{"id":597,"date":"2015-07-29T17:58:00","date_gmt":"2015-07-29T21:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/muslimahinprogress\/?p=597"},"modified":"2015-07-29T17:58:00","modified_gmt":"2015-07-29T21:58:00","slug":"its-a-black-issue-its-not-a-black-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/muslimahinprogress\/2015\/07\/its-a-black-issue-its-not-a-black-issue.html","title":{"rendered":"It’s a Black Issue. It’s not a Black Issue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The murder of Sam DuBose is horrifying and I am very happy that the now-fired officer is being indicted. Another Black family has to mourn the untimely death of their family member. We have to continue the\u00a0\u202a#\u200e<\/span>blacklivesmatter\u202c<\/span><\/a>\u00a0movement and work to bring fairness to the criminal justice system. This includes but is not limited to making sure police officers are recruited and trained in a proper manner, bodycams are made mandatory, racial profiling is eliminated, police offenders are brought to justice, and the prison industrial complex is dismantled. This is several lifetimes of work! We have to take it one bit at a time. People will find areas where they can help. Some will march, some will work with the police, some will work on legislators, some will work in the communities. It is a continuation of the Civil Rights Movement and all people of all colors, faiths, and backgrounds have to participate. Some can do more, some are not able to do as much. Prayers are a great place to start, and then you can reach out to your local community to see what is needed.<\/p>\n

This is a Black issue but this is not a Black issue. By that I mean that our Black brothers and sisters are being disproportionately killed, but those of us who are not Black cannot shrug our shoulders and think that it does not affect us. These men, women, and children are our fellow Americans, our fellow human beings. They are us. So even if you are the whitest white guy who has ever lived, and you live in the whitest white community in the US, this is your issue as well. Get involved.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/blacklivesmatter.com\/<\/p>\n

Now, there are those of you out there who will state the obvious. \u00a0\u201cWell, ALL lives matter!\u201d \u00a0That is true. \u00a0The life of a police officer matters and his or her death in the line of duty is tragic. \u00a0The life of a baby left in a hot car matters. \u00a0The life of a little old lady in Dubuque matters. \u00a0The life of an overworked suburban housewife matters. \u00a0All lives DO matter, but we cannot dilute the message of #blacklivesmatter by making the false assumption that by focusing on our Black brothers and sisters, we are disregarding or disrespecting the police, the kids, the little old ladies, or other people in the United States. \u00a0Black people are disproportionately likely to be targeted by police. \u00a0The body of Sandra Bland has barely had time for the dirt of her grave to settle around her and we are talking now already about Sam DuBose. \u00a0It is statistically likely that before this month is out, certainly before the end of summer, will will be wringing our hands over yet another killing of an unarmed citizen<\/em>\u00a0of this country.<\/p>\n

I emphasize the word citizen. \u00a0These people are CITIZENS<\/em>. \u00a0As such, they are supposed to have certain inalienable rights, rights which were actually legally denied to them when this country was founded, rights which they fought and bled and died to have apply to them. \u00a0The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. \u00a0They have the right to live lives unmolested by police. \u00a0And they also have the right to make some screw-ups without getting the death penalty for it. \u00a0The supposed infractions these people were accused of are ludicrous. \u00a0Imagine if YOU were killed by police for something like jaywalking, or giving your best buddy one of your pain pills after he hurt his back and couldn\u2019t afford to go to the doctor. \u00a0Have any of you driven home from a party slightly tipsy? \u00a0Death to you! \u00a0Did you let your car insurance lapse? \u00a0Death to you! \u00a0Renew your car registration late? \u00a0Death to you! \u00a0Use the \u201cf\u201d word in the presence of a cop giving you a speeding ticket? \u00a0Death to you!<\/p>\n

A lot of people try to justify the actions of the police by pointing out the victims\u2019 flaws or mistakes. \u00a0\u201cWell, he should not have reached for his wallet\u201d (after he was told by the officer to show his license). \u00a0\u201cWell, she should not have been arrogant\u201d (uppity Black syndrome). \u00a0\u201cHe should not have been playing with a toy gun outside\u201d (while a white guy open carries an AR-15 at Wal-mart). \u00a0Putting the blame on the victim absolves the police and allows us to self-righteously condemn \u201cthem\u201d and totally misses the point. \u00a0Whether the person murdered was a highly educated holder of an advanced degree, or a down-on-his luck street-corner hustler selling untaxed cigarettes, we have this thing called a legal process. \u00a0The police officers became judge, jury, and executioner for people either minding their own damned business or engaging in minor infractions. \u00a0And that\u2019s not how it is supposed to work.<\/p>\n

I have great respect for the police. \u00a0Back in Kansas City I went on a ridealong with officers in the Kansas City Metro Police Department, and for one night I got a glimpse into the complex ugliness that is their life. \u00a0Around midnight they came across a group of teens standing in the median of an intersection, and ultimately confiscated insulin needles from one girl who had gotten them from her father\u2019s stash after he died and who used them with her \u201cGoth\u201d friends to draw and and share blood among themselves. \u00a0Then they responded to a crash where a pickup was wrapped around a bus shelter, the driver heavily intoxicated but unharmed in the pickup bed, where he had crawled in an effort to hide the fact that he had been driving. \u00a0Calls for domestic violence, prostitution, drug use and sales, robbery, rape, and murder are part and parcel of their lives. \u00a0It\u2019s HARD. \u00a0It\u2019s ugly, it\u2019s dehumanizing, it\u2019s depressing, and it\u2019s easy to slip into an us versus them mentality. \u00a0I\u2019m sure they are tempted to bang heads together on a daily basis. \u00a0BUT THEY CAN\u2019T. \u00a0They cannot give in to the sometimes justified (ever been spat on by an HIV-positive maniac?) desire to give a little tuneup to a perpetrator. \u00a0They must maintain their professionalism in the face of abuse, or they can go work at Olive Garden. \u00a0When they crack, when they abuse, when they cross the line, they must be held accountable. \u00a0A bad cop makes the lives of all the good ones that much harder.<\/p>\n

What else is there to say? \u00a0I could write until my fingers cramp and still only skim the surface of this problem. \u00a0You know. \u00a0You read. \u00a0It\u2019s everywhere online. \u00a0You have to have been hiding under a rock to not be aware of this issue. \u00a0So do more than just know. \u00a0Do. \u00a0Do something. \u00a0Do something because we all share the same DNA. \u00a0We are all part of the same human family.<\/p>\n

Do something.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The murder of Sam DuBose is horrifying and I am very happy that the now-fired officer is being indicted. Another Black family has to mourn the untimely death of their family member. We have to continue the\u00a0\u202a#\u200eblacklivesmatter\u202c\u00a0movement and work to bring fairness to the criminal justice system. This includes but is not limited to making […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[115,70],"tags":[162,166,165,164,163],"class_list":["post-597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-criminal-justic","category-current-events","tag-blacklivesmatter","tag-civil-rights","tag-police-misconduct","tag-sam-dubose","tag-sandra-bland"],"yoast_head":"\nIt's a Black Issue. 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