I try not to talk about these sorts of things too much, because it just starts fights, name calling and a lot of childish behavior. But I do want to say this:
Last night the grand jury decided not to indite the police officer involved in the shooting of Mike Brown. Right or Wrong that's the decision they made. We HAVE to live with that.
Of course my Facebook and twitter feed were filled with people either bemoaning or celebrating. (Personally I think celebrating someones death is highly insensitive regardless of the situation. Regardless whether it was self-defense or an act of violence, one human still shot and killed another.) Don't get me wrong, when I first heard about it was saddened, and deeply disturbed .... but as time went on, and more information started coming out, my mind started to change. Yes I know racism still is alive and well, but I'm also smart enough to look at the big picture, and here's what I see.
- 200lb 18-year-old Kid/Man/adult WHATEVER that robbed a store.
- 1 lone police officer who came upon the suspect
- A fight between two people.
- The guy who gets his gun first wins.
Here's the thing, if you are by yourself... with a 200lbs person facing you. Are you REALLY going stop and try to negotiate what's going to hurt them LESS? Or are you going to do whatever you have to save yourself? Are you really going to go, hey this kid doesn't have any weapons (THAT I KNOW OF) so he's probably NOT going to hit me with his fists. No one has ever been beat to death. I'll just talk him down.
If there had been multiple officers this situation may have been a little different. MAYBE a taser would have worked but are you really going to take that chance?
This situation is still very sad all around. Sad that someone got killed, sad that peoples reaction was to call race, sad that more people reacted by creating more violence.
Regardless of all of that. My question to the black community is this:
So you're scared, you don't want this happening to your child, but what exactly are you teaching him or her? How are you perpetuating that change? Or are you still waiting on the "whites" to change their opinion? Are you teaching your kids that stealing is an acceptable way of life? Are you teaching them to RESPECT authority? Or to constantly challenge it? What are you teaching your kids about other races? Are you still making the "white man" out to be the problem to ever situation you face in life? Is "it" ALWAYS because you are black?
Do I worry about my father or my dad? Sometimes, but not really. As long as they aren't selling drugs, robbing convenience stores, or attacking people... (aka committing a crime) they probably won't have anything to worry about.
Will they get pulled over randomly just because they are black? That possibility is definitely there. But respect goes a long way. Will the police come knocking at our door at 11:00PM because a black family moved into the neighborhood? Yes. (True Story) Will that cause me to hate and show hate towards white people/ white police officers? No.
Martin Luther King Jr. is crying. Looting+riots was never part of his struggle for righteousness. #FergusonDecision
— Crystal Wright (@GOPBlackChick) November 25, 2014
Tearing up your own community is not the answer. This is progressively getting much worse.
— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) November 25, 2014
Respectful commentary will be allowed, others will be deleted. See if you can talk about this situation without using the skin color and use facts.
