Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Was Trayvon Martin's Life Worthless?

In 2007 on this very blog, I asked a question. The question "is killing black males not illegal anymore?" I went back and read that blog a few days ago. That blog was written after the death of Martin Lee Anderson, a 14 year old black male who was beaten to death in a Florida boot camp for minors. You can say Mr. Anderson was on the wrong path, you can say he was a menace to society because he was placed in this boot camp, but watching that video of him being beaten there is no doubt he was a child who was no match for the four men beating him. Those men were not punished. All you have to do is google "cops shoot black man" and you will see countless articles popping up from as far as the U.K. about questionable situations where lethal force was used on unarmed black men. This phenomena is astounding, not because it happens, but because it happens so often and repeatedly the shooters are not punished. Wouldn't the outrage after just one of these instances be enough to make the justice system take note. Aren't enough of these cases public record in the last 40 years to have some kind of focus on prosecuting police who go all vigilante on unarmed citizens? Apparently not. What message does that send to black males around the world?



Over the last few weeks I have truly been saddened. The senseless loss of life has continued. This time a 17 year old boy from Florida, Trayvon Martin. What's worse, this time it was not police officer. It was not a person charged with serving and protecting citizens. It was not a person who puts his life on the line for the good of the people. This time, it was a regular Joe. A self appointed neighborhood watch captain. A person with no training no jurisdiction to patrol and a license to carry a handgun. Martin was not on the shooters property, he was committing no crime other than being out at night. His skin was his sin. By now, we all know the ending to this story, it ends with Martin dead and his killer free. This time the police can't rely on mistaken identity or dark shadows that appear to be weapons. It wasn't a police chase, there were no warrants for arrest, no drugs, not even a criminal history used to paint the young man as some kind of degenerate thug that the public hates so much. There were skittles and Iced tea.



Over that last few weeks there has been outrage growing especially with the release of the 911 tapes. Tapes that tend to poke holes in the shooters self defense story. All that is horrifying, a man shoots a kid and goes free. What's more frightening is a man shoots a black kid and goes free, again, and again and again and again. What makes these kinds of stories so maddeningly disturbing is that as a black man, it could have been me, it could have been one of my brothers, and unfortunately, it has been at least one of my friends. It makes me think, what exactly is my life worth to society. What was Trayvon Martin's or Martin Lee Anderson's or Sean Bell's or Adu Diallo's or Robert Tolan's (who was fortunate enough to survive his wounds) life worth to society that someone could gun them down in cold blood and walk away. What is so dangerous about black men that you can shoot them on site and be defended by society? Society is more than willing to give you the benefit of the doubt not only to cops, but apparently to regular citizens. As a black man at what point do I fear for my life?


Recently, I was watching a rerun of one of those gold mining shows. You know, the shows where they are up in the Alaskan wilderness digging for gold. During this episode a bear was walking around the outskirts of the miners camp. Of course there are kids on the camp so everyone was worried. "What's the bear doing?" Everyone asked. Realistically, the bear was just exploring, it probably smelled their cooking and was checking it out. One of the miners mentioned that they could only drive the bear away, they could not shoot it unless it made an aggressive move towards the camp. The next day the bear came a little closer to the camp. At this point the miners had had it with the bear. To them, the bear had encroached into their space. The bear had to go. So two miners went out into the woods to find that bear and kill it. To the miners, they were protecting their families and their lives. Most people would not fault them for shooting the bear. Bears are majestic beautiful creatures, but they are wild and can be dangerous and unpredictable. To the bear, he was just looking for a meal in its own wilderness. Probably with his own family to feed. But to the men, the bear was threat that had to be eliminated. Watching this episode in light of what I have seen over the last 28 years on this earth. It dawned on me. I am that bear, Sean Bell was that Bear, Trayvon Martin was that bear, Robbie Tolan was that bear. See, that bear those men shot was threatening simply because it was a bear. Not because of anything it had done, simply because it was a bear and bears are inherently dangerous to humans. Society didn't cry for that bear, they sympathize and justify the killing. Understanding that the bear had to be dealt with. Who would argue that the life of the miners and their families was more important than the bear's?



Most won't admit it or can't see it, but that is the plight of the black man in this country. He is dangerous simply because he is... Black men are great in movies and music, but they are wild and unpredictable, animals. Police and citizens of all races are indoctrinated to believe that they need to be at a higher level of alert in the presence of strange black men. That higher alert level creates a need to defend oneself at all cost, even if it is not justified by reality. Now that split decision a cop makes when I reach in my pocket goes from non lethal to lethal forms of restraint. My hoody is now a cloak to hide my face, not from the rain, but from recognition. That can of soda or that wallet in my hand begins to resemble a gun. The diminutive stature of my child becomes the overwhelming presence of John Coffee. My rotund frame begins to resemble a track star who will definitely be too fast to catch if I flee. Most would not call this indoctrination racism, that's debatable. Most are not consciously taught to look at black men this way so they hide behind ignorance. Sadly, sometimes we teach citizens to view us this way. Unfortunately, for many reasons we would rather be feared than loved. Some of us feel we need to be "scary" to be respected. Society has some black men proud of their "goon" status.



As a staunch supporter of personal responsibility I felt these shootings were more our own fault than the shooters. I felt we were making it hard for ourselves. If we would just pull our pants up and start valuing education, society would feel no need to fear us. right? See, I was buying into societies ideology. The same ideology that made it ok for those gold miners to shoot that bear. The same ideology that has allowed society to turn a blind eye to the aforementioned injustices. "One way or another they brought it on themselves." is what society tells you. When I realized the flaw in my thinking, I was sick to my stomach. I felt like I knew how adam and eve felt when they were fooled by the serpent in the garden of eden. I had allowed society to make me believe that rap music and hip hop culture were the true culprits. It had me believing that the culture portrayed us so poorly, how could you blame cops and citizens for fearing us the way they do? Feeling this way made me feel like a disgrace, how could I be so closed minded? While, we are portrayed poorly in media, and there are some issues that we as black men need to address in popular culture and in our own communities. The unpunished killing of black men pre-dates Drake and lil Wayne, Wacka Flocka and Plies. It was around before Jay Z, DMX and The Lox. Before Biggie and Tupac used lyrics to weave a complex tapestry of black life in America, black men were being murded and their killers were going free. Before N.W.A came straight outta Compton and Ice T said fuck the police, cops and citizens were murdering black males and being set free without punishment. These kinds of crimes pre-date hip hop, soul, funk, jazz,blues big band, swing, gospel and negro spirituals. Actually, most of these forms of music were coveted as a method of shining a light on mis-treatment.


I had an introspective moment. I was putting the chicken before the egg. We as black men weren't degrading ourselves to the point of draining our lives of worth. Society has told us we are worthless for so long we began to believe it. It's sad. The beefed up gritty persona's you see in hip hop culture today are manifestations of hundreds of years of conditioning. Conditioning that taught young black males that no matter what you do we will not respect you, so you must settle for fear. Just look at the way some in society disrespect President Obama, a man who did everything right. He never got in any legal trouble, got an education, a law degree, became editor of the Harvard law review turned down what would be six figure jobs to be a community organizer. He is one of the most disrespected Presidents in history. His opponents don't attack him on policy, they draw him as an ape, a pimp, a Nazi a black panther. They disrespect his wife and kids, they pass around incendiary emails etc. I am not completely blaming society for all the black man's problems, we have definitely caused a number of our own, but you can't deny the effect this country's checkered past has on our community and its men. We must remember that the civil rights movement was only fifty years ago, One generation. Most of our parents were born into a segregated world. Just as we can't fix all of our problems in 50 years, society can't fix all of its problems in 50 years.



Despite all these issues I have mentioned, the fear, the brash way in which we carry ourselves at times, these killings are not and can never be justified. No matter how violent we are portrayed, killing of an innocent unarmed man should never be justified. That day I saw the miners shoot the bear, I saw a young black man treading through life minding his own business, his presence alone was reason enough to be considered a threat. The men eliminated the threat life goes on. Unlike the bear, no other human has Dominion over us. Our lives should have the same worth as any cop or citizen of any race. When innocent black men die, the outrage should be so loud that society cannot ignore it. The outcry should be so great that no judge or lawyer can get an mis-trial or acquittal. When I see the Trayvon Martin case, I see a crime that if unpunished opens the flood gates for lawlessness. Citizens will feel empowered to seek vigilante justice. Black men will arm themselves for protection. Violence only begets violence. On the other hand, if we can generate enough outrage that this young man's killer is charged and convicted with murder, maybe we will send the message that black men's lives are not worthless. Maybe society will no longer turn the other cheek when young innocent black men are taken from this earth. Will cops stop shooting black men? I doubt it, but we cannot let a regular citizen go free, the back lash could be too great. Let's do what we can to make sure Trayvon Martin's killer is charged and convicted. We can't do anything about the last 30 years but starting now we can and should force society to make a change. If not, the next name you see in bold letters on television could be mine.


To Trayvon Martin, Martin Lee Anderson, Sean Bell, Adu Diallo, Robert Tolan and countless other black men who have been weighed and found worthless, your lives are not worthless. We will always remember you and it will be your names that foster the change we seek.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Obama, where are your papers?


President Barack Obama took office just over two years ago. His inauguration seemed like a monumental time that would be recorded in the annals of history, as the point where America was somehow becoming the country it thought it was. I, like many young African Americans have ached to believe that our parents were correct when they told us you can be whatever you aspire to be. "Work hard, be the best and no one can deny your dreams." I, like many young African Americans know the complicated history of the country we love. We want to believe that America is a work in progress and the inauguration of this one man, whether you voted for him or not, is a symbol of that work. We know, just as the cracks of whips opened the wounds of racism on the back of this country, his inauguration served as a sign that undoubtedly those wounds were healing. Realistically, I was bit more skeptical.

April 27, 2011 President Obama, annoyed with the triviality of today's political message, produced his long form birth certificate. He did it to Quell the likes of Donald Trump and others(but mainly Trump) who had gone on a media blitz questioning the Presidents birth documents. The same documents that have allowed the President to get a drivers license, passport and any other official document where identity and to some extent citizenship must be proven.

Personally, I wouldn't have shown it. This show and prove mentality finds its roots in American society prior to the abolition of slavery. Black men and women who had worked and bought their freedom or had been freed by their former masters, had to carry their freedom papers with them everywhere to prove that they were as free as the constitution promised. That mentality, did not die with the civil war, abolition of slavery, or reconstruction. It didn't die during the roaring twenties or the great depression. It didn't die during World War II or the Civil Rights movement. It didn't die with Brown v. Board of Education or the Voting Rights Act. While black people are no longer asked to show their freedom papers in order to freely walk the streets, the mentality has been kept on life support. It lives through campus police at colleges across the country asking to see black or Hispanic students I.D's to prove they are students. It manifests itself in neighborhood cops checking identification of kids who don't look like they belong. It clings to existence in notable individuals asking President Obama to show his college grades. Finally, it is fully resuscitated with the President of the free world being forced to prove the already proven,that he is qualified to hold the office.

There was never any definitive proof that Obama wasn't born in Hawaii. There is no proof that Obama was not qualified to attend Columbia and Harvard Law. So, why do these kinds of unfounded ideas thrive? We have to understand the true statement being made to freed slaves 200 years ago, "You don't deserve to be here, you are not wanted here, you will never belong here and as long as you stay here we will be watching you waiting for our chance to remove you" the vitriol of today may not be as harsh or widely accepted as it was then, but the message remains the same. The "birther" issue is manifestation of this idea, created to satisfy a segment of the population who is still receptive to the show a prove mentality when it concerns people who don't look like them. President Obama is the leader of the free world. Arguably, the most powerful person of color in the history of the world. Yet, in America the absence of shackles is not enough evidence that you are free......Obama, show us your papers.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Why I'm not voting for Barack Obama and Neither Should You!!!

I know this title will catch many of you by surprise, especially since I have written of my support for him on this very blog. But I must say my eyes have been opened in the last few months. My rabid and blind support for the greatest country on the planet will no longer let me turn a blind eye to the blatant hatred of America shown by Obama. I mean it started with his pastor, how can you sit there while a man spews hatred about America in every sermon for 20 years believe every word of it then all of a sudden now that you are running for president act like black people don't agree with every word their pastor says, we know how the black church works. A pastor preaches a sermon everyone subscribes to his beliefs fully, a pastor says it, we believe it. But, I stuck with Obama through the Rev. Wright flap. I even stuck with him through the whole "bitter" dust up. But there is one issue that I cannot under any circumstances overlook. It is the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. The final weight pulling on the string that ties me to my support for Obama. I cannot support a candidate for president who does not wear a flag pin on his lapel. I mean that's how you truly show that you love something. Think about it, when you really care for something a lapel pin is really the only way to keep it close to your heart. If you are a Christian and you don't wear a cross lapel pin then you just don't love Jesus. If you graduated from a University and you don't wear the Alumni lapel pin then I question your love for your Alma mater. If you love dogs and you don't wear a dog lapel pin then you might as well be Mike Vick. If you love your kids, wallet photos don't do it anymore, you have to make lapel pin pictures, otherwise CPS will come get your kids, clearly they are not in a loving home. People open your eyes to the real issues here, patriotism and character. Obama doesn't want to wear a flag pin to show his love for the very country where he seeks to be president. He must be an Anti-American terrorist. Think about it. While we are thinking about it, we should all check ourselves. I don't see nearly enough lapel pins on people outlining their beliefs. I think we should all re-evaluate what we hold close to our hearts. There was a time when you truly loved something you put in on a bumper sticker. That's no longer good enough, we have to put it right on our chests, sporting it proudly over our hearts. I say to you Barack Obama you will not get my vote, because I love the red white and blue and I pin my flag pin directly to my chest!!! And if you don't support your country like I do then what kind of president will you be?

Friday, March 14, 2008

Don't Fall for the Political Slight of Hand....Isn't Obama Running for President?

By now I'm sure any of you with the slightest interest in politics have heard the latest negative long shot being disseminated by the media. This campaign has been an interesting one, I'm surprised this is my first blog about it. But I was trying to watch the political process play out from the outside looking in without having to shove my opinion and thoughts into the process, though on an extremely small scale.

What has moved me to speak is the media pure avoidance of the slight of hand politics of the republican party and the Clintons. It's is obvious that these political street magicians would rather us distracted by the motion. Its the most basic principle of prestidigitation, look over here at the motion while I perform magic under concealment. It is what is happening to Senator Obama and has been since he took the overall delegate lead. Its when the Clintons or the republicans say "we can't beat you on the issues, so let's take the focus off the issues and place it on Louis Farrakhan's endorsement of Obama." Let's try to connect all the bad things Farrakhan has said with Obama, does America really want a president that was endorsed by a racist?" They have tried to connect him with radical Muslims because of his name, they have made up lies about his father, who left when he was two, teaching him Islam. They have said that Muslims will be dancing in the streets because someone with the name Hussein has become the President. They have tried to play on every basic fear of white Americans pleading for them to stop voting for this man. They have questioned his patriotism using pictures that are grossly out of context. They have questioned his wife's patriotism because of comments she made. And I can deal with all of that, those things you expect coming from conservatives, racist and his opponents.

But what really pushes my buttons is the blatant disregard for the sanctity of the black church. The surfacing of old sermons by Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright. The showcase of his politically incorrect statements over the years in front of his congregation. Now, I personally don't believe politics have a place in the pulpit, but if there should be one place you shouldn't have to worry about being politically correct, it is in the pulpit. To use Excerpts from Wright's sermons and twisting them to fit your agenda is disrespectful to him his position and the entire church and to the word that he was preaching on that given Sunday. There is a reason that churches tend to be racially consistent. There are black churches, there are white churches, there are Irish churches and polish churches etc. but not much diversity in church congregations. This is why. How many white people, if they actually heard the entire sermon, would Wright's message help. Maybe a few. A black persons experience in America is quite unique to black Americans, a white person will never understand what it is like being black in America. Many preachers at black churches tap into these experiences to relate to the congregation. In a sense you won't understand Wright's comments because he wasn't talking to you.

I always find it funny how quickly some white people claim reverse racism and say his message is hateful. Since he is a minister I'm sure the intention of his message was to spread the word of God to his congregation, to play a portion of a religious speech where religion is not mentioned is blatantly misleading.

On the other hand, when did calling America wrong become hateful. Our congregation has been burned, hanged, sprayed with water hoses, beaten in the streets, dragged behind trucks, had crossed burned in their yards, had its leaders assassinated, threatened and jailed unjustly because of the color of their skin, by other Americans, who called themselves patriotic. So, sorry white America if some of my people are not thanking God everyday for America. I apologize for Rev. Wright telling his congregation what he believes to be true. And sorry his congregation didn't just get up and walk out on his message.

But to bring it all back into perspective. What do Rev. Wright's beliefs have to do with Barack Obama's ability to be president. That is the slight of hand, "Don't worry about the war and heath care, listen to, his pastor preaches hatred!" This is where this hatred thing falls apart for me. If Rev. Wright hates whites does that mean Obama hates whites. Isn't his mother white? Wasn't the only family he knew growing up all white? Isn't his grandfather that he speaks of fighting in WWII white? So does he hate them too? Does he hate half of himself?

You choose your spiritual leaders because of how they feed your spirit, what does your ministers opinions about Hillary Clinton or 9/11 or America have to do with how he feeds your religious spirit. Republicans and Obama's opponents would love for you to believe that political opinion and spirituality go hand and hand, but they don't. If that's the case, my preacher might be supporting McCain does that make me a conservative republican? The bottom line is, if you put a camera in every politicians church in the country you would have hours and hours of footage that can be viewed out of context as "hate." And if a politician or anyone goes so far as to choose their spiritual leader by political correctness and what looks good on TV, then their spirituality is for show, and I would rather have an admitted non-believer calling the shots than a spiritual fake.

Friday, January 25, 2008

The Audacity to Vote

Recently, I have been watching everything politics. Whether it be on conservative talk radio or on national news stations like CNN and MSNBC. I admit while I have always voted in every election, local and national. I find myself infatuated with the political process right now. Like many people, the main reason is the possibility of change. The last eight years have been particularly draining and people are tired. Also, its the chance to make history. For the first time ever in the America's 200+ years a black man and a women are the democratic front-runners for President. 2008 could be the year that America shows that it is ready to move past the inherent problems of race and gender that have ruled in this country for decades. While everyone tries to make race a non-issue, I will bring it to the forefront. Race has been and always will be an issue, the only difference is how much of an issue.

The strange thing is that a lot of Obama's most fierce opposers have been black people. The first time that we have a chance to have a man of any color other than white as the leader of the free world, and his opposers "use the same comb" as the saying goes. It seems to be a generational difference, with older blacks backing Clinton and younger blacks backing Obama. I know that Bill Clinton has been called "the first black president" a distinction that I detest because he is not a black man. That distinction is born of stereotypes and generalizations. Finding its roots in an argument that to be black you must speak jive, dance well, play a saxophone, cheat on your wife, smoke marijuana and lie? What does the successes and failures of the former president have to do with his wife. The first lady can't veto a bill, OK a war, oversee the economy etc. I say this not to tell you who to vote for but to open your eyes to the reality of the situation. Does eight years as the first lady count as experience?

Some of the same people who are going to vote for Clinton because she is a Clinton, are the same people who don't want you to vote for Obama "simply" because he is black. I ask what is wrong with support. The funny thing is if we don't vote for him the headlines will read "Black Voters don't back Black Candidate" but if we do, it's "simply" because he is black. Plenty of white people won't vote for him "simply" because he's black. Just like millions of women may vote for Hillary "simply" because she is a women. An interesting question is how many black people are not voting for Obama because they have been conditioned, for decades, to believe that a black man can't handle a job of this magnitude?

People, white black purple and green can vote for who they want, but if it's OK for anyone else to find something in common with a candidate and back them, then as a black person you can vote for Obama "simply" because he's black. Logically, a black man would look out for issues that effect the black community more than another candidate. That may not be true, but i sure would like to find out. Things can't get any worse than Bush.

Bottom line, go to the polls and support your candidate, whoever it may be, but don't feel the need to validate your choice with anyone but yourself.