#mythreecents

Details are scarce. Eyewitnesses say one thing. The Ferguson, MO police say another. However, one fact is undisputed….

Another young, African-American male, Mike Brown , has been killed.

I have been watching the news media coverage, as well as various social media outlets. The death of Mike Brown and the events that followed have affected and saddened many around the country and around the world. However, many have lashed out in anger and hate when this is a time for unity and understanding. This brings me to my three cents…

1) Violence is NOT, never has been, and never will be, the answer.

Following the news of the shooting of Mike Brown, many took to the streets to loot and destroy property. What purpose does it serve? Ferguson, Missouri has approximately 21,000 residents, of which 67% are African-American. As a result, stores in Ferguson will be closed, necessities will be unavailable, and prices will be higher. This is true irrespective of the racial composition of the town: Looting solves nothing and hurts innocent people, and even the looters themselves.

Sure, looting and other violent acts are expressions of anger. But what if that anger and energy were channelled into something positive and productive instead? The recent changes in events in Ferguson and the numerous nationwide protests demonstrate the effects of using that energy to produce results, instead of to inflict harm.

As a point of clarity, I am not condemning self-defense. I am saying, “don’t go starting or looking for a fight”. At times like these, the old saying holds true: “Hurt people, hurt people.” Again, there is no purpose…just anger. Use that passion to fuel the fire for change in your own life, neighborhood, city, or country.

Too many in our nation already believe that all African-Americans are dangerous, criminals, gang members, and/or murderers.

Don’t prove them right.

2) The movement is not SOLELY about Mike Brown. I have seen too many tweets, Facebook posts, and blog comments wondering why THIS shooting is creating such an uproar. To that I say, Mike Brown’s death was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Too many unarmed African-Americans, specifically males, are being killed by police officers.

Before you ask, yes I have an even larger problem with African-Americans killing their own (See #3).

However, law enforcement are charged with the duty to protect and serve the individuals in the communities that they police. Sure, sometimes that protection comes in the manner of deadly force for the officer’s own protection. But why is it becoming an everyday occurrence? Literally.

Police officers have the ability to take away an individual’s life and liberty and thus, are held to a higher standard. So why should a steadily increasing number of fatalities, in the name of self-defense, be tolerated of any race when there are no facts to suggest that the officer had reason to fear for his life?

Between the death of Trayvon Martin, the death of Eric Garner, and the deaths of countless other unarmed individuals, there are reasons to be upset, to ask questions, and to demand change.

Some seem confused about what is really happening so let me be the first one to inform you:

Racism still exists.

Shocker, I know.

Guess what else exists? Racist and/or corrupt police officers.

Go ahead and pick up your jaw.

In no way, do I believe that ALL police officers are racist. In fact, I know that’s not true. I happen to work with many great members of law enforcement on a regular basis. However, as an African-American woman who grew up (proudly) on the West Side of Chicago, I have experienced it first-hand.

When I tell the stories of the times, I have been harassed, stopped and searched on my way to the restaurant or to see a neighborhood friend, people seem flabbergasted. Or the times that I’ve witnessed police officers, some even of my own race, being disrespectful and threatening to my male friends.

It definitely happens and it needs to be acknowledged.

Again, not every police officer is racist, in the same way that not every African-American male is a member of a gang.

Use of force by police officers is justified at times. They have a right to protect themselves, just as citizens do.

However, use of deadly force should be a last resort and not a first option.

3)The Value of an African-American life.

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen someone insinuate that Mike Brown’s death shouldn’t be this big of an issue due to African-American gun violence against our own race, I’d be well on my way to buying an island.

The bottom line: Murder is wrong. Irrespective of the ethnicity of offender and irrespective of the ethnicity of the victim.

As a single African-American woman who LOVES African-American men, it hurts everytime we lose one, so I often wonder: will there be any left to marry? How many innocent African-American children will get killed before the bloodshed stops? What will I tell my future children? Where and how should I raise them?

It seems that everywhere you turn African-American men and women are being shot, stabbed, suffocated… you name any method, we’re being murdered by it.

The value of African-American lives is seemingly decreasing by the minute.

For some, taking the life of an African-American is “removing an unnecessary thing from the public” and “protecting normal Americans from aggressive and entitled primitive savages.” These are direct quotes from supporters on the Darren Wilson GoFundMe page…

Clearly, many have no regard for OUR lives… (It should be noted that since the death of Mike Brown, officers have been fired for killing dogs, yet officers who kill African-Americans remain on the job…)

But it gets worse…

WE don’t value OUR own lives!

The only thing more prevalent than African-Americans being murdered by other races is African-Americans being murdered by other African-Americans!

On a daily basis, African-American men, women, and even worse, innocent children, are being gunned down in the streets. No matter what that person may or may not have been involved in, its NEVER worth taking the life of another…

Not that the outrage and protests aren’t completely justified in Ferguson…but where are the outrage and protests geared towards stopping US from killing OURSELVES?

Perhaps if Rev. Al, Rev. Jackson, and the numerous celebrities who flocked down to Ferguson, either genuinely or to extend their 15 minutes, geared some of that energy into the betterment of our OWN people, WE could get better.

No I’m not blaming any of them for the state that we are in. However, if they claim to be leaders, then they should act as such and not only show up after the national media takes notice…

Every African-American, or member of any other race for that matter, should care about the integrity, legacy, and survival of their own race.

If we don’t, who will?