Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Before I sleep...

Look at the photo on your left.

Please describe, in 50 words or less,
why the blood of black people would boil upon seeing such a scene.
You have 10 minutes to ponder.




Many black people have a lifetime to ponder such things.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I grew up in a nice area, not quite a mile away from the public housing (projects) in NF, NY.

It would have been worlds apart if we didn't all go to the same school, if Dolphene, Natanya, Dianne, Darlene and Juanitta weren't my best friends.

We slept over each others houses, played together, and had all the same classes.

Oh, the pic: Because the cops don't treat white people that way. Sometimes they have a good reason and they still don't.
Think about what a slap in the face the Cops vid of the white guy who swore up a storm and ripped up the ticket while the cop stayed perfectly calm was. Shame!

Elderta said...

Thanks, I really do appreciate all of your comments. I think that sometimes white people do get beaten up by the cops. We do hear a lot about police brutality as well as the way police do their jobs heartfully and graciously. Not all cops are bad, not all cops are good. Everyone has their foibles.

What happened in New Orleans was horrible. But what I really find wonderful is the way the man that was beaten has gracefully come forward and spoken about his ordeal. I am also encouraged that several other people came forward to try and help and offer their stories in support of the man. Some of them were arrested for their courage.

Maybe the NOLAPD were overheated, I can understand what they have been going through in the last few months. But what we saw is also a microcosm of what happens everyday, without the benefit of a camera to give witness.

It might be time to break the habits of our law enforcement officers who may believe they are above the law themselves. And it's certainly time to put down the idea of blacks as being "others" in American society. We've been here a long time and aren't going anywhere! Blacks ourselves need to stop thinking that we are others in this society as well. That's hard to do when it's a seemingly uphill battle to maintain your identify and be a part of a whole as well.

Anyway, random thoughts. Hope they didn't come out too convoluted!

Anonymous said...

It's a multi-layerd problem, with the number of layers depending on each cop as an individual.

One recognized problem is the adrenaline that every cop has to deal with when confronting suspects, let alone when there's been a chase.

I have cousins who are cops (mostly good) and one has tried pushing getting experts in to help the rookies and seasoned vets deal with the problem.

The brass is mostly uninterested. They say they can't afford it, but how can they afford not to?

(I was happy to see the follow-up!

NOI_

Anonymous said...

Hey, NOI,

I also have cousins who are cops (and black!), so it's hard for me to say it's all of the police. There is something wrong, however, and it's certainly a mulit-layered problem.

Thanks for coming back!

Elderta