Good Day World!
It’s time everyone looks at the overall picture when it comes to violence being perpetrated against African-Americans in America.
The shooting of a black teen, Michael Brown, by a white police officer has been surrounded with misinformation from the start.
One look at the grand jury report from 51 “eye-witnesses” attests to that fact.
Half of the testimonies given involved outright lies (Brown’s buddy is at the top of the list after giving testimony that physically couldn’t have happened. When confronted with that fact he said he “felt uncomfortable” and didn’t have anything else to say).
Some so-called witnesses weren’t even present at the crime scene (under oath they had to tell the truth and admit that).
As for other witness testimonies, "Some of the witness accounts of the shooting differed so much they didn't seem like the same scene," reported the AP.
"It's difficult for people under the best of circumstances to accurately report what happened," Elizabeth Brondolo, a psychology professor specializing in the effects of race on mental and physical health at St. John's University in New York, told the AP.
That's because witnesses' backgrounds and life experience color what they see.
"The truth always really matters, but it's important to recognize that past experience to stereotypes also influences the perception of hands being raised," Brondolo said.
Ultimately, however, for some, it doesn't matter whether Brown's hands were raised or not.
"Even if you don't find that it's true, it's a valid rallying cry," Ferguson protester Taylor Gruenloh told the AP. "It's just a metaphor."
Out of the chaos that ensued from these testimonies a movement to canonize Brown sprung up. Suddenly a thug who had just robbed a convenience store moments before physically confronting a cop, became a martyr. (Photo-Michael Brown, soon-to-be a saint)
FACT:
Racial exclusivity is apparent in the majority of violent crimes. Around 91 percent of Black victims are murdered by Black offenders while 83 percent of white victims are killed by another white person, based on the most recent FBI homicide statistics.
FERGUSON BLACK ON BLACK VIOLENCE
Why no protest when another Black man was murdered near Ferguson?
On Oct. 18, Jermaine Jones, 29, stood with a few friends on a street in Berkeley, Mo., adjacent to Ferguson.
Police say an unknown black male opened fire, killing Jones and wounding three other black men near him. (Strangely, Jones’ sister, Margaree Dixson, was shot fatally a half-mile away, just three hours earlier. Police suspect yet another unidentified black man.)
Why has Jones’ death not unleashed riots and looting?
Simple: Jones was killed by a fellow black man. Thus, his death and his loved ones’ agony generate silence.
No one wants to talk about reality when it comes to black youths being killed in this country.
The national outrage still is at full boil over this white cop shooting an unarmed black man who acted very aggressively after robbing cigars from a convenience store. But one can hear birds chirp while listening for public outcry over the deaths of black citizens killed by black perpetrators.
Why doesn’t Jesse Jackson, and/or Al Sharpton talk about Blacks killing each other? I can’t remember these two activists leading any marches on Washington over this sad truth.
Is there racism in law enforcement? Are blacks and whites treated equally when they commit crimes? No. Not always.There are bad policemen, just as there are bad priests.
But the majority of them protect the public everyday – putting their lives on the line. Standing between civilization and chaos. Take them away and see what happens.
Using Michael Brown as an example of an innocent black youth killed by a racist cop is foolish and misrepresentative of the whole situation. Everyone needs to take a step back and look – who is killing more black youths? Bad cops, or other Blacks?
We already know the answer to that question. Now we need to have a national dialogue that deals with Blacks killing one another in record numbers.
Time for me to walk on down the road…