OPINION: POLICE BRUTALITY IN THE USA: WHEN WILL BLACK SONS BE FREE?
Sat Jul 16, 2016 11:51:am Opinion
4.5K By Buchi Obichie
Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Frederick Grey, Trayvon Martin; these names all have something in common- deaths due to police brutality against black men in the USA.
Some days ago, US cities erupted in protests, as two other names were added to the growing list of black men gunned down by trigger-happy cops. Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, were gunned down in two different cities, within a 24hour time frame.
What is it about the black man, which makes him such an easy target for cops, as compared to people of other race groups? Is it the way he talks, the way he carries himself, or is it just simply the color of his skin?
Statistics have shown that black men are 3 times more likely to be killed by police, than men in any other race group. Still, according to statistics, more black men are likely to be unarmed, than any other race group, when they are gunned down. Think of t people make up just 14% of the US population; and you realize that as a human specie, the black man is under threat in America...a real threat of extinction!
From the days of slavery until now, the black man has fought for his place in American society. From Frederick Douglas, to Thurgood Marshall, to Martin Luther King Jnr., and even Barack Obama, the black man is still fighting. Despite achieving great feats and marching lengthy marches, he has still not been deemed good enough!
Africans all around the world identify with the struggles of black America, simply because we are all kin. The color of the black skin binds every black person together, no matter where we are. And in recent times, with increased violence being perpetuated against black people, the call has grown louder for Africans to come back to the motherland, where they would not be treated like 2nd class citizens!
Governments were made for people, and not the other way round. So, why must a black man be afraid of an officer of the law, who is paid by taxpayers' money, to protect him? What is the cause of the huge disconnect between law enforcement officers in the USA, and the (black) communities they serve? Why does a white cop view a black man with a cellphone in his hand as a greater threat than a Caucasian man who is actually armed with a weapon? What will it take to get equal standards in the USA?
America claims to be the land of the free and the home of the brave,but it's racist undertones scream from the mountain-top! The terrains of war may have evolved; but from the American Civil War until now, the blood of black men has not ceased to flow on the battlefields.
The average black man in the USA is viewed as a gang banger, drug peddler, or pimp. Even though he's dressed in a sharp suit with a corner office on Wall Street, his image is still tarnished, simply because of his Negro heritage. So when the white man comes across a successful black man, he usually thinks, What crime did he commit to attain such wealth and prestige?
We cannot overlook the fact that there is black on black violence, just as there is violence perpetuated by individuals of the same race against themselves, in all corners of the world. But when there is an obvious instituted code of violence against black men, by cops, simply based on implicit bias rooted in racial prejudice and derogatory stereotypes, then there is a big problem!
What will it take to solve this problem? Black America sees the problem. But when a white billionaire and former Mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, says that "black mothers should teach their sons to respect the police, implying that the violence is to be blamed squarely on black people, then it's clear that a majority of white America does not recognize" or simply refuses to recognize the problem!
Until white America acknowledges the fact that despite the long years, and the passage of the Civil Rights Act, there is still instituted racism in the United States of America, nothing will change. Until that realization comes, black sons will keep falling!
Some days ago, US cities erupted in protests, as two other names were added to the growing list of black men gunned down by trigger-happy cops. Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, were gunned down in two different cities, within a 24hour time frame.
What is it about the black man, which makes him such an easy target for cops, as compared to people of other race groups? Is it the way he talks, the way he carries himself, or is it just simply the color of his skin?
Statistics have shown that black men are 3 times more likely to be killed by police, than men in any other race group. Still, according to statistics, more black men are likely to be unarmed, than any other race group, when they are gunned down. Think of t people make up just 14% of the US population; and you realize that as a human specie, the black man is under threat in America...a real threat of extinction!
From the days of slavery until now, the black man has fought for his place in American society. From Frederick Douglas, to Thurgood Marshall, to Martin Luther King Jnr., and even Barack Obama, the black man is still fighting. Despite achieving great feats and marching lengthy marches, he has still not been deemed good enough!
Africans all around the world identify with the struggles of black America, simply because we are all kin. The color of the black skin binds every black person together, no matter where we are. And in recent times, with increased violence being perpetuated against black people, the call has grown louder for Africans to come back to the motherland, where they would not be treated like 2nd class citizens!
Governments were made for people, and not the other way round. So, why must a black man be afraid of an officer of the law, who is paid by taxpayers' money, to protect him? What is the cause of the huge disconnect between law enforcement officers in the USA, and the (black) communities they serve? Why does a white cop view a black man with a cellphone in his hand as a greater threat than a Caucasian man who is actually armed with a weapon? What will it take to get equal standards in the USA?
America claims to be the land of the free and the home of the brave,but it's racist undertones scream from the mountain-top! The terrains of war may have evolved; but from the American Civil War until now, the blood of black men has not ceased to flow on the battlefields.
The average black man in the USA is viewed as a gang banger, drug peddler, or pimp. Even though he's dressed in a sharp suit with a corner office on Wall Street, his image is still tarnished, simply because of his Negro heritage. So when the white man comes across a successful black man, he usually thinks, What crime did he commit to attain such wealth and prestige?
We cannot overlook the fact that there is black on black violence, just as there is violence perpetuated by individuals of the same race against themselves, in all corners of the world. But when there is an obvious instituted code of violence against black men, by cops, simply based on implicit bias rooted in racial prejudice and derogatory stereotypes, then there is a big problem!
What will it take to solve this problem? Black America sees the problem. But when a white billionaire and former Mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, says that "black mothers should teach their sons to respect the police, implying that the violence is to be blamed squarely on black people, then it's clear that a majority of white America does not recognize" or simply refuses to recognize the problem!
Until white America acknowledges the fact that despite the long years, and the passage of the Civil Rights Act, there is still instituted racism in the United States of America, nothing will change. Until that realization comes, black sons will keep falling!
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