OSCAR GRANT: WE HAD BETTER STRENGTHEN OURSELVES!!!
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Posted By: g smallwood on July 09, 2010 Do police departments view the fractured and internal hatred of ourselves as license to do anything; to just ****, shoot and **** our young men? I knew Oscar Grant's killing would be important and so are so many others that I wrote about in the book. BLACK MEN STOP! excerpt: THE OUTSIDE "I woke up New Years Eve 2008, clicked on the news only to hear another report of a Houston area policeman's **** of a young black man. 23 year old Robbie Tolan, son of ex Cincinnati Reds player, Bobby Tolan On the same night, New Orleans police shot 22 year old Adolph Grimes 14 times, 12 times in the back. Nine undercover plainclothes narc police officers approached him in his car parked a half block from his grandmothers front door, It was just a few hours later, on New Year's Day, in Oakland, California, that three Bay Area Rapid Transit Police held an unarmed 22 year old black male suspect, Oscar Grant, face down on the ground while one of them shot, and **** him. We all saw that video and its great evidence for most reasonable people, but I have no confidence in any internal investigation. I am certain the police will claim that Grant had a third arm coming out of his back trying to shoot at them....or something just as utterly ridiculous. Everyone all over the world remembers one of the first video demonstrations of this kind of police work. It was of the Rodney King beating by Los Angeles Police on March 3, 1991. The video was graphic and captured the obvious beating of King by Los Angeles Policemen. It was video taped by a private citizen. That video display, however, did not provide enough evidence against these guys. We all know the result. These policemen were exonerated. There were riots which erupted in Los Angeles the day that the four white police officers, who beat King, were found not guilty. Again **** protest as a result of the obvious appearance of unfairness. Police have continued their **** and videos demonstrate it. The list is long, and the pain and suffering of families immense. But, just being black and in a public place puts us at risk for getting harassed, injured or **** by police. You do not have to be a criminal, have a criminal record, sell or use ****, be a member of a gang, or carry a gun. Most of us do not commit crimes. Just being black, especially young and a male, makes you a target. I was writing at my desk, about 3:00 in the morning, when I got a frantic call from my 20 year old son, who at the time was a third year student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, the Alma mater of greats like, civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, social activist, Julian Bond, actor, Samuel L. Jackson, film director and producer, Spike Lee and attorney, Jeh Charles Johnson, named by President Obama to be General Counsel for the United States Defense Department. In a phone call that a parent always fears getting, especially parents of black children, he frantically told me, “Mama, I didn't do anything, but the police put me in the back of their police car while they searched my truck!” I was **** from the fear. It was turning into anger. I hurried and got into my vehicle and drove as fast as I could to the scene. On the way, as my tears fell, I tried to tell myself to remain rational and calm. Even though it was less than 3 miles away, every block was excruciating...." We have got to be able to trust each other, because we are still under **** by the pressure of racism in our country. This evil continues to bear down on us, daily. While most Americans would like to believe, or pretend, it is a paragraph in the history books, it is still a painful reality in this 21st century, despite this country's decision to elect a black man for president, and the media's use of “post racial era” to describe this historic event. We've got work to do to organize our families and our communities. It may be 2010, but we have become weakened, much of the time, by our own doing. From Dr. King to President Obama we have continued to chip away at the social and moral relevance gained by the giants of the past, killing our lives with guns and ****, the prison cells; emotionally by hurting the hearts of the children left to fend for themselves; the large numbers of our children dodging **** daily, in failing schools, left with unprepared mothers without the discipline and protection of their fathers. All of this weakens us!! We will continue to be marginalized and ignored by other citizens, the government, the criminal justice system and by police on the ground, because they just think we don't care about us! They board up their walls so they don't have to see or hear those temporary efforts of a struggle; wait until we take that fury back to our own corners and use it against each other. You are either the source of the damage or the solution for recovery. Gail Smallwood, author BLACK MEN STOP! http://facebook.com/blackmenstop http://twitter.com/blackmenstop http://blackmenstop.ning.com PROLOGUE:(COPY LINK) http://api.ning.com/files/0H2pLz10bnFiexqd... If you enjoyed this article, Join BlackInAmerica.com today for similar content and opportunities via email! |

Comments
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NUFF SAID SISTER!!!
Friday, July 9th 2010 at 1:48PM |
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@Irma, I had interest in Oscar Grants case, from the beginning. I shared some of that in the excerpt from my book, that I provided in this blog above. Did you read it? I followed this case, as I have many others. A background as a news journalist, this is just my nature. I have done a lot of writing on this The riot was just the result of the frustration with many of us of not getting justice and how futile and weak we are when it comes to our reactions to pain from anyone else outside of us. AND about Oscar's parents, I did post another blog on that reaction. It was heartbreaking!!! Go to http://facebook.com/blackmenstop to see. I do a whole lot of work there, too. I hope your "brick wall" comment was not addressing me. But if it was, I'm sorry you feel that way or that there is any reason that I have provided for you to feel this way. My interest in what our community faces did not just start with this blog or any recent one. It has been a life long love and caring. And to pen a non fiction book about it took a lot of research, writing, time, effort, and frankly guts. I really ran a few years because I did not want to take on this. Time is up for violins of soft encouragement. For more than 40 years we have heard those, playing softly in the background. Even the loud beats and raps of greats like, Tupac and Jay Z, about our problems have not been heard. This book is a God purposed "mega phone" meant to have us face the walking back that we will have to do to clean up the mess...or else we perish. That, my good friend, is what the enemies are waiting for us to do.
Friday, July 9th 2010 at 5:22PM |
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@Helen Yes! I was livid! The whole experience changed forever how I see police. @Cynthia What fascinating work! Yes I had to do research for the book and have, while a TV news journalist, interviewed one of the most notorius serial murderers ever...Henry Lee Lucas. I discovered that hurting people hurt people. Overwhelmingly, that hurt begins with what parents did or did not do to demonstrate love----not poverty or denial of the keyes to the car at age 16. This is so crucial and yet we miss this in our culture. I believe we have come to believe it is too simple. In our culture far too many of our children have father abandonment issues (70%, compared to 27% whites; 38% Hospanics), are left with homes unsupervised adequately, some mothers have to work odd hours 2 jobs etc., no one stressing or helping with school work or activities. It makes for a community full with plenty of invitation for mischief which develops into a life of destruction as adults.....and then the cycle is repeated. Black men AND the women they are involved with need to consider the consequences to children before they have s*x. After a baby is created...game over! The child's emotional and physical wellbeing must come first. Parents have to cooperate to make that happen. I believe there should be a penalty when they don't. I'm sorry I'm so longwinded:). If you get a chance go to my main website and view the Prologue. It sets the basis for my thesis. In elementary education now, I see the pain in our kids (OUR KIDS) daily. Let me know your thoughts. http://blackmenstop.ning.com. Love&Peace Friday, July 9th 2010 at 8:07PM |
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Hey Sista G... send that link again... if you will please send it to my email..... cemeartis@gmail.com Im going to check you out on Amazon! Friday, July 9th 2010 at 8:36PM |
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@Cynthia ok I'll send to your email. The book is also at borders.com and barnesandnoble.com. God bless you for the serious attention you are giving this issue.
Friday, July 9th 2010 at 8:55PM |
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The Dept. of Justice news: http://newsone.com/nation/associatedpress3... Saturday, July 10th 2010 at 8:44AM |
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