Is it Because They Are Black?
[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”]Make no mistake — it is 2016 and there is a culture under siege, the African American culture. There is civil unrest in the land of plenty, liberty and justice. However, African Americans are not receiving much in the way of plenty, besides death and disillusionment. Liberty and justice are concepts that exist only for the white privileged, wealthy and O.J. Simpson.
Who would’ve imagined in 2016, we would wake up almost every day to reports of questionable shootings at the hands of police officers?
At this point, it’s starting to sound like a broken record:
Verse one: White officers fatally wound African American man, woman or child.
Chorus: Hide ya kids, hide ya wife.
Verse Two: Officers placed on suspension with pay pending investigation.
Chorus: Hide ya kids, hide ya wife.
Verse Three: No charges filed, no grand jury indictments, shooting ruled justifiable homicide.
Chorus: Hide ya kids, hide ya wife.
This year, there have been approximately 200 plus black men fatally shot by police officers in the United States. As this blog is being formulated, it has been reported that yet another black man was fatally shot in Charlotte, North Carolina.
With a landscape such as this, you can imagine political dissent, protesting and outrage are common place in the black community. There are movements afoot, designed to encourage unity, drive awareness, and take action against a system that consciously screams “Black Lives Mean Nothing.” The victims and families of the victims are left with constant reminders that the lives of their loved ones mean nothing as they watch repeats of body camera recordings from the beginning to end, play over and over, on television, social media and every mobile phone.
To add insult to injury, the black community has to listen and read a barrage of outrageous sarcastic comments, memes and statements that basically support the indiscriminate killing of black people. Some of those ridiculous statements are as follows:
“They should’ve complied with the police,” “they shouldn’t have talked back,” “they shouldn’t have been there,” “they had a criminal background” or the greatest insult of all is seeing insensitive and clueless individuals distribute #alllivesmatter hashtags without recognizing that for all lives to matter, Black Lives Have To Matter.
We live in a country where a black person can be murdered on camera, the world can view it, see the injustice, see cold blooded murder, but the judicial system sees justifiable homicide. At the same time, the community has to deal with the chastising/victimization of the victim, their family and their community.
We see a black community dying in a sea of red as a result of the blue community!
They say blue lives matter, but does it have to be at the cost of black lives?
This brings me to the point of today’s blog (oh yea, there is a point, and this is not a random spew about how poorly blacks are treated daily by the police, because you already knew that).
This is about when the tables are turned and the results are still the same. It seems that no matter what side of the gun a black man is on, he is doomed to lose credibility, life and/or his freedom.
In November 2015, Derrick Stafford and Norris Greenhouse, Jr., (both black officers) were involved in the shooting of Christopher Few and Jeremy Mardis. Jeremy Mardis, the six year old son of Christopher Few, unbeknownst to the officers was in the front seat of the vehicle, when his father attempted to run over/back over both officers while trying to elude arrest. As a result, officers opened fire and both parties in the vehicle were struck. Tragically, young Jeremy Mardis was fatally wounded.
It took less than 3 days for the officers to be arrested and a month for the grand jury to indict both officers for second degree murder and attempted second degree murder. Bail was set at 1 million dollars for both Derrick Stafford and Norris Greenhouse, Jr. This was the highest bail setting in the history of Avoyelles Parish. Also, both were suspended without pay.
The Black Community wants to know: Why is it that when black officers are involved in a shooting, there is always suspension without pay and an indictment, especially when the victim is white?
Where is the negativity and public bashing of Christopher Few? Has no one considered his accountability in this situation?
When do Black people get the attention that victims deserve?
When do Black lives have enough value that White officers may be suspended without pay and indicted for fatally shooting unarmed and non-aggressive men, women and children?
Do you see a pattern here?
Is it because they’re Black?
If you have a loved one that has been a victim of a senseless killing or extreme racial discrimination, you better #GetGoins. We understand that #BlackLivesMatter.
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My brother in law was killed in Baton Rouge, La earlier this year as a result of police supposedly fearing their lives because he just as few tried to back his car out of a barracade the police had him in. He was shot multiple times and the officers were put on leave with pay. Just this week the DA made a public statement that the officers would not be charged and that the murder was justifiable. They said played on the fact that my brother in law was mentally ill and he had asked them to kill him. So yes, I do believe it’s the color of your skin that makes a difference in the outcome, no matter what side of the fence you are on.
Very good article with so much truth in it,color does play a part especially in Louisiana,white officers are treated with respect where as blacks,are played in the media as bad men,justice should be for all,get all the facts before you pass judgment. give the cops the chance that the law isn’t, pray that they get a fair chance from the law
Really Chris had his hands in the air pleading with those black officers who were off duty at the time they shot 18 bullets at two people one of them being a 6 yr old strapped into a car seat. The only record he had was a fine for DUI that had been paid a year before. No warrants for him although the officers first said they were trying to serve a warrant now they say they wanted to stop him because he was out of his car talking to his girlfriend at a red light and its self defense well it will show he never run into their car as they claimed was why the fear for their lives. So tell me we have to watch the body cam footage of all the blacks shot by white officers but they are hiding the footage of the black officers firing on a white man and his son. Also let me just say the only ones with long questionable records are the officers who have several pending charges against them. That the DA has been hiding and sitting on for years because his son is one of the questionable officers.
All of the following civil suits are still pending in Avoyelles Parish:
January 3, 2011 — While arresting a woman, Stafford allegedly threw her in the backseat with her hands cuffed and tased her without warning in the left side of her stomach while she was sitting in the backseat.
June 20, 2011 — Stafford arrived as backup to a man who says he was being falsely accused of shooting his neighbor’s dog. While the man was handcuffed and face down on his porch, Stafford tased him, according to a lawsuit filed later. The lawsuit is still pending.
July 4, 2012 — While the Fourth of July parade was in progress, a family with a dog suffering from seizures and a stroke says they tried to get across the parade to make it to a veterinarian’s and was told he could not go cross. The officer allegedly yelled at the wife and the husband ran across the street to make it to the vet. The man later called the sheriff’s office to make a complaint against the officer, and was arrested for disturbing the peace. While he was being arrested, Stafford reportedly arrived and asked to arrest the suspect himself and put his handcuffs on him. The man spent the night in jail and later filed a lawsuit. A jury awarded the man $50,000, but the lawsuit is still pending in appeals.
December 2012 — While breaking up a fight between two girls on an Avoylles Parish school bus, Stafford was working for the City of Marksville and allegedly pulled a 15-year-old girls’ arms behind her back and apparently broke it. The girl’s mother filed suit and it’s still open.
June 18, 2013 — Stafford and Greenhouse were driving a Marksville Police Department cruiser when they ran into an open gate owned by the Avoylles Parish Sheriff’s Department. They sued the department and the case is still open.
July 4, 2013 — Greenhouse and seven other officers, including Stafford, broke up a fight during a Fourth of July Celebration by pepper spraying into the crowd. It was here another officer allegedly arrested and assaulted a 14-year-old boy. A mother who was there with her three children, sued. The case is still pending. At the same event another man says he lost his keys in the confusion of the spray, and was slammed to the ground and assaulted by several officers who also allegedly pepper sprayed him again. The man sued. The suit is still pending.
Agreed!!
Few didn’t try to back into the police car UNTIL the cops started shooting. Before THAT, Few’s hands were up in the air. Make sure you thoroughly research an incident before YOU end up losing credibility.
All if the information that you’ve presented,are cases where the suspects were found guilty,by either judge Piazza, or judge Johnson,,any one that is breaking the law never wants to admit that they were wrong,so of course they are going to lie and emblemish the truth,Chris Few,was being pursued because,he was trying to get Megan to stop,he jumped in his auto ran stop signs,ran red lights,reckless driving,the officers never claed they were serving Few with a warrant,you and the media carried that lie.They were working warrants,Greenhouse,observed all of these actions and tried to pull Few over,he refused,and that’s why they were Pershing him,yes,there is evidence that Few rammed the cop car,the vehicle was being used as a weapon,.It’s not that hard to see,if it wasn’t the D.A. son and the two were liked by important people,you would see the,justification in their favor.They were not out to harm Mr. Few,he put his little boy in harms way,by not obeying the police lights and siren,something we’ve all been taught to do.Ask why he didn’t stop and while he tried to back over Norris Greenhouse?
All this racial stuff is stupid and I get so sick of hearing it. I’m a white 40 year old man and have several friends of all races…if you’re an outlaw then you will suffer the consequences. This is something learned in grade school!! It’s just some dumb lawyer trying to use the race card to get his client off from MURDER!! I hope he rots in jail but not because he’s black, but because he’s a man who took a kids life over some slut. Ridiculous.