WHY FERGUSON MATTERS — PART 2: WHY FERGUSON SHOULD MATTER TO ALL UNITED STATES CITIZENS — December 14, 2014
by J.S. Buford
- You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him. Booker T Washington
This particular blog is unabashedly directed at America… white Americans, immigrants from other countries who speak of African Americans with besmirched undertones; our very own African brethren… anyone and everyone who may have unfortunately bought into the Birth of a Nation ( http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/birth_of_a_nation/) media machine.
If you returned home one day after a long day of work, to see five young kids in Troy, Michigan; Birmingham, Alabama; Raleigh, North Carolina; San Diego, California; North Shore, Illinois; Manhattan, New York; Miami, Florida; San Antonio, Texas; Midtown Atlanta, Georgia; etc., etc.,.
Drowning ducks one after another in a little kiddie, miniature pool filled with water, what would think, do, or how would you react? If you saw these same children mercilessly maiming cats, severing their tails with butcher knives, what would think, do, or how would you react? If you saw these same children excitedly, lacerating labrador retrievers with heavy metal chains what would think, do, or how would you react?
How can you view the following videos and images, and not wonder….what kind of animals would commit such an offense against another human being?
http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/march-1991-rodney-king-videotape-9758031
Yes, the Nazi regime was evil for the crimes committed against Jews. But such crimes against humanity don’t occur unless, there are a lot of people who just stand by and watch it happen. Rationalize the behavior. Attempt to justify it.
You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him. — Booker T Washington
Let’s reflect on a simple truth. African Americans don’t have a monopoly on criminal behavior, living socio-economically challenging lives, or periods of stupid decision making. Black, White, Chinese, Indian,..it doesn’t matter. Young men of all nationalities have committed offenses, or had youthful, dumbapple moments, whereas if they were caught, it could have resulted in some pretty dire consequences. Any man (let me not assume, and/or woman) reading this knows what I’m talking about.
What happens when the complexion of your skin, increases the frequency of getting caught, stereotyped, subjugated, or killed?
I’m 6'1 and approximately 210lbs. Consider for a moment that I don’t, nor do other men of African descent, have superhuman powers that require a platoon of squad cars, 20 thousand hyper aggressive police officers, or bullets laced with kryptonite to subdue me.
Alleged police brutality? Close your eyes. What if this were your mother, grandmother, aunt, or niece being subject to this treatment?
You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him. — Booker T Washington
Slavery was not just forced labor. Jim Crow was not simply a matter of separate, but equal. The systemic racism of today is not just about simple socio-economic inequality. It was fathers being whipped, and being forced to labor daily for men who openly raped their wives and daughters. It was mothers watching their sons being castrated, and having to serve tea to the perpetrators the following day.
It was children walking past a tree, fully aware of the fact that their parent or loved one was hung from that same tree the previous night. It was entire towns, neighborhoods, and churches being burned to the ground for the sake of extinguishing any semblance of prosperity or communal continuity among African Americans.
It was Emmett Till. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/31/magazine/31TILL.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
The system is not broken or failing so to speak. It is doing what it was designed to do; punishing those it considers dangerous or disposable. The myth of the superhuman, blood thirsty, lustful, unbridled, lawless, virulent Negro is alive and well. Thus the inclination to punish and dispose of this caricature is not errant, but to the contrary, it is frighteningly efficient.
Trayvon Martin was taking a walk in his own neighborhood, minding his own business. He was threatened, accosted, and murdered. Martin had the nerve to believe it was ok to take a walk in his own neighborhood, and lost his life for it.
I remember being a youth, playing in the park with fake toy guns, pretending to shoot space invaders, evil doers, emulating tv dramas like Magnum PI. or whatever I imagined at the moment. Imagine for a moment, watching your 12 year old son being gunned down at the park for doing the same.
Police brutality? Racism? What does it look like you ask? How do you know? The depictions in this blog are not anomalies. They occur with terrifying frequency. They are not manufactured. They are not fables. They are inhumane circumstances that happened to be recorded. How about those that occur that are not?
Police brutality; discrimination in the work place; educational disparities; unwarranted arrests; disproportionately severe fines and prison sentences; housing discrimination… didn’t materialize out of thin air. It never went away. Social media is simply pulling of the scab, so the public can see it unadulterated and unfiltered. Racism is as American as apple pie.
What does it mean, when another human being, treats another human being so inhumanely? What does it mean when our justice system, our society, WE, YOU, LOOK in the Mirror, YOU, rationalize it, attempt to justify it, and or condone it?
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/09/the-abner-louima-case-10-years-later/?_r=0
You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him. — Booker T Washington
The perpetrators’ behaviors are on full display right now, but what of those who condone the crimes against humanity, and worse yet, celebrate them? What of those who enjoyed picnics to celebrate hangings? What of those who stood idly by while human beings were starved and baked alive? What of those who continue to acquit murderers.
http://qz.com/306504/cory-booker-had-the-best-reaction-to-the-eric-garner-case-22-years-ago/
The aforementioned incidents didn’t occur in a vacuum. They are indicative of something. I can’t help but to be reminded Vincent Harding’s There is a River and ruminate about the timeliness of a second installment.
When a society begins to select winners and losers (who lives and who dies) based upon superficial determinants that have little to do with academic, industrial, and work capacity its decline becomes inevitable. Society thrives when everyone is on deck, and has an opportunity to be productive and live with dignity.
Originally published at https://www.catchjsbuford.com.
