Race in 2010

So, I know that I have talked about this before, sort of. Maybe I wrote a draft, but haven't really talked about it. Okay, so in case you don't know, the United States was founded on the backs of ignorance and calculated control. This thing called slavery has been so heavily rooted into the American culture, that we have no idea what is up and what is down..
i have been less willing to talk about race because I don't want to be perceived as the "Angry Black Woman".. and also because I have been reading Malcolm X's autobiography and I haven't wanted to have my militant thoughts be over run with this right now.
But lately there has been so many things that have flared up about race, that it has been hard to not talk about it or be mindful of it. Recently the Federal Government was under fire with a huge allegation against one of their representatives a Ms. Sherrod of the US Department of Agriculture. Apparently at a speech she did for the NAACP, she basically said that she had wanted to deny a white man assistance because of the anger she had felt as a young Black woman in America. But the tape of the speech had been edited and what was cut out was that the woman had in fact helped the young man.
What I find disturbing is that all of a sudden, prominent Black people are sort of being thrown under the bus. We are damned if we do, damned if we don't. We bring up race and we are "pulling out the race card" if we don't bring up race than we are selling out. Sort of like how I feel Barack Obama is now. He's in between a rock and a hard place. He's a multiracial man, for the most part and to many in this country a Black man- who holds the highest seat in this country and he can't even have an open dialogue about race. How do we as Americans begin to have this dialogue with each other if even our President can't be allowed to have these conversations too?
I think this is a subject I will continue to speak about. But here is something that struck me. This came out 2-4 years ago. Chris Rock's Never Scared standup comedy. Anyways, there were many things that struck me about this so here is the video and I'll get to my thoughts:


I'm not sure if this is the clip where Chris Rock said it, but there are many elements of this video where you have to wonder if people really should be laughing of if people are really getting the message behind this- Can we say Dave Chapelle?!
Anyways there was something Chris Rock said in this show to the effect: Black people as slaves- an extension of slave times in today's society is relevant to the inner-city mentality. And that reminded me of all of the stereotypes and the overall image of the "hood." I'm going to let that sit for a minute, stir up your own ideas as you let that settle and come back for another addition of this blog so that I can fill you in some more.
Let me leave you with this, the point of this particular segment of my blogs, is so that we begin to have the dialogue that is needed. If we can't be open and honest about race- how do we expect to change our own views? Deuces!

Redemption Song...

Hey ya'll, so this blog is coming with a heavy heart. We live in a messed up world. But it doesn't mean that you don't do what you can to fix the things that you can fix, when you are able. With that the way I am going to make my small mark is to keep speaking about the injustices that go on in this country in the hopes that we will get it right... I am praying that Oakland holds it together, because it is a city that has been on the rise for way too long, and given this recent news, I can only imagine what could happen.
Where do I start. In the United States Police Brutality is a rising problem. There are many theories that Police Brutality and some parts of the Justice System are just appendages of Slave Era. Most instances of documented police brutality have sparked racial clashes in the areas that they have been presented. Biggest one in my lifetime: RODNEY KING Beatings... I was 6 years old when this happened. This situation was referenced so much in pop culture that I think we became too desensitized to the reality behind it. But the truth is that many minority youth deal with this on a daily basis, this is nothing new, nor nothing that will end, unless we once and for all change the way in which we "use justice."
The next one that I really focused on was a story that I only heard about in 2007 when I had moved to NY. It was the Sean Bell case. In November of 2006 the eve of his wedding, Sean Bell was shot at 50 times. I remember when I arrived, the case was just going to trial, there were all of these rallies and vigils. It was crazy, and then I began hearing the story of what happened, and I was just outraged. How can this happen? I mean how can we continue to live in an environment where this can just be swept under the rug. The worst part was the nonsense that went on in the court room. The man was murdered, and it was like he was on trial. His character was being brought into questioning as a case for the defense- I don't understand how this can be entered into court, it is and can never be in my book justification for a person to be murdered. Police are supposed to "serve and protect" and when these stories arise the only people that some police are serving and protecting is themselves.
I began to be more formally introduced to the back story of the justice system through what is called " The school to prison pipeline." This was directed at minority youth, where there is more funding going to inadequate Juvenile detention centers and not enough funding going to inadequate education systems. During my research I learned of one student who had been suspended from school, but showed up to pick up his/her textbooks and homework one day and the suspension led to an expulsion from the school. I don't understand how this is reasonable when our education system is failing, when we are losing a majority of our minority youth to drugs and violence and yet we turn them away and expect them to make it on their own. I think we need to be spending more money to educate our kids rather than investing in their future in a jailhouse cell. [For more information regarding the school-to-prison-pipeline, type it into a google search and see what it says].
So now you may be wondering what has lead to this recent outcry by me. Well, yesterday a California Jury convicted a Oakland Transit cop of Involuntary Manslaughter for gunning down a guy on New Years Eve 2009. The story goes that Grant had been among a group of rowdy transit riders on New Years Eve 2009. He was removed from the BART train and after being laid on his stomach his back to an officer, Grant was shot by the officer in the back (who had thought he was reaching for his Taser and not a gun) this incident had been caught on a cellphone video and when Grant was pronounced dead the next morning, the city of Oakland and people across the country sat in dismay. For one, I do not understand at all how a trained transit cop could not know the difference between a Taser and a Gun and if the person is already on the ground, on his stomach what is the cause for the Taser at all? If you are too caught up in the moment to know a difference between one weapon and another than you shouldn't be handling them in the first place.
My anger, this is not the first time, and it won't unfortunately be the last time. And my heart aches, because there is that cringe in the back of those left standing that know correcting the injustices of a judicial system that is very much racially charged is a long and hard road. Do I think that the officer was looking for a black man to shoot and kill? No. But the way in which the case was handled, the way in which most cases are handled, does not equal justice. Not in the slightest. I do not understand how he could have gotten Involuntary Manslaughter. Oscar Grant was unarmed, punch him in the face. But don't mistake a taser for a gun and then expect us to believe that you don't know the difference between the two weapons. For Involuntary Manslaughter the Officer convicted is looking at anywhere from 24-48 months (2-4years) in jail in the State of California.
I'm not sure I understand the whole prison sentencing guidelines, as I know that this is easily swayed depending on who is the one convicted. Especially when it comes to mandatory minimums with drug sentencing, which is yet another aspect of this justice system that is faulty. However, what I know is that the way in which we ask our public officials to "serve and protect" us has to change. The public mentality has already changed the way in which these officers view members of the public and the communities that they work in. We have to make these relationships much stronger and more sustainable to really improve conditions for both sides. But the truth is right now a city is outraged for what has happened. And the families of others who have been victims of police brutality are constantly reminded of their pain because of cases like this. The pain doesn't end, and the fear remains. How do you trust someone who took a loved one from you and in most cases did it unprovoked?
I am outraged as well, not only because of the verdict, but sadly the biggest story of the night wasn't that a man's wrongful death didn't see a "right" kind of justice, but that a 25 year old Basketball player finally decided what team he was going to go to. The things we focus on, huh? #what'syourchange? ~ BE THE CHANGE