A few years ago a family member of mine, who is white, was chased by police. He was a felon, he had been in a stolen car, and cops were aware of him. When he saw them approaching, he ran. He also had a gun on him. He entered a nearby business building, pointed the gun (which I'm told wasn't loaded) at a man, and demanded that they trade clothes, presumably so he could get away without the police recognizing him. His plan didn't work, and the police apprehended him. The did so without any use of violence.
Here's a question - how come 12 year old Tamir Rice was shot on spot for holding a bb gun, without any attempt from the police to solve the situation first, but police make every possible effort to stop a grown white man from using the hand gun he is pointing at another person? If the police wanted to, they could have found a way to get Rice to put the bb gun down and a family wouldn't be grieving the loss of their 12 year old boy.
After Michael Brown was shot and the country erupted into protests, we saw the rise of #blacklivesmatter. Sadly, too many white people insist on changing this to "#ALLlivesmatter." I guess it's a panicked impulse that goes along with
colorblindness. Here's the thing though. Fellow white people, please
stop trying to be included in this.
Society already values white lives. When a white felon can run into an office building wielding a gun and not be shot, it's because society knows his life matters. When James Holmes can walk into a movie theater with a gun and kill 12 people while wounding upwards of 70 more and then be arrested - not shot - it's because society values white lives.
17 year old Trayvon Martin was stalked and killed because he was black, and his killer didn't face jail time. The boy was unarmed and on his way home.
Michael Brown was stopped for walking. He was shot numerous times. His killer isn't even facing a trial. He was unarmed.
Eric Garner was selling cigarettes* when a police officer decided to put him in a chokehold. There is video footage showing the officer strangling Garner while Garner gasps, "I can't breathe," and his killer is not going to face trial.
Yes, white people. Our lives are important. But no one is questioning that. We don't get followed in stores because anyone suspects we're going to steal. We don't get stopped on the street for no reason whatsoever. And if we're committing a crime, there is a very, very good chance that we get arrested instead of killed.
Every life has the same moral worth, regardless of race. But society does not treat people of color as such. Moreover, we are not all equal by a long shot. Not economically, politically, or socially. We say "black lives matter" because the police already know white lives matter. The government already knows white lives matter. And everyone who fights for justice already knows all lives matter. But until black people can walk down the street without getting shot by the very people meant to protect them, yes, we need to make it clear that specifically, black people are important and their lives matter.
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| This is circulating around Facebook and Twitter. |
This does not happen when suspects are white. And sometimes's it's overt racism. Other times, and this is horrible, it's totally internal. According to his testimony,
Darren Wilson felt threatened by Michael Brown. At some point, white people need to get over our discomfort with talking about race and truly look at ourselves.
How come a cop standing over six feet tall looks at a black man roughly the same height and thinks, "Hulk Hogan?" How come a man sees a black teenage boy and feels the need to call the police, follow him, and interrogate him, before murdering him?
The system is built on institutionalized racism, I know that. That's part of why police officers can kill unarmed black men and not even face trial. It's why so many black people live in poverty, why minorities face more jail time more often than white people.
But there's more to it. I honestly do not think the majority of white people think of black people as equal to them. It's why we say things like, "you act white!" to our black friends who speak like we do. We're effectively saying, "You're smart! You speak the right way! You're normal!"
I used to say things like that, and I am so, so grateful that God sent me a professor who assigned The New Jim Crow, two black roommates, and a slew of new friends who were much smarter than me to really open my eyes. Because four years ago, I would have been using #ALLlivesmatter. Now I know better. And I think it's another reason why it's so important to continue the narrative of "black lives matter." Because we need to understand that not only do black lives need to matter when it comes to the "justice" system, but they need to matter every day. Because let me ask you (especially any of my white middle class friends) - how many black teachers did you have in elementary school? How many black friends? Black doctors? Jim Crow ended, but segregation is still very much alive. And it is damn near impossible to understand that black lives matter just as much as white lives if all you've known is white people, if the only time you see black people is when you're locking your doors driving in their neighborhoods. So yeah, #blacklivesmatter should be here to stay. White people should be listening to black folks when they tell their stories. White people should constantly remind themselves that it doesn't matter if a black kid stole a few cigars, his life was still precious. There is no doubt in my mind that there would be uproar from white communities if a 12 year old named Adam Johnson was shot dead by police for any reason.
So use #blacklivesmatter when you're on Twitter. Use it when you're commenting on the legal system and say it to yourself when you're about to comment on how a black man wears his pants. Use it all the time.
*It's not even certain that Eric Garner was doing anything wrong. Apparently, he might have actually been breaking up a fight. Either way, his murder is unacceptable.
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Charlotte
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