Picture this: A 22 year old white male driving a 4 cylinder Soccer Mom van at a traffic light that just turned green begins to drive. Within 20 yards ahead there is a police officer standing with his back toward the street in conversation with another person. He hears this white male pass him and he calls ahead to another police officer down the road saying give that van a ticket for speeding. When asked in court much later, the police officer said “I heard him speeding”. This from a 4 cylinder van that when you put your foot all the way down on the gas pedal couldn’t get 0-60 in maybe 100 yards. This white male was not even going 20 miles per hour when he passed that officer. Yes, perhaps the gas pedal was trying to race to gain speed, but was not speeding. This white male was polite when stopped, and even said “have a nice day officer”. This 22 year old white male was my son. The judge threw out the ticket.
This got me wondering what if we removed my son, the 22 year old white male, and in place we put a 22 year old black male in the same scenario. He may say it was harassment. That he was stopped for being targeted as a black man. His parents may agree, feel anger, feel animosity toward the police as a racist authority entity that would not do this if the young man was white (White privilege).
The truth is, in this scenario, the police officer is a jerk. He is not racist, just a plain ole jerk. While the majority of police officers in our town, and all towns and cities are generally very wonderful people, jerks do get in. This is the same in all jobs. Take your job for instance. I know in my job the majority of all I work with are great people, but there is always that one or two people that are jerks. This theory that I have that much of targeting accusations are not racist, but viewed as racism would be more valid if there was statistics that showed white people get harassed by jerks in the police force too. It is not racism when a white male is pulled over for something stupid, but it is racist if the same thing happens to a black individual, or at least taken as racist.
So when something major happens in the news concerning a police officer and a man who just robbed a store, was high, and charged the police office, never having his hands up saying “Don’t shoot”, is shot and killed? Well, what if Michael Brown was a white man? He would still be dead, but race would have had nothing to do with it.
The job of a police officer is a daily task of protecting the people. A police officer could be on the job for decades, every day protecting the same people that one day may call him racist if in seconds a scenario turns ugly. Charles Barkley said it best when he said “Police officer’s are awesome”, and there are no white police officers setting out to kill black people, that if it weren’t for them these same places they protect would turn into the wild west.
Police brutality exists, yes. Yet, not all police officers are bad. Not half, not even ten percent. Not even one percent. I also agree with black officer King B. Woodard said from his viral video recorded in his police car that looting is a disgrace that doesn’t do black people any good for justice, and that those types that loot perpetuate violence. That their own behavior of using the “N” word endlessly to the point they couldn’t even stop using it, that it is just a part of their daily vocabulary, are evil. That when stopped they challenge instead of being polite. How many situations would be diffused, white or black, if people would just be polite and calm when stopped by police? Do watch his video. He is a great man: http://www.libertynews.com/2014/11/black-police-officer-records-message-to-ferguson-looters-from-inside-patrol-car-video-instantly-goes-viral-video/?utm_content=buffer4da94&utm_medium=social&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Chris Rock made a video just about this many years ago (Circa 2007). It was very funny when it was made, but now seems very profound. Oh yes, many things in this video are not realistic, but there for humor, but there is an underlining truth to some of it. Simply be polite when stopped, and don’t do a crime, etc. Available to see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0mtxXEGE8 (Language not suitable for children).
Then there are the race baiters, such as Al Sharpton. This man would be out of business if there was no racism. He stokes the fire to rile people up. Divides communities, and of course makes money somehow doing this (make it, but doesn’t pay taxes, which is another story). He creates hate speech which ironically is what Democrats want a law about (Just a law for hate speech that doesn’t agree with a Democrats viewpoint). It is not enough for Al Sharpton to view facts and go away when his position is negated. He, in his own words, says to the prosecutor in a pulpit speech in church : Don’t cut your gloves off yet Mr. Prosecutor, the fight is not over. You may have won the round, but a fight is not decided by one round”.
To people like Al Sharpton and the witnesses that support Michael Brown, while they are disproved, the looters, and the people that murdered the man with hammers, they feel they are brushed aside in favor of those who agree with the police officer’s version. “Those witnesses are lying!” they say. The person that said Michael Brown had his hands up and said “Don’t shoot” was the same person that helped Michael Brown rob the store! He also said Michael was shot in the back! Which of course the autopsy said otherwise. Yet, these witnesses are held up on a pedestal for the irrational side of the black community, and the black witnesses that tell the truth are shunned.
Sadly, there are more black people killed in Chicago by other black people than all the soldiers that have been killed in Afghanistan. Yet, the Al Sharpton crowd that loots, and kills for justice get riled up when a white police officer kills a black person when it was not done out of racism. There are over 316 million people in America. How many truly racial police shootings have there been? Yet, thousands and thousands of black on black murders.
A black office in Salt Lake City shoots and kills a young white male in front of a 7-Eleven and no white person loots, or kills for justice. Yet, a man was beaten to death by hammers, a woman taken from her car beaten to a pulp, all in the name of justice for Michael brown.
Farrakhan the self proclaimed leader of the Nation of Islam said “violence was justified” in response to the decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson and peaceful protests are only in the interest of “white folks.” As well as stating “We going to die anyway. Let’s die for something.” The crowd at a Maryland university cheered him. Is this not hate speech?
On a side note, I feel the President wants our country divided. Eric Holder as well. The President has taken a position that sides with the Michael Brown crowd. Not once has he said that he was a thug, or supported the Grand Jury’s decision. Yet, he talks about America as being deep rooted in racism. There will be no beer summit on this one.
How can there be peace between any races if any people pick and choose their versions of truths against what facts truly come out? I do not care if Michael Brown was black, white, purple, green or Periwinkle, I stand by the Grand Jury and the black witnesses that had no financial gain, or ulterior motive to tell the truth. I stand by being polite to officers, recognizing there amazing work and duty protecting people, all people, daily, yearly. When the Al Sharpton crowd does the same, perhaps then Al Sharpton will fade away along with pointing at racism were it doesn’t exist, and focusing on racism where it does.
God Bless all people Black and White (and Asian, Hispanics)