Injustice and Racism, Protests, and Revolutions

This was first published on 12/8/2014 on a blog I wrote for previously (which is no longer being updated).

This political cartoon sums up the past few weeks in America.

There's no way to truly comprehend how justice has been avoided being served to those who've suffered at the hands of police brutality.  We should be able to fully trust those in blue, but more and more incidents have come to light over the past months to lead Americans to believe those who serve our communities are exempt from the laws of our Nation.  This is America, the home of the free and the brave.  Free.  That should be an all-inclusive term, but it isn't.

Hands up, "don't shoot!"

"I can't breathe."

It doesn't matter if you are a child with a toy gun, or criminal complying with authorities, your life is at risk - especially if you aren't Caucasian.  Law enforcement should not be committing crimes, and certainly, they shouldn't be getting away with it.

As reported in the New York Post on December 3, 2014, "A Staten Island grand jury cleared an NYPD cop in the chokehold death of Eric Garner during his caught-on-video arrest for peddling loose cigarettes, the Staten Island district attorney confirmed Wednesday."

"Caught on video."  President Obama, if you want to strengthen the relationship between cops and citizens, are wearable cameras and training  going to change anything?  Eric Garner's death was caught on tape, and Officer Daniel Pantaleo was cleared of his charges.

Perhaps the culture within law enforcement is the real problem here.  It isn't every officer, in fact, one officer is known for having never received a complaint:

Elton Simmons is a deputy sheriff in Los Angeles that holds a record number of complaints, as said in the title. How many complaints have been filed against him you might ask? None to be exact.  ~ News In General, Dec. 17, 2013 

Here's a CBS story about him:

Simmons says "One thing I don't like is to be looked down at, I can't stand it, so I'm not going to look down at you."  The report also states that Simmons has diplomacy, and "none of the attitude that sometimes comes with a cop."  Elton Simmons is a perfect example how how you can do your job as an office of the law, and not be a jerk.  He's simply human, just like those he has to ticket.  He knows that, and that is why those ticketed by Simmons have never once complained about him.

It isn't just about race.

The media loves to sensationalize issues, and white-on-black deaths are focused on more often than crimes where white police allow the death of, or kill another white person.  A racial divide is created by the media.  It isn't just the instances that allow the divide to happen, it is how the media reports crimes.  White-on-white crimes aren't picked up by large media groups, but you will certainly find them in your local media outlets.  Take a look.  It's there.

This doesn't minimalize the real issue at hand.  

I've seen it more times than I can count: #BlackLivesMatter.  Yes, they do.  There's no arguing that.  My issue is that not only do black lives matter, but all lives matter.  

The culture within law enforcement seems to be one with a God complex.  Too many times they are the executioner without the right to a fair trial.  This isn't the American judicial system, and then the system fails the survivors of the victims.  We see it in the news almost every single say.  Media outlets continually focus on white cops killing black males and females, avoiding other accounts where a white officer is to blame for the death of other whites or Hispanics. This lack of reporting exacerbates the idea that only blacks are being targeted by police, when really, unless you are a white male dressed in a business suit, you are profiled and are more likely to suffer police brutality.  

My fear is that the more the media focuses on the white-on-black issue, the more a racial divide is created and it will appear to some as if white cops only kill black males.  There's certainly a incredible amount of these instances occurring more often.  I applaud those who march to establish and support #BlackLivesMatter.  It needs to be addressed.  

We also need to be marching for #AllLivesMatter.  Police brutality needs to come to an end.  

The racists are coming out in swarms.

I am ashamed to see news reports about the amount of racism going on during the marches and protests happening all around this country.  The Huffington Post, on December 4, 2014, Journey For Justice Faces Racist Opposition reported the following:

About 200 people met the marchers as they reached Rosebud around noon, activists said. A display of fried chicken, a melon and a 40-ounce beer bottle had been placed in the street. A Confederate flag flew. Counter-protestors shouted racial epithets.

Are we living in the 1960's again?  What is going on?  How can any one person morally justify this kind of reaction to a valid protest?

One the flip side of the coin, I am happy to see Americans of all races join together to march and protest under the #BlackLivesMatter campaign.  From The Atlantic's City Lab, we see diversity in the The Unprecedented Scale of the #BlackLivesMatter Protests gallery.

Real change needs to happen.

As I mentioned above, President Obama is calling for more cameras to record the actions of officers of the law.  We know video didn't help in the case of Eric Garner's death.  Why would America think this will change anything in the long-run.  It may hold more officers accountable for their actions, but it doesn't appear to matter when you examine Eric Garner's death.

The question is, how can law enforcement change to serve and protect the citizens, and not just themselves?  Does this include more training, psychological tests, examinations of each officer's disposition?  I don't have the answer.  It may be all of the above.  Some how, some way, it needs to change.  Police should be trusted, and not hated or feared.

Big Brother is already watching.

Video surveillance has both positive and negative implications. VICE  does an excellent job in reporting on the surveillance system in Camden, New Jersey.

This particular feature focuses on the positives and negatives of a city-wide police surveillance system. If you haven't already learned about this HBO series, I highly recommend it.  As for the topic at hand, I highly recommend watching this episode if you have access to it.  It is eye-opening, and perhaps a version of the system in Camden can be used to curb police brutality, keeping them in check, while keeping people in check as well.

We've already entered into a technological age where we should all expect to be on camera at some point after leaving our homes.  When used properly, and for the right reasons, it can be a tool used for positive results.  We may be seeing more and more of these systems around the country.  If so, I do hope it allows for what we need most: a more peaceful America, and not a more policed America.