Years of turmoil and despair rings throughout the African American community with the recent and reoccurring violence against black youth. These accounts of racial calamities get even more arduous when roles are reversed.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015, six-year-old Jeremy David Mardis died after the car, his father Chris Few was driving, was chased and shot down by Louisiana police officers. The officers have been reported to have shot at least 18 rounds at Few and his son. Jeremy died at the scene while Few was shot in the head and was escorted to the hospital in critical condition.
The reason and legal jurisdiction for the car chase and shooting at two unarmed civilians remains unknown and shockingly only two of the four officers involved in the incident have been charged with second- degree murder and attempted second- degree murder.
The officers that have been charged are 32-year-old Lt. Derrick Stafford and 23-year-old Norris Greenhouse, two local deputy marshals. The interesting fact about this case is that these two officers are considered racial minorities.
Both officers wore body cameras that revealed the tragedy that occurred on Tuesday evening and the camera footage has been labeled as "the most disturbing thing I've seen," by one of the marshals.
Yes, when any life is taken it should always be seen as disturbing and a disparity in history, but, unfortunately, this is not always the case.
On February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Fl. White Hispanic, George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, shot and killed unarmed, African American Trayvon Benjamin Martin. On July 13, 2013 Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder.
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On August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Mo. African American, Michael Brown, what shot and killed by White police officer, Darren Wilson. Officer Wilson was not indicted for murder or of any other charge of this unarmed 18- year old child.
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There are hundreds of cases similar to these, yet neither media nor the police force immediately label these white on black murders as “tragic." Only by their respective racial groups were these deaths labeled as such. But, City Marshal Floyd Voinche, Sr. called the death of Jeremy Mardis a tragic event when the situation was reversed to be a black on white crime.In all three of these incidents, there was camera footage recording the horrific moments up to each one of the killings, but the reaction and empathy towards the innocent lives lost are skewed.
In response to Stafford and Greenhouse’s actions Col. Mike Edmonson says, "nothing is more important than this badge that we are wearing on our uniform… This badge has been tarnished by the following two individuals."
It is also shocking to see how quick the minority officers were charged with the murdering of an unarmed white child and how easily white officers are acquitted when they murder a black child.
All of the above stated cases are horrendous and unlawful and all should be treated as just. No woman man or child should be illegally and inhumanely shot down. No officers should be treated better than others and when heinous actions are taken by officers they should be punished by law all the same.
There needs to be a refocus within the systems that is "protecting" us. A change needs to occur and equality needs to be instilled. Whether it is race or economics these senseless killings and lack of control within our power systems needs to stop.
