read. I am thinking hard about someone I respect, a black woman, my age with children, who has basically stated that white people who want to support their black friends and family need to do the heavy lifting to bring about the change, to make the difference, that everyone claims to want. This writer, a white woman, sharing a shaping moment in her childhood, captures why so many white people do not see how the system is so messed up…because for us, the system is working. There are some excellent links at the end of this post. It is worth the read. And then keep reading. And then talk. And keep talking. And make the change.
I see many folks here need to read this:
Reblogged this on Mixic.
See my blog post for Ben Watson’s excellent essay
Reblogged this on takvorianremi.
.
Reblogged this on madedigitaldotme.
Interesting perspective! I am a Non-American black teenager and I’m quite pleased that even white people tend to criticize “the system” when it allegedly drifts away from it’s moral functions by refusing to rightfully protect the civil rights and liberties of the opposite race.
Now regarding the content of the post. You seem to display a very touching sense of empathy for your black counterparts in America. Which I find very unbiased and inspiring. But you also seem to be oblivious of the existential acts that prompted such actions from “the system”. First, you didn’t mention what Micheal Brown did before he was shot by the poor officer. The idea that he only “stole” a cigar wasn’t precisely the rationale that instigated his unfortunate fate. That wasn’t even stated as a cause for his altercation against Mr Wilson: READ DARREN WILSON’s TESTIMONY.
To use the victim’s side of the story as the only yardstick for what the verdict should have been is just painfully ludicrious.
“…..The only way to ensure these boys’ safety would be for them to be white…..”- ABDOLUTELY NOT! The only way to ensure these boys’ safety is for them to regulate their conduct and constitute themselves among society’s hagiography. If black Americans lecture their children, they should not instill in them the concept that “the system” is a personification of the adversary. That the system is wack and CANNOT be trusted. That would only impair the aims and objectives of America regarding its racial and institutional unification.
I’ve been closely following this case and carefully putting pieces together from my own vantage point. And as much as most people would hate to hear this; I find Darren Wilson’s side of the story more credible.
I feel sympathetic to Mic Brown’s parents. No parent should have to go through this. I was watching them last night on AC360. And they are still in a very difficult process of mourning the death of their beloved son. But I didn’t believe half of what they proclaimed about their child. That he would NEVER do what was alleged by the testimony. As Darren Wilson even said- ‘they are just parents mourning the death of their child’…And he is remorseful and sorry. They have the right to sketch their child’s humility and obedience as much as they want. But that wouldnt necessarily make it a valid fact.
A young black teenager who lacked a cool temperament back in August crossed paths with a young white cop and got shot. The populace divided over the issue. Most of them demanding justice not even knowing the full scale of the story. What America needs to work on is not “the system”, its their misconception of whats lawful and whats not. Of how to advice their kids and treat the system and when not to show off the race card, et cetera.
May “Mic Mic” rest in perfect peace.
May his parents get through this.
May Darren Wilson get over this.
And May America realize the true cause of all the insurgence over race among its people.
Amen!
Reblogged this on I Disagree In Love and commented:
Please read! Worth your time!
Reblogged this on HAPLOGROUP – bit that makes us human. and commented:
TY ” it was built to prioritize the safety and security of white people over everyone else. The way the system works is by oppressing Black people and other people of colour. As Ta-Nehisi Coates said at a recent talk that I attended, “the machine is running as intended.”
you a full of poop
Reblogged this on xiaoming10 and commented:
ddd
Reblogged this on Aqeelah Ikram and commented:
I believe that we live under a system that protects the criminals and rejects the victims. In the light of Ferguson and within the incident alongside many others of the same nature, the police have been the perpetrators and under protection. The rationality of the law makes reverent justice almost impossible. It is a system which protects white supremacy and bourgeois ideology. The law never seems to protect the most destitute and instead favours depraved, white elites. If you reject this observation, consider the analogous that the police often employ their time tear-gassing weed smoking coloured juveniles whilst white bankers and doctors habitually use opiates and cocaine but are never reprimanded.; this is just one example of an absolute mountain. I agree, this is a system (In the United States, United Kingdom, Australia…) which needs to scrapped and rebuilt to suit the multicultural, multi-faith populations of today but it’s not brain science to acknowledge that asides from the disfavour of rebuilding a system that will not entirely serve the interests of those who exercise state power, the required temporal and practical rudiments will be obstructive.
Reblogged this on Scarlet Rialto.
Reblogged this on Poems and Other Shit by James J. Jackson, Jr. and commented:
The title says it all!
This is a great post. Thank you for writing it.
Its shocking and disappointing that even in such highly educated and advanced era, ignorance still prevails. It comes out that existence of such discrimination is not unintentional, its deliberate. Its not that people don’t know the difference between right and wrong. They know yet they keep doing wrong to enjoy privileges. Better not use the word black or white before the word ‘people’.
Reading your post and the comments, there is one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb.
It is our word that creates our world. White people have agreed to the parameters to “protect” themselves. You paint the picture very well that the system works as it is intended. However, is the system in line with what society is saying anymore? I consider a system such as you mention on autopilot. It is radical to change the entire system as you mention but that is exactly what is needed.
What are we saying about society?
There is enough room for all of us to live peaceably.
Cultures I do not understand are safe.
I can trust strangers.
Blacks, Mexicans, Jews, Arabs are as intellingent, beautiful, and entitled to every freedom I am entitled to.
When we focus on the system that is both archaic and demeaning we put it out there anew. Let us be proactive, as white people specifically, to get out of our SUV’s and suburban homes and reach out to the society we are afraid of and say something else.
I love you.
You matter to me.
Thank you for sparking and starting this conversation. I am taking this on and passing this on to each person I come face to face this time.
As we sit down for our respective feasting, it is prudent to give thanks for the unobvious things as well as the blessings that are so apparent.
Thank you again.
Reblogged this on exileinfundyland.
COMMON SENSE, that’s all you need. Don’t be a criminal, don’t be an asshole or have little punk attitude just have some respect or at least just shut up, don’t have a gun, just listen and don’t run (on foot or in a car), don’t fight the cops or resist arrest and everything will be fine. Common sense, some cops are dicks that’s just a fact of life but i promise you they’re not just going around shooting innocent people for no reason lol that has to be one of the dumbest things i’ve ever heard. This is the beginning of the end folks, my hope for humanity dwindles more n more every day. The ignorance and stupidity is astounding, i bet the “government” enjoys every minute of this just like they’re going to enjoy the herds of morons flocking to wal-marts tomorrow morning while people are publicly beheaded in a soccer stadium. Go back to sleep america, get fat and enjoy you reality tv, overdose on consumerism, and kiss everything goodbye because we blew it as a species. From day 1 common sense n common decency is all we needed, just be a good person, but nope couldn’t do it. FAIL.
Btw, canada’s like a different planet. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but the american cop/civilian relationship is different than most places. It’s different everywhere, but i’d rather have our police than about 95% of the planets and so would your safe ass #TRUTH
I really wanted to blog about this, but i knew the flood of stupidity would mind-blowing. This could’ve easily been avoided and to sum it up, just bring back Common Sense and Common Decency or we’re all doomed. WAKE UP. Period, point blank, to me there’s no argument.
Great post, you summed it up perfectly!
Reblogged this on All This Bleeding.
According to some people I’m honestly considering no longer calling friends, the way for Black youth to keep themselves safe is to always obey every order given by a cop, and if they don’t, it’s their own fault they got shot. I told him he’s been lucky to avoid police oppression so far – being white doesn’t help as much if you’re also poor – and that it won’t last, because the police are claiming the right to kill any of us they feel like. They’ve just started with blacks because they’re the easiest targets to justify to their fellow power-holders, who are largely white males, of course… but it won’t stay with blacks alone. Everyone who isn’t part of the power elite is threatened by this, and I’m quite sure I don’t need to tell any Black person that. It’s my fellow Whites who insist on plugging their fingers in their ears, going “LaLaLa he disobeyed a cop he deserved what he got” and pretending it can’t ever happen to them or their kids…
Reblogged this on Nevada State Personnel Watch.
WE,TOO,in France
Theriault, you’re a chicken. Overthrowing the system won’t happen by sitting down, listening, and being an ally for change. If it’s as fundamental as you say, no amount of social advocacy or street theater is going to make a difference. Can you renovate your house while blowing up its foundations? No. You need guns. Bombs. Force of all sorts. It’s what works–it’s why the British don’t run Ireland, and why Acadians don’t run Nova Scotia. If you want to ‘start from scratch’, you’re going to have to get rid of a lot of things and people first. Otherwise, you’re just another progressive thinking the system can be fixed.