My Child’s Rage

I’ve spent years and years watching mothers grieve over the shooting deaths of their sons. That type of grief is commonplace in my community – the Black community. That grief is multiplied to unfathomable levels when the authority figures – the police – are the shooters.

I will show him how to appropriately and legally redress grievances.

I will show him how to appropriately and legally redress grievances.

Prince George’s County, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC, has one of the highest rates per capita in the nation of police shootings of Black men. The saddest aspect of this police-induced violence is that many of the officers are Black. This fact is conveniently absent from social discourse when the topic is Black-on-Black crime.

Last week, a case of this nature hit close to home, bludgeoning my grandson with a one-two punch. He is currently living through the horror of a police unjustifiably fatally shooting his uncle – in Prince George’s County.

Viewers commented about the shooting on the local Fox News web site. The comments highlighted the sheep-like mentality of so many Americans who value loyalty toward police over justice. My position is this: reality is based in fear of the police. Supporters of police often attribute their unwavering loyalty to law enforcement’s honorable work. However, I’m quick to challenge that by asking: what is your behavior called when you act dishonorably?

When citizenry gloss over wrongful police killings, they slap families of victims in the face, not to mention the face of justice. My 10-year-old grandson hurts. Shortly after the shooting, he grimly stated, “I feel that all the men around me are leaving me.” Hmm, in the past 5 years of his young life:

1) He has suffered the break-up of his family, with his father leaving the home and seemingly deadlocked with his mother over many important issues.

2) His father was violently assaulted.

3) His great-grandfather passed.

4) And now, he mourns the loss of his uncle.

To compound my grandson’s trauma, one of his grandfathers – with whom he’s very close – was returned to prison for a ‘technical’ violation related to supervised release. Now can you feel this 10-year-old boy’s loneliness? But that’s not all.

How can parents uphold the ideals of law enforcement, when the realities contradict the ideals?