HANDS UP…Don’t Shoot
In Memory and Justice for
Michael “Mike” Brown, Trayvon Martin, Ezell Ford, Wendell Allen and countless others gunned down by law enforcement
HANDS UP! Don’t Shoot…
Since slavery it’s been some kind of plague or what I like to call a “fear” over the black family…the black man…the black community. Husbands, fathers, sons, uncles, grandfathers striped away from their families causing division…forcing the backbone of black families, ultimately black communities to be broken. Broken is certainly the status of this country. Broken are the families dealing with mammoth loss trying to understand why their children are being gunned down like game in the wild.
It’s all one big domino effect. According to statistical data, broken homes lead to high rates of lower income families, shortage of education, increased welfare, very little to no medical care, high criminal backgrounds and so on and so forth. Now you may disagree, and I certainly believe that there are many other factors that play a role; however you must see the correlation. You have to open your eyes to what’s happening. Complete destruction.
And no, I’m not angry because this is a heated moment, I’m angry because this is a continuous moment of hatred. Violence from those who vowed to serve and protect us…”us” including our black children – this should never be. This is not the sixties. This is not the Civil Rights era, but should it be? As a black woman living in this new age society, I am heartbroken. For all that my culture…my family have endured for decades…hell centuries, I am outraged! We fight wars for the freedom of people in lands many of us won’t ever see, but right here in our front yards we’re fighting government- crying out for the freedom we were born with. I’m confused.
Am I to be afraid of my brothers engaging in freedom acts like walking in the street in broad day light…or any light? Does it even matter? Am I to be afraid that if my friend complies to law enforcement that he might get shot anyway? What kind of freedom is that? Where’s the justice?!
Why am I so angry? Let’s talk about the Mike Brown case. Here’s a clip from an interview with the Brown family attorney, Benjamin Crump on the Steve Harvey Show.
So listening to this interview how does this make you feel? Rioting and violence has escalated to near war zone description in Ferguson, MO since the shooting of Mike Brown. To fight back law enforcement is thick and armored. Curfews heavily enforced and just in the night, reports as well as social media rang with videos and discussions of rubber bullets and tear gas being used on protestors. At least two reporters, one of Huffington Post, was falsely arrested for not removing from a McDonald’s in Ferguson.
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“Police asked protestors to rally only during the daylight” – The Last Word. All of this coming from the law enforcers, but nothing from the law makers.
“We have to shift our attention to those who create the law…we need for them to step up and take control of the situation…” – Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
“Some [civilians] have t-shirts wrapped around their faces. They’re are still people jogging away,” stated Trymaine Lee, MSNBC.COM reporter who was tear gassed.
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These are just a few of the conversations happening even in our slumber following the slaying of young Mike Brown. My heart truly goes out to the Brown family. Mike, from what people of the community, family and friends stated that he was a good kid. He definitely had a bright future ahead of him preparing to start college just this week, but here we are.
I think it’s okay to be angry. This is a cultural problem. An issue with policing and training. A breakdown in government. A deafening of our communities. We must do something to fight back peacefully. Definitely not this whole bit of military action happening in a community. Horrible videos of traumatizing footage of unnecessary action against protestors and even media is simply unacceptable and quite frankly making it worse. Police being shut mouth about the situation, but toting their big guns just makes the situation much more frightening.
This is heartbreaking! Watch and listen as witness shares detailed accounts of the murder of Mike Brown… | CNN
Speechless…
Nevertheless there is more discussion. Even in this next clip, however I believe a lot of frustration is on the fact that there are indeed thousands of discussion and no action…
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As the result of this tragedy, not excluding the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Ezell Ford and Wendell Allen and many others, people all over the country are using social media to discuss and many of these discussions includes silence like this photo taken of Howard University students taking a stand…literally. Without a single word, this photo is chilling and powerful, yet screaming a million words.
It breaks my heart that this is something that we’re still struggling with in 2014. It hurts that so many of our children are being denied the right to live…the freedom in which they were born into. We have to save our children. We have to hold elected officials accountable. We have to stand up for justice. We have to pull together. We shouldn’t have to beg those “trained” to protect and serve us to not shoot us… – LSherie
#JusticeForMikeBrown
#MikeBrown
#Ferguson
#PleaseDontShoot
#Peace
#TheLSherieAlert
