Last semester, my final case study was centered around the Black Lives Matter movement and the criminalization of people of color. So basically, institutionalized racism/systematic oppression and the effects it has. Now, this was at the height of the movement and, I will admit, I let my emotions get the better of me. However, this time I will try to convey some of my thoughts more eloquently. Take some deep breaths. Here we go.
Coincidentally, I was scrolling through Facebook just before I sat down to write this and I saw a post, as I often do, that contained a picture of a slave that had been beaten within an inch of their life with a caption that said something to the effect of, “And they want us to get over it.” I could write novels about what is wrong with the whole ‘Get over slavery thing,' but that is an article for a different day.
The post got me thinking about the events that have happened in recent years, specifically, the treatment of the young lady in Spring Valley and the treatment of the young lady at the pool party a couple months back. Also, about the never-ending list of hashtags that have been created for those who have died at the hands of police or people claiming self defense.
I usually see people defending the police in these situations, but I always find myself thinking about the fact that police officers are trained in conflict management. They are supposed to know how to defuse a situation without using force or drawing their weapon so, in my opinion, if they cannot handle a 90-pound girl with an attitude, or an unarmed woman in a sun dress, or a man in Walmart holding a toy gun, or a 12-year-old boy with a BB gun, then they need to not be police officers.
I think one of the reasons these incidents have upset so many people is because they would never happen to white people. White people are always given the guise of mental illness, while people of color are demonized and painted as thugs that come from troubled backgrounds. White people go to jail for less time than a person of color who committed the exact same crime. They are able to harass and kill unarmed black people and get away with it because they claimed self-defense. A white man could empty the clip of his gun into a crowded movie theatre and be taken into custody alive, while an unarmed black man can get taken into custody, for an unknown crime, and somehow end up with a severed vertebrae.
I do not think that white people could even fathom the thought of a high school cop putting their child in a chokehold and getting away with it. The officer in question would lose his job and probably have a hard time finding another one. Yet, when a person of color is the victim of an injustice, they are always blamed. Chavis Carter and Victor White both sustained fatal gunshot wounds while in police custody, but the police claimed that these wounds were self-inflicted. Police said that both these handcuffed men shot themselves while in the back of police cruisers. Trayvon Martin was essentially put on trial for his own murder.
This behavior from police officers stems from the fact that they know they can get away with it. Society has taught them this. However, in my mind, murder is still murder. Assault is still assault. It does not matter to me if the perpetrator is wearing a badge or not.
The fact of the matter is that I should not fear for the safety my family members and myself when we encounter those of our community that are supposed to protect us. And it is bothersome that the response to some of these murders is, “Well, maybe if they weren’t presenting themselves in such a way, it would not have happened. We must learn to respect ourselves, if we expect them to respect us.” To which I always respond, “I’m sorry, what?”
It does not matter how we present ourselves. There have been people from all backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses that have been attacked by officers. The first one that comes to mind being Martese Johnson, who had been violently shoved to the ground for allegedly showing a fake I.D. at a bar, which has since been disproved and the charges brought against him have been dropped. So please, I beg you, stop with the respectability politics. Instead of pushing this idea that you have to present yourself as “one of the good ones,” how about we push the idea of equal treatment for everyone. That sounds like a better idea.
I understand that ending institutionalized racism will take a hot minute. I’m not expecting a change overnight, but I need to see progress. For example, when #BlackLivesMatter stops being changed to #AllLivesMatter, or when the creators of spaces meant for people of color stop being harassed by white people claiming discrimination. Plain and simple.
The way I see it, society only has one option: change. We should not be expected to stay civil when members of our community continue to be murdered under curious circumstances. If this trend persists, I can assure you, there will be no more peaceful protests and there will be no more think pieces. There will come a day when the oppressor will look back and pray that the oppressed go back to their peaceful ways. By that point, it will be too little too late. Change is going to come. Whether it be by choice or by force.
