Saturday, June 19, 2010

White Man's Justice...Black Man's Grief


There is not a day that goes by that we don't hear about police using excessive and more often deadly force on black people that is sometimes uncalled for.  Nor is there a day that blacks wake up and not hear about some type of racist or discrimination incident taking place or experiencing it themselves.  After all, we live in America the supposedly home of the free where our constitution states that all citizens are equally entitled to alienable rights such as freedom of speech, freedom to pursue happiness in peace, etc.  However, if you are black in America you sometimes question that myth.

A black woman named Melanie Williams has been awarded $65,000 in a lawsuit against the Jacksonville, Florida police for being tackled while pregnant in an emergency room that she fled to for help.  In my opinion, she didn't receive enough money, but then I am not a lawyer, nor am I a judge, nor do I have a degree in law.  There are some whites folks who think she didn't deserve to receive any money compensation at all regardless of what her medical condition or the circumstances  involved in the incident were.  I hate to say it, but that's reminisce of  southern whites attitudes in the past, blacks don't need or deserve that kind of money or it's too much money for a black person to have.

Then there is the Oscar Grant's trial that is going on at the present.  It appears that ex-BART officers Pirone and Domenici seem to have selective memories when it comes to parts in their testimony that shines a light on both of them being responsible for the events that led up to Merserle shooting Grant in the back while he was lying face down on the ground.  Nevertheless, neither have anything to worry about.  Regardless to what went down that night and that a young black man is dead because of their actions, no one will suffer any consequences from it, but Oscar's daughter who is left without a father.  There are some whites who think the officer was just doing his duty as usual and that Oscar should have stayed at home.  Some white people feel that black men should stay locked up in the house and never come outside for a breathe of fresh air to avoid being murdered or brutalized by the police.  In other words, stay on the plantation you live on and don't leave off of it without a permission from them.

Back during the days of slavery, whites thought it was okay to beat the slaves or kill them.  In fact, this was a normal practice among them. It didn't matter if they were old, women, men, or children or pregnant--beat them or kill them was the law of the land.  Even back then, they would beat them or kill them over little minor infractions or when they considered blacks being uppidity and sassy towards a white person, and the majority of them were unarmed too.  They had patrollers back then that violently brutalized slaves however they saw fit. It is a  practice that has spilled over in to modern times and in our so-called age of colorblindness and normal procedure when dealing with people of color.

In addition, it does not matter if that black person has Aspergers neither. Neli is still being evaluated at a mental institution for 30 days, afterwards he will be returned to jail, because his mother cannot afford to pay an attorney while his condition deteriorates. There has been nothing mentioned about a bail. Neli's father is still in Iraq. Why they refused to believe his mother who has medical documentation stating Neil's condition is unbelievable and unfortunate for Neli who handicapped by his condition has to endure this alone in isolation.

Is the only decisive factor in whether to use excessive force or kill  an unarmed person automatically only if the color of their skin happens to be of a darker hue than lily white, medium white, or dark white?    Some white folks feel that excessive force and killing unarmed black men is justifiable and applaud it. However, when it comes to their own whites they seem to push aside those justifiable excuses  in behalf of the police and their compassion for humanity kicks in and they seem to see clearly wrongdoing on behalf of the officers that they tend to overlook when it is person of color. Nevertheless, you rarely ever hear of whites being shot while unarmed or excessive force being used on them. Nor has it ever come to point where any whites need a citizen's guide to police confrontations to help avoid police brutality.
BTW, a journalist named John Potash, a graduate of Columbia University has written a book that is causing a stir of controversy that has  some white people hollering conspiracy theory and some black folks wondering if it's true?  Anyway, I do not know if the book is true or not, but I plan to buy a copy of it and check it out asap.  You can read an excerpt at this link.

Old habits from slavery are hard to break and until some white people wake up and realize that blacks are human beings too, tomorrow, the next day, and the day after will continue to be a repeat of the same discrimination practices, racism, and police brutality against people of color.

4 comments:

Black Diaspora said...

Good article, Granny.

Matrice Richardson is not Natalee Holloway.

Far too many whites have too narrow a view of humanity: only whites are seen as human. All other races are placed on a scale, with blacks resting at the bottom.

When a black life is raised to the status of a white life, I'll know this country has arrived, and has turned the corner on race.

I don't want to give the impression that all whites see the world in a color hierarchy. That would be inaccurate and unfair: Many whites don't have this racial hangup.

GrannyStandingforTruth said...

Black Disapora:

"I don't want to give the impression that all whites see the world in a color hierarchy. That would be inaccurate and unfair: Many whites don't have this racial hangup"

Thanks, and that is so true Diaspora because I know quite a few of them and two of my long time friends are white. One is a French woman and we've been friends for more years than I can count. And they definitely don't see the world in a color hierarchy. In addition, I have quite a few white relatives and they don't either.

kid said...

Hi Granny I missed you,computer was down.

Spread the word the NAACP,NAN, and the Urban League are organizing a counter March on Glenn Beck.

Hope you get better.Take care.

Primaldata said...

"I don't want to give the impression that all whites see the world in a color hierarchy. That would be inaccurate and unfair: Many whites don't have this racial hangup"

I don't wanna say they do have a racial hang up but I do disagree. I think the problem is they see a white person and while they hope they are just mistaken or just caught at a bad time they think some of their brothers, husbands, wives, fathers, sisters, mothers and cousins antics are for lack of a better term harmless. Until they themselves are inconvenienced or hurt by this wrath and boundless hatred.

Because unfortunately how hard is it for someone who has always been shown: love, fairness, honor and equality to accept that somebody who in most other phases of life seems completely normal and sensible can be dangerous to other human beings due to insane beliefs. And it is insane to say that it is okay to tackle a pregnant woman ESPECIALLY if you also happen to be anti abortion. I mean can physical harm or a violent jerking/shaking not cause a premature birth or even an abortion? Is it ever okay to be violent towards a female? Is it okay for a grown man to beat on a child that is not his like he is a grown man? worse then if he was a dog? Like his life was UNimportant?

If it was a little white child would you not be up in arms? Would you not DEMAND their justice? Did not they not rush to POOR BRISTOL PALIN's defense when she popped up pregnant, unwed and due to unprotected premarital sex?

You look like me so you really can't be that bad, until it is way too late and you have to hope it was a mistake. But then if it's a mistake for a minority they still have to go away forever don't they. Lifetime confinement is never good enough their lives should be forfeit.

I remember joking at a job interview that I was tired of being the "Scary Black Guy" I wanted to rock a desk for a while. It was a great joke and everybody laughed but it was also true. I like to make a living using my mind as well, constantly being used as a threatening presence is taxing on the mind. You cannot be friendly, it will be seen as weakness. People do not think you can be engaged in intelligent conversation, you are just muscle.

And yet in truth even behind a desk you still get those quick glances. If something goes amiss are you about to become violent, do you have to be cordoned off? Must every day the same test be passed are you really a "safe black person" or are you just someone who has not become like the stereotype I perceive in my mind yet?