This piece is by no means an indictment of the entire Police Force in the United States. They are real human beings like you and me. Real human beings who, imbued with a feeling of selflessness, thought it ennobling to put their lives on the line of fire to make the world a better place for the rest of us. Without any doubt, they deserve our utmost support, respect, and protection. It is not a perfect institution, nevertheless. Like every other profession, the Police Force has within its rank and file the good the bad and the ugly. Therefore, I beg to hold that the conduct of very few Officers should not be used as a benchmark in qualifying or rating the humaneness or otherwise of the entire Police Force. Be that as it may, I am not persuaded by the risk and related concerns inherent in the job or the fatigue and stressful arguments to label the death of Mr. Freddie Gray or that of Mr. Eric Harris an isolated incident or an aberration. Because they are not.
Though the arrest of Freddie Gray was adequately recorded for evidentiary effect, a naive world is still at a loss wondering and asking how he died. Mr. Freddie Gray, like others before him, died from the injuries to his spinal cord inflicted by one of the Police Officers who executed his arrest - using his knee decisively with a professional take for a known objective. It is a pattern, well scripted and professionally executed by the Officers involved.
Though the arrest of Freddie Gray was adequately recorded for evidentiary effect, a naive world is still at a loss wondering and asking how he died. Mr. Freddie Gray, like others before him, died from the injuries to his spinal cord inflicted by one of the Police Officers who executed his arrest - using his knee decisively with a professional take for a known objective. It is a pattern, well scripted and professionally executed by the Officers involved.
When you knowingly and forcefully exerted your knee on the neck and head of a man who suffered gunshot (Eric Harris), lying on a concrete floor, and in a pool of blood from the gunshot, you had a good understanding of your intention. He would rather die than live to testify.
In a similar vein, when you exerted your knee to the head and neck of a man you just apprehended (Freddie Gray) - a man who, in the eyes of the law did not commit any crime, a man whose head was pinned against a concrete floor - you had a good understanding of the outcome you intended. He would rather die than live to testify that he was just carrying a knife he has every right to carry.
Killing in circumstances when you are in no position to anticipate clear and present danger to your life or the life of another is murder. The death of Mr. Gray and Eric Harris should be treated that way, but not in America, where the life of a black man has no reckoning in the eyes of the law.
Granted, most of us black immigrants in the United States are, without any doubt, more respectful and orderly when confronted by law enforcement agents than native-born Americans. Be that as it may, watching the video recording of the last three fatalities, I couldn't find a reason to excuse or justify the execution kind of arrest by the Police. It was gruesome and inhuman - totally barbaric.
Granted, most of us black immigrants in the United States are, without any doubt, more respectful and orderly when confronted by law enforcement agents than native-born Americans. Be that as it may, watching the video recording of the last three fatalities, I couldn't find a reason to excuse or justify the execution kind of arrest by the Police. It was gruesome and inhuman - totally barbaric.
They have consistently applied the knee tactics with great success over the years - maiming and killing black men in broad daylight. And at the end, the story is always the same: the victim was arrested, without the use of force, but he died from spinal cord injury a few hours or days later. How is that possible?
Guess no further, but pay close attention to what they do with their knees while executing the handcuffs. That's when and where the maiming and killing occur. This is not a conspiracy theory; it is a statement of fact. The videos are there for verification. The neck is one of the most, if not the most, fragile and sensitive parts of the human body. Crack it, and you are cracking the life out of the victim.
One of the officers involved in the arrest of Mr. Freddie Gray was inspired by the video recording of the arrest of Mr. Eric Harris a few days earlier. He had a clear understanding of the devastating impacts that the knee of one of the Officers had on the head and neck of Eric Harris. Adding to that, he is very much aware that no one is talking about the knee-neck connection or has talked about it, until now. Simply put, similar conduct has always eluded public scrutiny.
One of the officers involved in the arrest of Mr. Freddie Gray was inspired by the video recording of the arrest of Mr. Eric Harris a few days earlier. He had a clear understanding of the devastating impacts that the knee of one of the Officers had on the head and neck of Eric Harris. Adding to that, he is very much aware that no one is talking about the knee-neck connection or has talked about it, until now. Simply put, similar conduct has always eluded public scrutiny.
Whatever took place inside of the van was a continuation of the gruesome encounter - he was already half dead. A knee on a fragile human skull/neck resting AGAINST a concrete floor is more lethal than a gunshot.
Not Equal Justice:
Not Equal Justice:
Surprisingly, African Americans in Baltimore celebrated when the Officers involved in the latest killing were expeditiously indicted and charged by the Chief Prosecutor. Celebrated, not because the culprits were convicted and the victims resurrected. Celebrated, because a Prosecutor had the audacity to enforce the law (filing charges) contrary to the established order in a country that prides itself as a bastion of civility and a crusader of equal rights and justice.
That jubilation on the part of African Americans explains the abysmal threshold of human rights application when the life, safety, or death of a black male in God's Own Country is in the issue.
When you listen to the antics of some of our political leaders and prominent commentators on Talk Radio and TV each time an unarmed black man is killed, and the fact that these commentators were at a certain point in their career presided over the affairs of law enforcement agencies, you start getting a clearer picture of the nature of the indoctrination they bequeathed: black guys are your enemies.
A few days after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, another mentally challenged young man, Kajieme Powell, was shot dead in broad daylight by two Police Officers in St. Louis.
The young man went to the neighborhood store and took two cans of soda and walked out without paying for them. He came out of the store, walked a little distance, and placed the soda by the roadside. Brought out a knife and started soliloquizing. The police came and instructed him to drop his knife. He declined, shouting at the Officers to shoot him. They did. And the man died. The two officers opened fire at him and killed him on the spot - firing twelve shots. He was not within a close distance to the two Officers where they could reasonably fear imminent harm or bodily injury.
At the Precinct later in the day, the two officers were seen on video exchanging handshakes and being congratulated for doing a good job by the head of the Police Department. Now you know the genesis of the animosity between the Police and black community. And that's where the search for the elusive peace and tolerance must begin. It must trickle down and all-embracing. In other words, there is something inherently wrong with the training.
A few days after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, another mentally challenged young man, Kajieme Powell, was shot dead in broad daylight by two Police Officers in St. Louis.
The young man went to the neighborhood store and took two cans of soda and walked out without paying for them. He came out of the store, walked a little distance, and placed the soda by the roadside. Brought out a knife and started soliloquizing. The police came and instructed him to drop his knife. He declined, shouting at the Officers to shoot him. They did. And the man died. The two officers opened fire at him and killed him on the spot - firing twelve shots. He was not within a close distance to the two Officers where they could reasonably fear imminent harm or bodily injury.
At the Precinct later in the day, the two officers were seen on video exchanging handshakes and being congratulated for doing a good job by the head of the Police Department. Now you know the genesis of the animosity between the Police and black community. And that's where the search for the elusive peace and tolerance must begin. It must trickle down and all-embracing. In other words, there is something inherently wrong with the training.
It is sad to note at this juncture that from the latest development in Baltimore (judging by the commentaries on TV), Mr. Gray is not likely to get justice. The headline news and talking points these days are overwhelmingly chorusing justice for the culprits.
Today, the Chief Prosecutor is contending with well-coordinated attacks and criticisms from numerous fronts for her audacity in initiating charges against the Officers in record time - a development that is in every respect unprecedented in the history of black struggle within a discriminatory judicial system. And in a well-publicized opinion of the lawyers for the Officers, it is all about "overreaching and overzealousness" on the part of the Chief Prosecutor.
They want the State Attorney or Prosecutor to step down, because of conflict of interest and other jejune propositions - she is from the community, her husband is a council member, her husband is a community activist, and they stand to benefit financially from the trial. I thought the law is blind. Well, not in Freddie Gray's case where a Prosecutor thought it prudent to dispense with the usual charade known as a grand jury.
Freddie Gray and Eric Harris were murdered in cold blood. Let Justice be served and seen to be served righteously consistent with applicable laws and international fundamental human rights legal standard for law enforcement that the United States is reputed of championing and spreading around the world over the years.
Given the authenticity of the video report of the arrest, I feel no scruples categorizing the death of the two gentlemen as homicide - a deliberate and unlawful killing of one by another.
Therefore, any attempt to force the Chief Prosecutor to recuse herself from the trial is sure going to garner stern resistance. Such a development is another way of saying black men are not entitled to adequate representation in a court of law. It is my fervent expectation that black men should not lie low and watch the Chief Prosecutor ridiculed and booted out of this case because she was daring enough to attempt what no other Prosecutor has ever attempted in the face of the modern-day lynching of unarmed black men.
Moving Forward:
African Americans ought to know by now that no government can legislate acceptance and respect. You must start to learn to respect yourself, value your life, and stop engaging law enforcement agents in physical combat. When you are gone, you are gone forever. No amount of indictment or compensation can resuscitate a lost soul.
A culture that nurtured and tolerated a college-bound dude who intimidated a store owner and went away with a pack of cigarettes, without paying for it is not sustainable. A philosophy that breeds a High School graduate who, in the real world, should have been a role model to other High School kids in the neighborhood, but who, walked into a Police cruiser, confronted the Officer over a common instruction to walk on the sidewalk and punched him, is not sustainable. Such a philosophy must be rejected.
Let's from this moment commit to playing less of the victim game, but more of the reasonable man. Because, justice or no justice, it is your life that is on the line. Cherish it. Protect it. Stop the crime. And stop resisting arrest.
I drove a taxi in this country and I've seen poverty-ridden neighborhood and I have first-hand knowledge of communities without hope or a feel of government presence. You have to see it to believe it. However, much as government presence is fundamental in reshaping for the better the living standard of African Americans, there is no solution more enduring and sustaining than a good education. That is the fastest road map to socio-economic emancipation, the safest root of dodging the poverty circle.
While the modern-day immigrants coming from African countries often experience untold hardship on their arrival in the United States, the majority of their children climb the upper-middle-class ladder with ease. The reason for that is not far-fetched: education, education, and education. The Jews did the same on their arrival. African Americans must stop branding education as "white" stuff. It is a leveler - another way of measuring the true worth of a man, especially those not born into wealth. I beg to submit.
(By the way, the video of Eric Harris's arrest portrays a clear cut case of execution, and I strongly recommend it for forensic analysis by the FBI. A man who is known to be unarmed and who has already sustained gunshot over conduct that is at worst a misdemeanor deserves better treatment than what we saw on a video. As you watch the video, ask yourself the simple question: what were the officers doing with his head, neck, and face while he was on the ground? And what was the response of one of the Officers, when Mr. Harris was alleged to have cried, I can't breathe).
Given the authenticity of the video report of the arrest, I feel no scruples categorizing the death of the two gentlemen as homicide - a deliberate and unlawful killing of one by another.
Therefore, any attempt to force the Chief Prosecutor to recuse herself from the trial is sure going to garner stern resistance. Such a development is another way of saying black men are not entitled to adequate representation in a court of law. It is my fervent expectation that black men should not lie low and watch the Chief Prosecutor ridiculed and booted out of this case because she was daring enough to attempt what no other Prosecutor has ever attempted in the face of the modern-day lynching of unarmed black men.
Moving Forward:
African Americans ought to know by now that no government can legislate acceptance and respect. You must start to learn to respect yourself, value your life, and stop engaging law enforcement agents in physical combat. When you are gone, you are gone forever. No amount of indictment or compensation can resuscitate a lost soul.
A culture that nurtured and tolerated a college-bound dude who intimidated a store owner and went away with a pack of cigarettes, without paying for it is not sustainable. A philosophy that breeds a High School graduate who, in the real world, should have been a role model to other High School kids in the neighborhood, but who, walked into a Police cruiser, confronted the Officer over a common instruction to walk on the sidewalk and punched him, is not sustainable. Such a philosophy must be rejected.
Let's from this moment commit to playing less of the victim game, but more of the reasonable man. Because, justice or no justice, it is your life that is on the line. Cherish it. Protect it. Stop the crime. And stop resisting arrest.
I drove a taxi in this country and I've seen poverty-ridden neighborhood and I have first-hand knowledge of communities without hope or a feel of government presence. You have to see it to believe it. However, much as government presence is fundamental in reshaping for the better the living standard of African Americans, there is no solution more enduring and sustaining than a good education. That is the fastest road map to socio-economic emancipation, the safest root of dodging the poverty circle.
While the modern-day immigrants coming from African countries often experience untold hardship on their arrival in the United States, the majority of their children climb the upper-middle-class ladder with ease. The reason for that is not far-fetched: education, education, and education. The Jews did the same on their arrival. African Americans must stop branding education as "white" stuff. It is a leveler - another way of measuring the true worth of a man, especially those not born into wealth. I beg to submit.
(By the way, the video of Eric Harris's arrest portrays a clear cut case of execution, and I strongly recommend it for forensic analysis by the FBI. A man who is known to be unarmed and who has already sustained gunshot over conduct that is at worst a misdemeanor deserves better treatment than what we saw on a video. As you watch the video, ask yourself the simple question: what were the officers doing with his head, neck, and face while he was on the ground? And what was the response of one of the Officers, when Mr. Harris was alleged to have cried, I can't breathe).
