I take a knee for those who can’t because they have been killed by the inequality in our justice system.
Throughout history, society has defined the young black or brown man as something to fear. Black men have been viewed as dangerous predators as far back as chattel slavery. Fear of miscegenation between races perpetuated this myth and subsequent laws were created to curtail inter-racial fraternization. The fear of black men was so strong, especially in the South, that accusations of sexual advances were the number one reason for lynchings between 1877 and 1950. (Blackmon, 2008) The myth that Black men are something to fear continues through media misrepresentation and public perception to the point that color and crime are cemented in our brains as symmetrical terms. A visceral response to this interpretation creates the urge to cross the street when an African American man approaches or to avoid driving through certain areas of the city at any time. One example of this intrinsic fear is the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012.
Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old African American, was unarmed when he was shot by George Zimmerman, a White/Latino neighborhood watch volunteer on February 26, 2012 in Sanford Florida. He was walking home from a convenient store after purchasing an Ice Tea and some candy. George Zimmerman called 911 from his SUV stating that he saw someone who looked “very suspicious and could be on drugs because it is cold and rainy and he is just walking around with a hoody on”. George was told to stay in his vehicle and wait for the police. Instead, he followed Trayvon who was on the phone talking to his girl friend. His girl friend said that he heard someone saying “where are you going?” And then Trayvon said, “why are you following me?” There was a scuffle and than a gun shot. Trayvon was shot in the left chest. George said he feared for his life and invoked the “stand your ground” self-defense up held in Florida. George did many things wrong that night. He did not follow the 911 operator’s instructions; he had already called 911 four times that evening on other African American walking in the neighborhood; he did not identify himself to Trayvon as a concerned neighborhood watch volunteer. George was charged with 2nd degree manslaughter but he was not convicted. Trayvon Martin’s case was a clear definition of the fear of color and the perception of danger. (Fulton, S & Martin, 2017)
Fear is part of a psychological manipulation game with a desired goal. Make people very afraid of something and anything goes as long as their safety’s guaranteed. A plethora of examples to this premise exists but I list only a few here. During the 1930’s, Nazi Germany utilized fear propaganda to gain public acceptance for segregating Jews into ghettos and later to the death camps. Hitler convinced the German people this would guarantee their safety. Wide spread fear also created publicly accepted internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The events of September 11, 2001 caused so much fear in this Country that the Patriot Act passed and remains in force. The Patriot Act invalidates several constitutional rights replacing them with draconian laws. American citizens continue to surrender rights because the law is perceived as keeping the Country safe. Muslim Americans and Latino Americans are branded as dangerous and new laws have been created to “protect” the Country from this fear. Although more races have entered the “fear” category, it does not eliminate the threat of the African American man. The psychological game continues to keep African American degraded and caged.
Politicians use fear to enforce draconian laws that deny constitutional rights under the disguise of “war on crime” or a “war on drugs”. As will be discussed in a future post, under the guise of war, society allows for the degradation and dehumanizing of a class of people based on the implied safety of the Country’s citizens. For instance, in 2015, Donald Trump made the false statement “crime statics show that blacks killed 81% of the white murder victims”. (Greenberg, J. Nov 23, 2015) The actual stats for black on white killing in 2015, the year in his reference, was 15% not the 81% noted. In 2015, white on white killings were at 82% and white on black at 8% according to the FBI. While the stats he used were ridiculously incorrect, it continues to paint a color picture of what a criminal looks like in society’s mind. Let’s translate that fear into the color of blue for a moment. This is not about dishonoring or disrespecting police officers. This is about the intrinsic fear of color deeply rooted in history and perpetuated in society today. Police men and women are human and are not exempt from this fear. According to the Guardian, a total of 1,134 people were killed by police officers in 2015. Of these killings, African American young men between ages 15 and 34, represented twice the number of other races. In that year, every State in the Union had at least one person killed by encounters with police. About 25% of the African Americans killed were unarmed compared to the 17% of unarmed whites killed by the police. For the 75% of the blue on black shootings, refusing to put down a gun was the number one reason someone was shot. (Sentencingproject.com) While there were incidences of both police officer and civilian gun fire exchanges, most killings were police only shootings.
Here are just a few of the many cases of unarmed deaths.
Eric Garner, a 43 year old unarmed African American from Staton Island New York. On July 17, 2014, He was stopped by two undercover officers and accused of selling single cigarettes from a pack without a tax stamp. He repeatedly said he wasn’t selling cigarettes but was forcibly detained in a choke hold that eventually resulted in his death. Officer Daniel Pantaleo has recently been served with internal charges: use of a choke hold and obstructing Eric Garner’s breathing. If he is found guilty by this internal investigation, he could lose his accrued vacation time or be termination from the police department, no criminal time possible.
Michael Brown, a 18 year old African American, was unarmed when he was shot six times by a police officer in Ferguson MO on August 9, 2014. He was walking with a friend in the early afternoon. He allegedly pinched (shop lifted) a pack of cigarillos at a local convenience store. His body lay on the street for hours while the police investigate the case. The police officer who shot him, Officer Darren Wilson, stated that the look on Michael’s face before he shot him was that of a devil. Officer Wilson was not indicted in this case.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/11/25/why-darren-wilson-said-he-killed-michael-brown/?utm_term=.4b76b36087c3
Jordon Edwards, age 15 years, was killed in April 2017 while riding in the back seat of a car that was leaving a Dallas TX area residence where a party was held. Police were called to the party because of a noise complaint. Upon arriving at the party several African American youth left the party. Officer Roy Oliver order a backing up vehicle to stop and when the car rode on without stopping, he fired several rounds in the the back of the vehicle hitting and killing Jordon. He later said that he shot because he feared for his partners safety. However, when questioned, his partner stated that he was not in any danger. Officer Oliver was removed from the police force and charged with murder, found guilty, and sentenced to 15 year in prison. This was a landmark case and the first one where an on duty police officer was found guilty of murder.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-texas-police-officer-roy-oliver-found-guilty-murder-shooting-n904166
Danny Ray Thomas, a 34 year old African American, was shot and killed on a street in Houston Texas by a police officer on March 22, 2018. He was unarmed. He was clearly having a mental issues with his pants around his ankles. The police officer told him to hit the ground and when he did not do as requested, the police officer shot him killing him less than 30 seconds after he arrived on the scene. Deputy Carmeron Brewer has since been terminated from the Harris County Sheriff’s office and a criminal investigation is still in progress.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/02/texas-protest-planned-for-unarmed-black-man-killed-by-police-officer
Stephon Clark, an unarmed 22 year old African American, was shot eight times and killed by a Sacramento Police officer while standing in his Grand Parents back yard on March 28, 2018. They thought his cell phone was a gun. The police were searching for someone that had been breaking into cars in the area. Clark was making a phone call to his girl friend in the back yard of the house. The police saw movement and yell to put hands up, saw the phone, yelled gun and fired 20 rounds at Clark. No one was charged with this murder.
https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/3/21/17149092/stephon-clark-police-shooting-sacramento
Antwon Rose, 17, was shot and killed while running away from the police in Pittsburg June 20, 2018. He was unarmed. The police believe he was one of the two suspects that was running from a car they believe was used in a non-fatal shooting earlier. There were two weapons found in that car. Eye witness to the event stated that they saw Antwon running from the police and the police chasing. Then they saw the police fire his gun killing Antwon. This case is still under investigation.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/20/police-fatally-shoot-17-year-old-antwon-rose-fleeing-traffic-stop-east-pittsburgh/719334002/
A plethora of police shooting cases of young black men exits including cases where the young man was shot in the back when running away. In most of the examples, the shooter claimed being scared of the other person. Wilson, Michael Brown’s shooter, said Michael looked like the face of the devil before he shot him. George Zimmerman thought Trayvon was suspicious because he was “walking around”. The police thought that Stephon Clark’s cell phone was a gun and did not give him time to do anything but get shot multiple times. Deputy Brewer thought Danny Ray was going to rush him with his pants around his ankles. A common theme seems to be developing in my research of this topic. People of all colors and sizes are afraid of young black men.
Taking a knee during the National Anthem is in remembrance of all the African Americans that have lost their live to senseless shootings whether blue on black, black on black, or any other on black occurrence. Until we, as a Country, address the issue of inequality and injustice, we we will never be free or great, again or at any time. Next up: mass incarceration and unequal justice. No history lesson but current events. Stay tuned….
References:
Blackmon, D. (2008). Slavery by Another Name. New York, NY. Anchor Books.
Forman, J. Jr. (2017). Locking Up Your Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America. New York, NY. Farrat, Straus, Giroux.
Fulton, S. & Martin, T. (2017). Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin. New York, NY. Spiegel & Grau.
Nellis, A. (Ph.D) (2016). The Color of Justice: Racial and Ethnic Disparity in Sate Prisons. The Sentencing Project. Retrieved from https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/color-of-justice-racial-and-ethnic-disparity-in-state-prisons/#II.%20Overall%20Findings.
Stevenson, B. (2015). Just Mercy: A story of Justice and Redemption. New York, NY. Spiegel & Grau.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (2007). Nazi Ideology and the Holocaust. Washington D.C. Library of Congress.