BY Gary Norris Gray – BASN Staff Reporter
African Americans are furious about what occurred in Ferguson, Missouri.The Black community has a growing concern because their young males have become targets of ROGUE policemen.
Young Black males are losing their lives because of a negative image that is being portrayed in the social news media, and this image has been taken advantage of by ROGUE police officers.
Last weekend a young African American male was walking in the middle of the road, and was stopped by the local policeman
This young Black man went from walking home to having a confrontation with law enforcement over a trivial issue, and dying from multiple gunshot wounds.
This young man will not be going home, nor will he be attending college this year.
The death of Michael Brown in August 2014 is a growing trend that should be addressed by the citizens of the United States.
Here are some suggestions:
1.) Demilitarize all police forces in the United States. The police are being to look like combat troops
2.) The police force should reflect the population of the city, county, or township they are employed.
In Ferguson, Missouri there are 53 officers and only three are Black. The city of Ferguson is majority Black. This is a terrible incident waiting to happen.3.) Each officer should have a camera on their uniform to record events. Since the introduction of cameras in San Jose, California and Evesham, New Jersey, Police-consumer complaints have dropped 67%. This should be mandatory.
4) Each officer should attend racial sensitivity trainings every year.
5) There should be transparency by the police force when a case of controversy arises.
What has transpired in the St. Louis suburb creates more confusion and mistrust of public officers. The policemen in question should be named. Hiding this individual will not help the community move past the hurt.
6) The Police force should be willing to allow an outside agency to investigate controversial cases without interference.
Here is a quote from the Huffington Post-BLACKVOCIES
The community anger in Ferguson appears to have been latent for quite some time in the city, which has mostly African-American residents but very few African-American public officials. According to the Los Angeles Times, Ferguson’s police chief and mayor are white. Of the six City Council members, one is black. The local school board has six white members and one Latino. Of the 53 commissioned officers on the police force, three are black, said Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson. Blacks are also disproportionately pulled over by police in Ferguson. Whites make up about a third of Ferguson’s population but accounted for just 12.7 percent of the stops by Ferguson police. Last year, African-Americans made up 93 percent of the arrests following car stops, even though whites were more likely to have contraband.
This incident could have been avoided by:
1) The young man obeying the policemen’s order to walk on the sidewalk even-though he had the right walk in the street. One needs to question the way this police officer asked the young men to move out of the street.
2) The policemen could have driven around the block to let the two young men think about their circumstances. Then the officer could have returned when cooler heads prevailed.
Living in Carbondale, Illinois in the 1970’s many students including myself walked (rolled) in the Southern Illinois streets day and night without incidents. So what happened in Ferguson, Missouri?
3) The issue of Civil Rights and the issue of human rights need to be addressed.
4) RESPECT – something that America and some Americans have lost.
Until these points are completed more young African Americans will not be coming home. It is a shame that young Black males are safer in Afghanistan or Iraq than in the United States. What does that say about our country? There is something wrong with this picture. We have a problem in this country: the constant drumbeat of demonizing young African American males. The question we should ask is WHY?
Next, what happened to the Black volunteer, legislator, coach, teacher, lawyer, scientist, and astronaut? These are positive role models that seldom get mentioned in the American press. Not sexy enough, does not have that hot sizzle, so they result to the media motto is-IF IT BLEEDS IT LEADS – at the expense of young African American males.
Remember that the 2014 United States census states that crime has been reduced to its lowest level in 15 years. So the question that needs to be asked is “why are so many young African American males being buried every year?” How many times do we (Black community) have to feel this pain how many times will another Black mother and father bury their child?
The historically troubling 1960’s should have taught America a lesion in race relations but it seems like this country is slowly sliding back into the past. Could Jim Crow Laws be far behind? For those who don’t know what Jim Crow Laws are, read the book The Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Van Woodward.
Black families still have to still teach and train their children to be careful going to the store, to the movies, or to their friend’s house because these children might run into one of these ROGUE police officers.
Black families have to teach and train their children never to confront an officer of the law.
White children do not have to face this dilemma nor do they have to fear for their lives every time they step out of their home.
America needs to have a national conference on the issue of race while President Barack Obama is our political leader. If this does not happen before the end of 2016 it will never happen and we (USA) might fall into a racial abyss.
Unlike President Kennedy who took the bull by the horn.
Kennedy told the country that Jim Crow Laws shall end and crafted Civil Rights laws that President Lyndon B. Johnson passed in 1964, President Obama has not shown leadership when it comes to racial issues.
President Obama should encourage young African Americans to dress for success. That means pull your pants up and put your cap on correctly. Mr. Obama also should point out to authority figureheads that they need to respect the law. Dialog is the better answer than confrontation.The President needs to take the lead in this discussion of race in America.WHY? Because Young Black males cannot wear RED or BLUE colored clothing because its gang related.
Black males cannot wear HOODIES because of the thug culture that surrounds this style of clothing.
Black males cannot walk the streets at night because they might be selling drugs.It’s been proven that white males sell more drugs at night, but don’t let that get in the way of telling a good story.This is the mentality of the United States on views of young Black males.
These stereotypes attitudes are killing young African American males.
When you think of human beings as animals you begin to treat them as such, and that can become dangerous.
Now we have prisons for profit, the grade school to prison pipeline, cutting funds for YMCA, YWCA, basketball camps, and midnight youth community gatherings.Let me make this crystal clear the majority of policemen are here to serve and protect, the majority of policemen are good people and good officers but just like in society there are 10% of bad apples in the bunch and those bad apples make the group look bad.
That ten percent are hard core racist and they are ROGUE officers of the law and should not be on any police force.
This is troubling because that bad ten percent carry firearms and have the power to control, arrest, and kill people. That 10 percent has the power to take life and then hide behind the solid BLUE WALL.
Which, leads America into white male privilege and Black male anger.
The powder keg only needs a match to light the fire.
Not much has change from the 1960’s. So it’s now August 2014, and the list continues to grow: Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant, Eric Garner, and now 18 year old Michael Brown.
Now I want you all to think really hard. When was the last time a white teenage male was shot by a policeman?
CASE CLOSED!!!!
Gary Norris Gray – Writer, Author, Historian. Gibbs Magazine-Oakland, California and New England Informer- Boston Mass. THE GRAYLINE:- The Analects of A Black Disabled Man, The Gray Leopard Cove, Soul Tree Radio In The Raw, and The Batchelor Pad Network on Blogtalkradio.com Disabled Community Activist. Email at: garyngray@blackathlete.com Norris19@Wordpress.com ©Copyrighted Gary Norris Gray @ Gray Leopard Prod–
welcome to the GLC the gray leopard cove
