It is evident that racism and discrimination still exist today. One prime example would be the commotion around Dylann Roof and his hate crime against Black people. After he admitted to killing nine African Americans in an attempt to start a race war, images began circulating of him posing with a Confederate flag. There are people in the United States who were born and bred to hate Black people. They despise us. They fear us. They are threatened by us. For centuries, the Black population has been seen as inferior to the White race. We have never been favored by them; rather, have become a target for complete annihilation.
Now, they cannot simply eradicate our existence without having some sort of power in the judicial system, which is why police officers have been at the head of the many killings of Black people. Their position of authority leads them to believe that they can talk to and treat Black people any way they please and get away with it. And unfortunately, many already have.
Click here and you will see a list of 76 people of color who were killed in police custody from 1999-2014. Such people include 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was shot on August 9, 2014 by Officer Darren Wilson – who stated Brown “looked like a demon” – and 23-year-old Amadou Diallo, who was shot 19 times on February 4, 1999 by four plain-clothes officers who thought Diallo’s wallet was a weapon. These four officers were acquitted of all charges. The list of our fallen brothers and sisters is continually growing at the hands of police officers.
This is frightening: living in a world where you are not wanted and your life is not valued, living in a world where you and others like you have become the target for ultimate termination. I have become very afraid. When you hear of cases like Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant and many, many others whose lives have been wrongfully taken from them, it's hard not to be fearful for the lives of your brothers, fathers, uncles, etc. They are continually killing our Black men.
Until recently, that is. With the nation outraged at the death of Sandra Bland, it's now hard not to be fearful for the lives of your sisters, mothers, and aunts as well. After she was stopped by a police officer for failing to signal a lane change, the situation became hostile; fast-forwarding three days later, it resulted in the death of Sandra Bland. There are conspiracies to her death as to whether or not she actually committed suicide or was murdered in police custody. Assata Shakur, an activist and member of the former Black Panther Party, once stated in her autobiography:
"In prisons, it is not at all uncommon to find a prisoner hanged or burned to death in his [or her] cell. No matter how suspicious the circumstances, these deaths are always ruled ‘suicides’. They are usually Black inmates, considered to be a ‘threat to the orderly running of the prison.’ They are usually among the most politically aware and socially conscious inmates in the prison."
Either way the ruling ends, this entire situation could have been avoided had the police officer not abused his power of authority when trying to force Bland out of her car. Sandra Bland had a voice, and Sandra Bland had rights. She used her voice to state her rights, thus making the police officer uncomfortable and unfortunately resulting in a tragic situation.
The details that are associated with the arrest and death of Sandra Bland upset and horrify me. It only further illustrates the brutality set out against our people. Black men are not only targets, but Black women too. It is dismaying to know that we are being killed by the ones who are supposed to protect and serve us. Buddy Wakefield, a slam poet, once stated, “I’ve always resented the fact that when a cop drives by I feel paranoid instead of protected.” That is a constant feeling, always causing fear and anxiety within me, making me wonder where the killer is, making me wonder if I am next. It is very much similar to a horror film. My life and the world around me have become a horror film, the villains being white supremacists – and the victims, the entire Black population. If we do not do something about the way this script is being written, this movie will not end until we no longer exist.
