These are the black lives that might have mattered if they were not quite so black. I'm not actually referring to their skin color, though I'm certain that melanoma played a role in their deaths. I'm referring to their black characterizations that quickly became the narrative reason why losing these lives didn't really matter as much because of THC in the blood, taking or selling tobacco products or driving without a license.
When the young white lady got killed by a Mexican illegal, Fox News ran that story as though little white girls in America are getting accidentally killed by Mexican illegals every day but we just don't hear about it. The criminal that admitted to the crime was sufficiently blackened for his five time, illegal return to America, while the victim and her family were treated with the grace and dignity that they deserved. Her background wasn't publicly besmirched like Trayvon Martin was after George Zimmerman took his life.
The real idea of black lives matter is the notion that a white boy suspected of murdering the Emmanuel 9 gets the kind of dignity that Sam Dubose was begging for when he asked University of Cincinnati police officer Roy Tensing to simply run his name and confirm that he was a licensed driver who lived in the area.
Was Dubose concerned that a minor incident was quickly escalating towards the demise he endured when he tried to start his car and drive away? Officer Tensing was forcibly attempting to remove the driver from his car just as Dubose appears to think to drive away instead of standing clear of the door and requesting the driver to exit the car as is normal procedure with non-violent confrontations. If there was any damage to Tensing's arm that happens from the car pulling away (he claims a tingling in his arm after the incident), it appears to happen after Tensing has already shot Dubose in the head and as his limp body presses on the accelerator which then forces Tensing to the ground when the car takes off. Apparently, driving without your license was concerning enough to this officer to the degree of forcibly figuring out why.
When Walter Scott ran away from an officer for reasons that only he could answer if he were still alive, his fleeing was about to be characterized as fleeing while struggling for the officers taser gun if a video didn't change the story. The video bleached away the blackening of Scott that made the previous explanation of a long distance kill shot from the back plausible somehow.
Black lives matter is an attempt to stop making black people responsible for being church going people who are also in church at the time they get killed type church going people: who also have family that are full of grace and dignity in the face of hate and terror, before we feel the compassion it takes to empathize with the black legislators in South Carolina who reminded us for years that the Confederate message and the flag was both offensive and dangerous.
White Lives and Lion's Lives Matter Too?!?!
Black lives matter is a recognition that no man would persist to achieve something for someone else that they don't insure exists for themselves. Black lives don't seem to matter at times because no lives really matter that much any more. What appears to be white derision towards disadvantaged blacks is more accurately described as subjugation of blacks in the pursuit of the green. Poor people of every color are unfortunate victims of capitalism's engine. Post blackening the reputation of the victims of oppression is often times more about economics than racism. yet to fix this we must recognize that our weakest links are not responsible for the persistence of perception.
This is a hard thing to digest because how exactly do you repair innocent victims from being stuck at the wrong end of the lens? If you have a blackened view of black people, it doesn't matter how pure white or young and innocent they actually might be. Even 12 year old Tamir Rice couldn't get a customary "drop the gun or we'll shoot" command that could have saved his life. Without this horrendous video, God only knows how blackened the reputation of this 12 year old boy would have been beyond the blame of being too old looking and playing with a pellet gun in the park which white boys apparently have never done. Without the bleach of video, Rice would have been blackened with an accusation of pointing the gun at police to justify his killing.
Sam Dubose is the most recent killing and the Cincinnati prosecutor is trying the officer with murder. He probably should be trying for a conviction that could be achieved, like manslaughter because the battle is now over whether or not this black man, who had no license and could have been driving away with the officers hand stuck in the car, deserved to die since the officer feared for his own life. Because of the blackening of people who deserve better, half of America will see this video one way and the rest another.
WARNING!! THIS VIDEO IS GRAPHIC
FULL LINK TO 27:52 CHEST CAM VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FicsKuLfpiw
No comments:
Post a Comment