Wednesday, August 13, 2014

What People Care About This Week: Michael Brown Shooting


Shit is shady in Ferguson, Missouri. An 18 year old kid named Michael Brown that was getting set to head to college was shot and killed in the street by an unnamed police office. On one side, meaning the public, they say that Brown held his hands up when confronted by officers and shot down. On the law side they say that he attacked an officer as he attempted to leave his vehicle and was shot and killed. You can probably guess who I believe. New reports say that the cop who shot Brown has been treated for a swollen face. That's better than being shot, killed, and left in the street.

Brown's friend, 22 year old Dorian Johnson, told his account of what happened since the kid killer is still in hiding. Johnson said the police pulled up and said “Get the fuck on the sidewalk. Not but a minute away from our destination, and we would shortly be out of the street. We were so close, almost inches away, that when he tried to open his door aggressively, the door ricocheted both off me and Big Mike's body and closed back on the officer.” He says the cop grabbed Brown by his neck and Brown tried to get free which, cop or not cop, you grab me by my goddamn neck we have problems.

Johnson continues stating the cop said “'I'll shoot you' or 'I'm going to shoot'” and started shooting immediately. Johnson and Brown tried to get away which for anyone saying that you shouldn't run from a cop, welcome to the world of being a Black guy. “I saw the officer proceeding after my friend Big Mike with his gun drawn, and he fired a second shot and that struck my friend Big Mike. And at that time, he turned around with his hands up, beginning to tell the officer that he was unarmed and to tell him to stop shooting. But at that time, the officer firing several more shots into my friend, and he hit the ground and died. We wasn't committing any crime, bringing no harm to nobody, but my friend was murdered in cold blood.”


The family of Brown has hired the same lawyer that represented Trayvon Martin's family, Benjamin Crump wants the St. Louis police to be open and honest. “The police need to be very transparent and forthright in this investigation. The important thing is that this is open and transparent enough that people don't think things are being swept under the rug.” The other lawyer, Anthony D. Gray stated “I believe St. Louis County lost their objectivity. There is video footage that the police confiscated. The police asked one young lady who was a witness for her phone. The police have what we think is raw footage. We're not here to indict all police officers. We have strong suspicions on this one.”

I was talking to my friend the other day and telling her that growing up as a Black guy in Los Angeles that I am used to police just doing things they shouldn't. It doesn't just apply to L.A, it goes all across the country and likely the world. I grew up hating the police and as I get older and see more and more cases and scenarios like Brown's I realize that a Black man's life is not worth all that much. I've written before about Five Things I Learned Being Black and what I said about the police still applies. I still get long stares from police when sitting at the bus stop or walking down the street and a thought always crosses my mind.

“Will they find a reason to shoot me today?”

This is something I should never have to ask as a human being let alone someone who has absolutely no criminal history. When I see police I don't sigh and smile feeling safe that they're patrolling the city. I honestly wait for them to fuck with me. I know for a fact that I'm not the only Black dude that feels this way. The people of Ferguson have been protesting as well as rioting. I'm not one to advocate any rioting, especially since innocent people are being hurt and burning down your own neighborhood solves nothing, but goddamn. People are losing their minds over this. Well, not everyone. More people are worried about Robin Williams killing himself. Not judging. Just sayin'.


There is nothing like the feeling of knowing that not only is society afraid of you because of the color of your skin, but the men and women that are paid to serve and protect the public use you as target practice. Even when these stories fade away from the news, which they always do, where these people live will never be the same. A family had their son murdered in the street while walking with his friend. A city that already had problems with the law is getting worse. At a certain point you get tired of talking, protesting, marching, sit-ins, praying, and just plain old hoping things will get better. Eventually you get get fed up with being treated worse than an animal and the only thing you can do to get attention and what you want is violence.

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