Black lives matter. Black lives matter. Black lives matter. This simple slogan has caused division among many races and has really lost its true meaning to many. Why? Simply because people have become immediately defensive without truly understanding the plea and the hope this slogan has derived from. All lives matter is what many prefer. It’s true, all lives do matter, but the next time you or someone you know gets defensive about the slogan “Black lives matter,” please try to understand that black people are dying at an alarming rate and without concrete proof that their infractions warranted deadly force. They are dying without honest explanations that led to their deaths. This is not subjective thinking, it is actual facts. The next time someone says black lives matter, especially the families of the deceased, please try to understand that they are speaking from a place of hurt, confusion, the unknown and agony over the loss of their family member. Think about the people who died not by the crimes they may have committed, but think about them as human beings who had families who loved them with all their hearts. With that, you just might understand the slogan Black lives matter just a bit more.
Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown Jr., Walter Scott and Sandra Bland are a few out of the many African American's who have wound up dead after having an altercation with the police. Below is a little bit of their stories in case you are unfamiliar.
Trayvon Martin (Feb. 5, 1995 - Feb. 26, 2012)
On Feb. 26, 2012, a 17-year-old African American teenager was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. A man who was the volunteer neighborhood watch in Sanford Florida. After getting suspended from school, he was sent to Florida to visit his father. On the night of Martin's death, he was walking back from the local convenience store where he purchased a drink and a bag of skittles. Zimmerman saw Martin walking, and immediately called the police to report a Martin as a suspicious person. During that phone call with the police, it was clearly stated that the police officer told Zimmerman not follow him—but what did he do? He followed him anyway. Moments later, there was an alleged altercation and Martin was shot to death in his chest.George Zimmerman was eventually tried for second degree murder and manslaughter, but was found not guilty (CNN).
As I write this blog it is Feb. 5, 2016. Today, Trayvon Martin would have turned 21. Happy birthday Trayvon, and Rest In Peace.
Eric Garner (Sept. 15, 1970 – July 17, 2014)
On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner was arrested, and put into a choke-hold by a New York police officer named Daniel Pantaleo. The NYPD officers approached Garner because they were suspicious of him selling individual cigarettes from packs (NBCNew York). Even though Garner denied to doing that, he was still arrested. When Pantaleo grabbed Eric Garner's arm, to handcuff him, Garner tried to swat him away. Things escalated very quickly, and that was when Pantaleo put him into the choke-hold and slammed him down, and pushed his face into the ground while the other officers proceeded to restrain him. Garner repeated to them 11 times that he could not breathe, but they continued using the same force until he actually became unconscious. He remained on the sidewalk until an ambulance arrived, and during that time no one offered him CPR. Just an hour after arriving to the hospital, Garner was pronounced dead. The medical examiner concluded that he was killed by "compression of neck, compression of chest, and prone positioning during physical restraint by the police” (NBCNew York).
Michael Brown Jr. (May 5, 1996 - Aug. 9, 2014)
Aug. 9, 2014 was the day another unarmed African American was shot and killed by a Caucasian police officer. His name was Michael Brown Jr., and he was killed in Ferguson, Missouri, by an officer named Darren Wilson (BBC News). An altercation occurred between Brown and Wilson, and Wilson fired at him 12 times. Brown had his hands up in the air just before he was shot, as a plea to the officer not to shoot him—but the officer shot him anyway.
I know what you're thinking, and yes, Michael Brown Jr. and his friends did steal from a nearby convenience store prior to his death. I don't condone that in any way or form, but should his consequence have been death? I personally do not think so, and a lot of people would probably agree with me. Officer Wilson was not indicted after this incident, and many people were very upset about that.
Walter Scott (Feb. 9, 1965 - April 4, 2015)
On April 4, 2015, Walter Scott was pulled over for a broken brake light by an officer named Michael Slager. A snippet of the altercation was recorded, and you can see Scott running away from officer Slager. Moments later, you see Slager raise his gun, and fire at this unarmed African American man eight times (CNN). Scott fell down to the ground, and died immediately. Now some people may question why Walter Scott was running in the first place, but that doesn't really matter because, running away from the police does not justify the fact that he was murdered when there were other options. Michael Slager was fired from his job, and charged with murder - but just recently he was granted bail, and released from jail (CNN).
Sandra Bland (Feb. 7, 1967 - July 13, 2015)
On July 10, 2015, Sandra Bland, who was 28 years old, was found dead in a jail cell three days after being arrested. Bland was pulled over for a minor traffic violation by a state trooper named Brian Encinia. She was then arrested for allegedly assaulting the state trooper during the traffic stop in Waller County Texas. A video of her arrest was released, and it was very clear how harsh they handled this African-American woman. At one point in the video, she cries out that she cannot feel her arms. She also said, "You just slammed my head in the ground. Do you even care about that?" (NYTimes).
Apparently not, because they continued to manhandle her during the arrest, and other videos show her being dragged from the cruiser as if she were just a piece of trash. According to the reports, Bland was found dead because she hung herself with a plastic bag. For many different reasons, people believe that Bland's death was very skeptical, and many were not convinced that her death was from suicide—but unfortunately we will never know the real truth (NYTimes).
I was not present at any of the incidents listed above and I know some will read this blog and say that I have drawn conclusions based on social media, altered videos, mainstream media and a plethora of other outlets. Perhaps that is true, but one thing is very prevalent in all these cases. African-American people, more specifically, African-American boys and men are dying at an alarming rate and at the hands of officers in law enforcement. I don’t hate the police or belittle the very tough job they have every single second they are on duty. To speak ill of police officers and law enforcement officials would almost be hypocritical, as my mother and many members of my family are weaved in law enforcement and are amongst the very men and women who serve and protect. I do say very articulately those individual officers who make poor choices should be held accountable for their actions when their actions in an incident derived from intentional misconduct. I don’t decide intentional or willful misconduct but I know enough to say that when there is uncertainty and unanswered questions around the loss of life, we as a nation have a problem. It is my hope that police officers, politicians, clergy, parents, educators and concerned citizens all lay down their accusatory swords and work to find solutions to this growing epidemic of African American deaths at the hands of the police. It’s time to fix policies that allow police and citizens to shoot at unarmed assailants so liberally. It’s time to bridge cultural gaps whereas people are afraid of people of color who wear hoodies, jeans and sneakers. Stereotyping people and drawing conclusions about total strangers in this day and age literally can cause people their lives. We are all better than this! Law Enforcement administrators need to work harder to train officers about other options when an officer’s life is not in immediate danger. My blog won’t solve all the problems, but it is my hope that it will keep the conversation alive and well.
Trayvon, Eric, Michael, Walter and Sandra, and to all of the people who have passed away from similar causes, may you all rest in peace and may the enigma and mystery that surrounds your death be the very catalysts that will help change the bitter disconnect between members of law enforcement and our African American communities. To the law enforcement officers who work hard to uphold the law and think out of the box when dealing with people who are not imminently dangerous to you or the public, I appreciate you too.
