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| My Eldest Queen Asiyah and her College Classmate |
America, The Beautiful?
It's been 10 days since the police murders of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, the hanging of Michael George Smith Jr. and the deaths of 5 Dallas police officers. I wanted to take some time to work through my emotions and gather my thoughts before I shared them with all of you here. Let me start by saying that in times like this especially, our greatest resource and sense of clarity is in our youth. As Five Percenters we view them as the understanding and symbolic to a star: dispelling the darkness with the light of truth that's often light years from where many of us presently stand. I'm currently facilitating my STYA Summer Enrichment Program for 5 weeks and even though we've discussed these incidents they've helped me work through my emotions and make sense out of what I've been seeing. If you find yourself in a similar place I would encourage you to invest some quality time with our youth as well. Black people make up about 12% of the U.S. population while White People make up 63% of the U.S. population. With that mind, here are some statistics I want to bring to your attention:
- Black people make up about 60% of the prison population.
- 1 out of 3 black men will go to jail in their lifetime.
- 70% of school related arrests or referrals to law enforcement are people of color.
- From 1980-2007, 1 out of 3 25 million adults arrested for drugs were black.
- Based upon population, of the 752 police deaths in 2015 blacks are 2 1/2 times more likely to be shot by police.
Statistically there are many other racial disparities in regards to income, education, health, legislation and etc. These and other inequalities highlight the unstable quicksand like socioeconomic landscape that not just black people but all people in this country live upon. It's important to articulate that because some people are under the impression that whatever happens to 12% of the U.S. population has nothing to do with them, as if these lives don't matter. As I always say to people who brush things off that are happening on the other side of the world, the other side of their country, the other side of their state/province and the other side of town: be mindful because that can eventually be in your backyard.
Of those disparities, one of the greatest concerns black people have historically had within America is with its law enforcement. Several months ago on December 18th and 21st of 2015 I had an opportunity to do a workshop with young men at Gaskill Middle School about the history of law enforcement in this country. The first and most important thing to understand about law enforcement is that it was never created to protect and serve black people or any people of color. In fact, law enforcement was created to maintain order, enforce law and protect the property of those who established it. Back when millions of black people were brought to America via the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, white enslavers organized the first slave patrols to maintain order, enforce law and protect their plantations. These Slave Patrols in the South and Night Watchmen in the North evolved into police forces by the 1800s. The city of Boston is credited with organizing the first formal police force in 1830; a generation before slavery legally ended and slavery by another name began as a prison industrial complex via a ratified 13th Amendment. Again, these slave patrols, night watchmen and police forces were created to maintain the social order, enforce the laws and protect the property of the ruling class, which were not black and other people of color. The only difference in this power dynamic today is the militarization of these police forces across America. If there is any truth to the law enforcement adage "Protect & Serve", it clearly has not historically applied to black people. This is the reason many people have and are advocating fundamental reforms in law enforcement and the criminal justice system; it was never created by or for the benefit of black people or any people of color in the first place. Since America's 1776 inception, its Founding Fathers formed a republic governed with politicians who forged policies that were protected by slave patrols and eventually the police. This begs the question that many of us continue to ask: How can we expect to get justice from an unjust system?
Systemically, some things have not and will not change. Other things can be changed. Sometimes the system itself needs to be revamped. Depending upon the demographics and socioeconomic landscape of one's region and local city, systemic changes and the degree of resistance will vary. Some people may not consider that. In my city our local police force were one of the first in the country to invest in body cameras, without a bunch of prompting or protesting from the community. While there are many national similarities across the board in regards to racial disparities, police violence and inequalities, we must also take into account the regional and local similarities and differences. There is no silver bullet or one size fits all approach to address these issues and the sooner we understand that the better equipped we are to help resolve these issues. I recently saw a BLM Chapter in Minnesota calling for the disbandment of their local police force. That may be an effective approach where they live, not where you live.
In closing a want to offer seven points to consider wherever we may be in the U.S. or in other countries experiencing some of the same racial disparities, police violence and inequalities.
1. Environmentally there are no boundaries for consciousness; this is why so much is invested in media that socially engineers narratives that distracts, deceives, confuses and emotionally destabilizes the people. The largest investment in any country is not its military it's their media. The media is the conduit of its cultural ideas and icons; their greatest export that their military ultimately protects. I've said this numerous times and I will continue to say it: we must use our platform to CONSISTENTLY control the narrative and amplify our voice. Facebook Live and Periscope have been a great resource people are now using to inspire, empower and educate others. However, lets put more than put our two cents in and be a CONSISTENT voice of clarity. What we have to say is worth more than that, don't you think?
2. Some people often talk about good cops taking a stand against bad cops and their need to crack the blue code of silence yet don't offer suggestions how. With any people who are expected to take a stand against injustices, especially when they're in the minority, we must consider their need for a safe-space to do so. In this case a safe-space is a place an officer can fully express themselves without fear of retaliation against them and/or their family or them being made to feel uncomfortable, unwanted or bullied on account of standing against police corruption. If we expect our officers to have integrity like Frank Serpico then we also need to have their back because some of their partners, an entire precinct and possibly IA (Internal Affairs) may not.
3. Be a constituent, not a voter. The power in the political process is not in itself voting it's in constituency. The difference is one votes with a voice, the other votes with money where their mouth is. On a regional and local level get to know who our officials are and their jurisdictions. Then find out who their constituency is; those who are financially backing them. Then we will see the basis of their policies and expose their political agendas. Even more so we can start identifying or organizing lobbyist groups who are aligned with our agendas and engage these regional and local law makers about what matters to our group, with money, not just our mouth. There's strength in numbers and the numbers in our pocket.
4. Prayer changes things.., when you do something about those "things" after you're done praying. Ever since George W. Bush founded the Faith Based Community Initiative in 2001, churches and other religious organizations have been getting millions of federally funded social service dollars from the U.S. government. One of the reasons you see many of these institutions less likely to get involved with social justice issues, and if they do they're supportive of the status quo, is because they don't want to bite the hand that's feeding and breeding them. Knowing this, as a congregant you need to hold your leader's feet to the fire and demand that some of your financial support go towards projects, programs, initiatives and collaborations that directly address the racial disparities in your city. If they're unwilling to do anything or their solution is to just pray for your city, you know what time it is.
5. It's a fact we have feelings yet our feelings aren't always a fact. As a matter of fact, our feelings can heal or hurt, build or destroy. We can only make that determination from a conscious place. I know it's challenging, and it may take everything in us to share or not some things, yet we must put thought into what we choose to share. Don't just be angry, articulate that anger. Although I'm sure many of the things I've seen on social media and hear in conversations are well intended. Our children just don't need to pay for our well meaning mistakes.
6. Allies will align themselves with you, don't go begging for them. Keep in mind that white allies must give up a lot in order to systematically fight against racial disparities, police violence and inequalities, not just protest about these issues. Most aren't built like that. How do I know? Because if the majority of the 63% of their U.S. population were built like that we wouldn't be having this discussion right now. The same white allies were outnumbered during slavery and segregation, that's why the status quo remained the same, that they still got privileges from. They were always grossly outnumbered and some really weren't who they say they were. Also, trying to appeal to a moral conscience of white people, and other people of color, who are not convinced that black lives matter is an exercise in futility. Slaves didn't get free by putting forth some bullet proof argument to convince their masters it was wrong or by making them feel ashamed about their actions. Regardless, we have to be committed enough to do things on our own to protect and support one another.
7. The historical and present day racial disparities, police violence and inequalities against black people in the U.S. and in other colonialist countries don't have any thing to do with race, they have everything to do with race.
Peace,
Saladin
