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"Black men accounted for 30 percent of the
unarmed deaths, even though they make up
just 6 percent of the US population! You do
the math...the analysis shows that Black men
were seven times more likely than white men
to die by police gunfire while unarmed."
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There
comes a time when truths of the day must be told…from where the grass
has no green. In the prophetic words of Malcolm X, quoting an old
axiom, “The chickens are coming home to roost.” There have been 83
police officers killed in the line of duty thus far this year. What I
know is that the country is responding like there’s something wrong.
There’s a collective hand hovering just above the panic button, and
it’s about to get smacked down.
For some odd reason, that number just feels high: 83 human beings from
the same clan being wiped off the face of the earth just doesn’t seem
right - and it isn’t. No one should be shot to death. Police deaths
from shootings are down 16% this year nationwide, compared with the
same period last year, according to the National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial Fund. There have been 26 firearms-related deaths this
year, including two in training accidents, and 31 in 2014. Traffic
accidents - followed by shootings - are the leading cause of police
deaths. No, I don’t feel sorry for them.
This panic drummed up by conservative-minded, pro-establishment
Americans is unfounded and ungrounded. The police are the most
protected people walking the earth of this country - both physically,
socially and politically. Think about it: While every other worker’s
union is under attack and on the brink of extinction, the police unions
are flourishing and untouched. Other Americans are not blind to this,
but they are surely silent. Injustices and inequalities don’t go
unanswered.
While we’re being "panic-buttoned" on the alarming number and nature of
the attacks on police, the issue of whether black lives matter is being
undermined. White Liberals want to water the issue down, Conservatives
want to poo-poo the reality and Blacks of every persuasion are
splintered on its importance. During a single two-week period in April,
three unarmed black men were shot and killed. All three shootings were
either captured on video or, in one case, broadcast live on local TV.
You see, I get pissed off when I see white people attempting to shout
the Black protestors of unjustified killings of unarmed Black men with
chants of “Blue Lives Matter.” We all intrinsically know how utterly
racist that looks, even more, is. When you do the numbers, Blacks
exponentially outnumber police (like any other subset of the
population), but disproportionally get killed at a higher rate than any
other subset of the US population. “Blue Lives” are the safest
lives one can live in this country. So why do you think the panic
button is being pushed?
In the US, whites accounted for roughly half at 321 deaths and blacks
followed with 174. However, blacks were twice more likely than whites
to be unarmed when killed by the police, According to “The Counted” a
running report produced by The Guardian. Of the 102 unarmed
Americans killed between January and May, 15% were white, compared with
31.9% for blacks and 25.4% for Hispanics and Latinos.
Black men accounted for 30 percent of the unarmed deaths, even though
they make up just 6 percent of the US population! You do the math...the
analysis shows that Black men were seven times more likely than white
men to die by police gunfire while unarmed.
Though 19 law officers have been shot and killed in the line of duty by
a suspect this year, including Memphis police officer Sean Bolton who
died a couple of weeks ago after a routine traffic stop, it is an
absurdity for Americans to be expected to hold police in high regard
and beyond reproach when Black people live undeniable experiences of
police brutality, corruption and graft in our communities at the hands
of police; yet Black experiences are dismissed by mainstream - white -
America. This trend of decades continues even today. Video shot by
bystanders or captured on police camera, meanwhile, has served in some
cases to undermine trust in police. We’ve been telling the story for
years, but again, poo-pooed by our fellow Americans.
So far this year, three officers (hardly enough) have been charged with
crimes after fatally shooting unarmed Black men. All three were caught
on video. Think of how many aren’t - and haven’t been - captured by
video? One - the April shooting of Eric Harris in Tulsa - appears to
have been an accident. But in the other two, the footage contradicted
the officer’s initial account of what happened. The Samuel DuBose
shooting in Cincinnati comes to mind. Yes, police lie too! It’s just
that we, as Americans, are conditioned to believe the police.
I should know…two Knoxville police testified - and lied - at my 2008
trial. Their testimony, if not challenged and exposed as lies, could’ve
netted me a 42-year mandatory minimum sentence. There was no DNA
evidence for what I was tried for, so I would’ve been there, right,
wrong or indifferent. Instead I was acquitted at trial. I was one of
the lucky ones…and I don’t even believe in luck!
Police are being killed in ambushes and confrontations of late. I don’t
know if these perpetrators are "Manchurian candidates" or what, but I
do know they are the martyrs for the voice of Black Americans who want
fairness, justice and equality under the law. Yes, Black Lives [do]
Matter. If the theory of one police life were to equal 1,000 Black
lives, then all would be "even Steven," but it doesn’t and it isn’t.
Every life is valuable and should be dignified. Police must stop
killing Black men or funeral florists will remain busy beavers for the
next few years.
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BlackCommentator.com Columnist, Perry Redd, longtime activist & organizer, is the Executive Director of the workers rights advocacy, Sincere
Seven that currently owns the FCC license for WOOK-LP 103.1FM/ok103.org. His latest book, Perry NoName: A Journal From A Federal Prison-book 1 , chronicles his ‘behind bars’ activism that extricated him from a 42-year sentence and is now case law. He is also the author of As A Condition of Your Freedom: A Guide to Self-Redemption From Societal Oppression, Mr. Redd also hosts a radio show, Socially Speaking, from his Washington, DC studio. Contact Mr. Redd and BC.
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 is published every Thursday |
Executive Editor:
David A. Love, JD |
Managing Editor:
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Publisher:
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