SSDD

‪#‎MikeBrown‬, ‪#‎Ferguson‬, & ‪#‎EricGarner‬ has shown that even your own family won’t get it, if they aren’t Black too.
I’ve seen #MikeBrown and the protestors depicted as criminals. I say even if he robbed a store (and that is still in doubt as the cashier of the convenience store initially denied that) that was not a death penalty crime. But we will never know because Darren Wilson stopped his life before we could find out.
While some protestors may have committed criminal acts most have not, yet they are all considered criminals. Even Dr. King knew that riots were the reaction of the powerless and voiceless.
The decision not to indict Darren Wilson is suspect based on the asst. DA’s “mistake” in giving the grand jurors a copy of a statute describing the justifiable use of force that had been ruled unconstitutional in 1985 by the U.S. Supreme Court. And to compound that, she never completely clarified that before they began deliberations.
Everybody wants to focus on the criminality of the residents but no one wants to focus on the conditions that led to the situation.
Then we have #EricGarner. His death was ruled a homicide by the coroner. His death was videotaped. The officer was using a chokehold; a technique that was outlawed by NYPD. But once again, no indictment.
Folks are sick and tired of being sick and tired. We are tired that our lives mean absolutely nothing. We are tired of being told that we are playing the race card; hell I don’t even play spades. We are tired of our friends saying “yes, that was a terrible thing that happened but it happens to women, disabled, gays, etc. too”. I am tired of spending my day praying that my sons and daughter make it home whole. So if you don’t get it now, you never will. Just hope that folks are more understanding if it happens to you.