Violence: Riots, Crime, and Police
Violence: Riots, Crime, and Police
Cases of potential use of force issues with police are being reported extensively at the moment. Most recently the riots in Baltimore have been the source of media focus.
The six officers involved in arresting Freddie Gray have been arrested and charged with crimes ranging from misconduct to murder.
As we continue to manufacture a case of racism in the death of every black male to hit the news, we propagate the myth that black lives don’t matter to a younger generation, we provide them with excuses for failure, a scapegoat for their frustration, and perpetuate a cycle of long term dependence. Further, we reinforce a manufactured mistrust of the government. The incarceration rate of black men in America is astonishingly high, but blaming racism takes the personal accountability out of the equation.
A young black man has no ability to control whether or not I am a racist, but he absolutely has control of his behavior. We cannot continue to blame a lack of opportunity, racism, or lack of education for criminal behavior. We need to focus on the behavior of both the suspects and the police in these events.
I read a recent article in which the writer was critical of the president for use of the term “thug” in his description of events in Baltimore. She claimed that thug was “the new N word”. I am not sure where the writer has received her definition but thug is quite consistently defined as follows:
“Thug: a cruel or vicious ruffian, robber, or murderer.”
I would say there is stark contrast between the definition of a violent criminal and a derogatory term for blacks. Further, I am not sure what term would apply more aptly then ‘thug’ to the looters, rioters and arsonists in Baltimore. I for one find it a pretty accurate description of some of the individuals involved in the “protests” of the treatment of Freddie Gray. In this case, I felt the presidents’ statements regarding the rioters were reasonable considering the circumstances, and thug an apt description of the participants.
Even a sitting black president who has largely spearheaded the effort to make every black
arrest a racial issue is now failing to support the cause because he identified misbehavior on the part of some of the protesters; this has truly entered the realm of delusion. The consistent focus on race vice behavior is becoming a dangerous and counter-productive undercurrent in our society.
The article then went on to defend Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin and lump them in the same category as Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, and Walter Scott. The one thing these men had in common was that they are dead and black. Aside from that, there is nearly nothing uniform in theses cases — and yet the race factor is adequate to cause the media and much of America to ignore nearly all other factors.
Trayvon Martin was looking in peoples windows in a neighborhood in which he did not live or have any reason to be, and assaulted a man who confronted him about it. According to the story the jury believed he started slamming his head into the concrete. Thug seems an appropriate description of Trayvon Martin. The number of times I have looked in peoples houses while wandering through neighborhoods I do not live in — Zero. Additionally, the Martin case has nothing to do with police.
Michael Brown was shot for attacking a police officer after failing to follow commands after assaulting the very same officer. The day prior he had robbed a grocery store and assaulted the store clerk on video. Thug again seems a very appropriate description. The number of times I have beaten a grocery store clerk, stolen from a grocery store, failed to follow police commands, and assaulted a police officer — Zero. Continue Reading >>
Originally published at aegisacademy.com on May 4, 2015.
