Three incidents in the past month have focused attention, once again, on the Black Lives Matter issue here in the United States.
A black man, taking his regular morning jog through his neighborhood in Georgia, was stalked by two (and, possibly three) white men who blocked his path with their vehicle (s), assaulted the jogger, and then shot him three times with a shotgun and left him dead in the street. Police originally released the perpetrators because they claimed that they were conducting a “citizen’s arrest”, the alleged wrongdoer resisted arrest, and one of the perps was a former law enforcement officer. However, when the video of the incident was publicly released, the hue-and-cry from outraged citizens prompted the city to arrest the perpetrators, a father and son. The man in a trailing car, who shot the video, was also arrested, as it appears that the three individuals were working in concert.
Evidently, JWB (Jogging While Black) is now a capital crime in Georgia.
A few days ago, a black man was apprehended by police on the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota for suspected forgery. He was placed in handcuffs, behind his back. Video of the event shows the police leading him down the sidewalk, in cuffs, and everything seems normal. Then, the video shows the black man, still in cuffs, on his stomach, a policeman on top of him with his knee on the black man’s neck, restraining him. The black man repeatedly cries out that he can’t breathe while the policeman continues to apply pressure on the man’s neck. A crowd forms and they plead with the policeman to allow the black man to breathe. This goes on for at least five minutes when, finally, the black man loses consciousness. He is taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Apparently, in Minnesota, suspected forgery is a capital crime…if you’re Black.
Today, the Mayor of Minneapolis announced that the four police officers involved in the incident have been fired. That, of course, doesn’t bring the Black man back to life. Nor will the millions of dollars that the City of Minneapolis will have to pay the family of the deceased. Nor will the conviction of murder on the White officer who felt enabled to do something like this in broad daylight.
Also, yesterday in Central Park, New York City, a White woman who was playing with her dog off-leash in a portion of Central Park where such activity is prohibited (it’s a bird sanctuary) was asked by a Black man to leash her dog. She blew him off. The man, a birdwatcher who frequents the area, began videotaping her with his cell phone, again asking her to leash the dog. The woman then told the man to turn off his camera, he kept filming, and she threatened to call the cops on him. He said, “Please do so”. She then called 9-1-1 and claimed that a Black man was “threatening her life”.
The incident went viral, the lady apologized to the Black man, and she was fired from her management position at a major Wall Street brokerage. Duh.
I am sure African Americans all over this Nation witness or experience incidents like this regularly; it is why the Black Lives Matter movement exists. As an American, I am ashamed when I see stuff like this on the evening news. It makes me want to vomit.
Not one peep.
That has been President Trump’s response to these three horrific incidents in recent weeks. No expression of outrage, exasperation, sorrow, regret, or determination to see justice done. Not even a lame “Thoughts and Prayers” message for the victims’ families. No statement that “Racism is not acceptable” or the like. Nothing. Just absolute silence about the monstrous behavior of several White idiots.
The President was active on Twitter, however. While the public was absorbing the horror of the racist terrorism, Mr. Trump chose to (a) accuse an MSN reporter whom he dislikes of murder, (b) continue the “Obamagate” farce, (c) double-down on the Hydroxychloroquine hoax that he is perpetrating, (d) make fun of Joe Biden for wearing a mask outdoors at a Memorial Day ceremony, (e) claim that absentee/vote-by-mail will result in massive fraud, and (f) threaten to shut down Twitter because it censored some of the obvious lies that he was introducing via his Twitter account.
(Interestingly, re: item (e) above, the President votes by mail, as does his Press Secretary and every military serviceman stationed overseas. If there’s fraud, then all of them are part of it!)
Normally, a politician in an election year would break his butt to publicly pander to grieving Americans. But, of course, Donald Trump is not normal. And the very people who perpetrate or condone white on black racism just happen to be members of President Trump’s political base of support. They don’t consider Black people to be real Americans, subject to the same treatment by law enforcement that they enjoy.
When was the last time a White guy died in a police chokehold? Or was gunned down by Black vigilantes in his own neighborhood?
Why did the White woman who was being videotaped in Central Park mention the man’s race and allege that he was threatening her with bodily harm? Could it be that she expected a very aggressive response from the police on her behalf?
This kind of behavior is still happening in our country 150 years after the Civil War. When are people going to grow up and respect each other?
C’mon, Man!