Again, my heart is breaking for our young black men. By now I’m sure you’ve all heard the story of Mike Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old, shot multiple times by St. Louis Police. The police’s story is that Brown reached for his (the officer’s) gun and then the officer shot him 8 times. According to Brown’s mother, he was a good kid, visiting his grandmother and starting college next week.
A sad story all the way around. There is no video of Brown trying to grab the officer’s gun, so we can’t say for sure that he didn’t. But, even if he did and was unsuccessful aren’t police taught other ways of restraint, such as tasers, clubs etc? Or is shoot to kill the only option, especially when it is a black male?
These type of news headlines are becoming way too common, again. It’s 2014! When I was a child we read and saw pictures of police guarding angered black crowds with dogs. This was HISTORY for us, but sadly it’s our actual present. Racism is VERY ALIVE. For us to act like our black men are treated fairly in this country would be foolish. It seems like the KKK’s white blankets have been replaced with cop uniforms and neighborhood vigilantes.
What do we do now? In St. Louis they are rioting and looting which is not the answer. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t say I understand their anger. When we were told we should do something about the Trayvon Martin case, we did. We wrote letters, held peaceful rallies and marches, prominent leaders spoke out and what did all of that get us?? No justice! Just a door left wide open with a sign that says it’s OK to kill our black men.
Last year, after the George Zimmerman NOT GUILTY verdict was read, I did a post called, I AM NOT TRAYVON MARTIN, BUT I AM SYBRINA FULTON. I wanted to re-share my thoughts with you about that case and the verdict.
Much like many of you,when I 1st heard about the killing of 17 year old Trayvon Martin last year, I was heartbroken. A boy lost his life, because he was instantly profiled for being black and wearing a hoodie, so automatically he must be a criminal and up to no good, right?
Saturday night, after the verdict of George Zimmerman being found not guilty was read, and he was free to go home and given back the same gun that he used to shoot Trayvon with, I could only think of the pain that his parents must be feeling, especially his mother, Sybrina Fulton. I’ve been told that the worst pain is that of losing a child; I couldn’t imagine, but I believe it, because my greatest love is that of my children.
Not only have Sybrina Fulton & Tracey Martin lost a son, violently and just 17 short years after they were blessed with his life, but they have had to sit in a courtroom with his killer for weeks, relive that tragic night, see autopsy photos of their lifeless son over and over again, listen to the same police calls from the last few seconds of their child’s life, listen to the defense make their son out to be a violent thug and after all of this, there has been no justice served for their son, no repercussion jail time, no probation, not even community service, just here’s your gun back, you’re free to kill again! The system has let them down and us too.
Last March, I helped to organize a Trayvon Martin peace rally in my hometown of Baltimore, which thousands of young Baltimoreans attended. At the rally I told the crowd that this story affected me so much because I am raising a black son, who one day may walk to the store on a rainy night and put his hood on, on his way home, will he be profiled as suspicious, followed and then shot??
Last night showed me that in the eyes of the American judicial system (or at least in the eyes of the 6 female non black jurors), my black son’s life does not matter,e specially if he is assumed to be a danger because he looks suspicious.
What can I do to protect my son? My black son. Society has taught us that if we give our children the best education, make sure their father’s are active in their lives, place them in extracurricular activities and teach them right from wrong, then they will live a full, successful life.But Trayvon Martin and so many other unnamed young black men, who went to school, had their dads active in their lives and so forth, lives have been cut short, based solely on the color of their skin!
How do I teach my 5 year old son to defend and stand up for himself against racism that is still very prevalent in 2013?
Last night after the verdict was read of not guilty, I hugged my son and cried. It reminded me so much of the same hug and the same tears I gave him (he was a few days shy of 1 year old) in 2008 the night President Obama was elected. In 2008, my tears were of joy, my black baby boy could one day be President or anything else he wanted, America was accepting of a black man to be the leader of our country!!! We had made it!!! But now 5 years later, my tears are of sorrow, because my black son is not able to defend himself against a racist for fear of not making it home ever again, because of his race. Like the game of SORRY (one of my sons favorite games), it’s all going great, until you’re dealt that 4 steps backwards card.
One thing that this case has taught me, is that as black people we have to learn to speak up more. We’ve been culturally taught to be quiet, not to air out our dirty laundry, not to snitch, etc. But this is something that I will not teach my children! If something is harmful or affecting you negatively, SPEAK UP!!!!
What if Trayvon Martin had called the police to tell them that he was being followed by a strange man in a car or that the man had gotten out of his car and started pursuing him on foot?? Or if Trayvon Martin’s girlfriend, Rachel Jeantel, who was on the phone with Trayvon and knew he was being followed, and heard him asking the person following him “What are you following me for?” and “Get off!” had called the police after Trayvon’s phone had cut off??
If Trayvon or Rachel had reported that he was being followed, would the outcome of this case have been different.
We can’t protect our sons from being black. No matter how great of a person, student, hardworker they are, there will always be someone profiling them, just because they are black! But, I am begging my parents of black children to instill in them to reach out for help when needed, do not give them the mentality that calling the cops, or asking for help is weak! Their lives or their murder trial could depend on it!
It’s sad to say but from Shawn Bell, Trayvon Martin to Oscar Grant to now Mike Brown and the countless others that don’t make the headlines, which one of our black sons is next?
All we can do, it seems is to teach our men that their lives are valuable, they DO mean something. We have to continue to demand that they respect themselves and one another. If more black people would rally together on a day to day basis, versus only a time of turmoil, then maybe we could change the world!