February 11, 2016 - Issue 640 #CommonSenseMatters "Watching middle-class, to rich sisters from Atlanta, or some basketball wives act like loons from the funny farm seems to have given many of ya’ll a license to kill." What I’m about to say is not going to be easy, but in light of the circumstances leading to Sandra Bland’s death (consider it murder until proven otherwise), it flat out needs to be said. Ladies-especially black women-when pulled over by a law enforcement officer, you CANNOT speak to him as if you  are talking to your trifling husband, boyfriend or ex. Even IF he is profiling you. Especially if you are out of your element (i.e. the south... ahem). If he asks for your ID, license, registration etc., give it to him. keep your mouth SHUT. Say only “yes sir,” “no sir.” No “talk to the hand” attitude, no neck-jerking, no hip-swiveling. No mumbling under your breath. Don’t even ask the absurd question; “Why does ‘just do what your told and don't ask questions’ only applies to black people?” Because most whites do what they are told. While talking back to a cop has no death penalty, I can’t ignore the feeling inside me that if she was just answered his questions in a professional manner instead of trying to prove what was already evident, she would be in Texas happily working at her new job. No I am not excusing the officer who initiated the series of events that led to her disappearance. Yes they deserve to be punished to the fullest extent, not by the law, but by the brothers, but that’s a different subject. Sandra was a beautiful young woman who’s looks and video commentary belied her actions on the day in question. Some people cite some degree of mental illness she was battling. That’s my 2nd rule, ladies, sisters, if you are on Thorazine, Xantax or whatever your doctor prescribed for you then TAKE THE DAMN MEDICINE ON TIME! Will you please! Please. Your boss gives you days off, not your doctor. This is very important when driving through states known for redneck cops like Texas, Florida, and New York City. Yes Black Lives Matter, that’s specifically the reason I write this. Consider it a love-letter. When blacks act crazy they want naive-sounding black romanticism to kick-in afterwards, too many of our people can’t stand proactive thinking. Ya’ll need to stop that shit. These white officers aren’t used to what we black men are used to regarding ya’ll; your reality-TV trained bad attitude that closed the gap between men and women because young women in reality used to be, by nature smarter than us men. Not anymore. Watching middle-class, to rich sisters from Atlanta, or some basketball wives act like loons from the funny farm seems to have given many of ya’ll a license to kill. The problem is, Billy Bob still got a license to kill, present reality has not taught many of you a damn thing. I am not saying that if Sandra exercised less attitude that day that she would still be alive, I’m saying try it and find out. She may be influenced by preconceived notions given the latest Black-Crazy behavior of officers around the nation. All cops aren’t bad, just most of the ones that make the news. The majority do their jobs the way they are supposed to, but for the most part the networks reason that’s too boring for TV. Just as in the case of the men who complied with officers and raised their hands but were shot anyway, following orders isn’t always a cure-all. If Sandra was more respectful but the cop still put his hands on her then she can fly off the handle all she wants, I never begrudge anyone for defending themselves. There’s all types of commentary out there but most of it is extreme pro or con Sandra Bland. Everything isn’t just either/or, both parties in this case share some blame, but the cop’s fault weighs heavier because of the way he lost his head. One brother tries to rationalize Bland's behavior to "biorythms." All that overthinking just takes you away from the real solution. Unless we're looking to hang Officer Brian Encinia or his wife/or daughter we don't even have a conversation. Whites are the most violent people over the past 500 years, MLK took them off-guard momentarily with non-violence and for a few brief seconds they felt guilty. Now they’re getting back to their normal selves and they only respect violence, but it has to be targeted. All this young-nigga-shooting-random-cops is just being dismissed as "lone crazy man." To do what is needed is to do the reverse of what J.Edgar Hoover and the CIA did to our leaders and activists back in the day, we must gather and collect information on each and every cop in question with these incidents, and quietly do them just as they did the victim. And it has to be systematic. Shocker, that means blacks building a database, against mostly white law-enforcement. Youth gangs obviously have some type of database for “snitches” regardless of how badly they need to be snitched-on, gangs don’t claim to “protect and serve.” On one hand it was a bizarre month for black women in custody since we lost five within that period. Bland’s situation is unique, the officer may have pulled her over for Driving While Black even if she had a light out, but he didn’t appear to be a jerk-off like Stewart Ferrin was with Professor Ersula Ore. In one of the most oddest coincidences, Bland’s 7/13/15 murder seemed to have sparked a national open season on black women who died in custody after being arrested on charges that simply don’t equate to death. Kendra Chapman (18), Joyce Curnell (50), Ralkina Jones (37), Raynette Turner (43),and  Alexis McGovern (28). All of these women were not as innocent of crimes as Bland, but they obviously didn’t warrant a death sentence. Most were related to shoplifting, and in the case of Jones a domestic situation where her behavior towards her ex-husband was way out of bounds. So my advice to the sisters is forget about all this drama and think more about the consequences. Stop watching Reality TV, and be aware of reality in the real world. If you have health issues, mental or otherwise, take your damn scripts. Once again consider this a love letter. #CommonSenseMatters too. BlackCommentator.com Columnist, Chris Stevenson, is a syndicated columnist, his articles also appear on his blog; the Buffalo Bullet. Follow him on Twitter @pointblank009) and Facebook (pointblank009). Support his petition to permanently Abolish the Death Penalty in the US the Troy Davis Bill, HR92111. He is also the author of "The MAO Syndrome: A Timeline of Newspaper columns Tracking Hate, Fear, Loathing, Obstinacy, and Stubbornness of many on the right & some on the left who are simply Mad At Obama.” Contact Mr. Stevenson.