To think that we are in the year 2008 and there are some states who do not have laws that outlaw lynching is a travesty, but much to my dismay, it's true. Not only is it true, but modern day lynchings are popping up every so often. James Byrd to Amadou Diallo to Lavena Johnson to Sean Bell, when is it ever going to end.
Whether it be down in the South where Confederate flags still wave proudly, overseas where we fight to wave our country's flag, or in the biggest metropolis in the United States, lynchings are still happening whether we believe it or not.
James Byrd
Black man walks home from a party in his hometown of Jasper, Texas, and accepts a ride from three drunk white men. Little did he know it would be the last ride of his life. After accepting the ride, Byrd was beaten and chained to the back of the males' pick up truck and dragged for 3 miles. Although it wasn't the traditional lynching that they did back in Jim Crow days, this incident was an obvious example of a modern day lynching.
Amadou Diallo
Unarmed black man is walking home from work and "matches the description" of a serial rapist in the area so the cops go after him. He runs because cops are chasing him, he does what any one would do. He reaches in his pocket for his wallet to ID himself, and the cops open fire. One man, four cops, 41 shots. Diallo was shot at 41 times by 4 cops. Hit 19 times. It only takes one bullet to kill a person, why did the officers need to let off 41 bullets. All this and they had the wrong guy. Amadou Diallo did not even have a rap sheet, he was a sidewalk worker that was working to make money to get into college where he was going to study bio chemistry, but did not get to do this because he was another black man "mistaken" for a criminal. Every firing officer was on trial for second-degree murder; every firing officer was acquitted of the charges. Perfect example of a modern day lynching. The Diallo case is looked at as one of the prime examples of modern day lynchings.
Sean Bell
Black man with 3 Latino friends exit a club, and cops approach them after hearing some choice words. Minutes later shots are fired. After the smoke clears one man is dead, and two more are in critical condition after being shot by NYC's finest. Sean Bell was killed on the early morning of his wedding day, after his bachelor party. Bell was unarmed, but the police officers found it necessary to fire 51 shots at the 3 males. There was 3 police officers firing, an extended clip in a 9 mm handgun only has 16 rounds, you do the math. Not only did the cops empty their clips, but someone had to stop and take the time to reload their gun. A little over excessive don't you think? Another black man killed by the police, the people that are supposed to be protecting our citizens. And guess what...all firing officers acquitted of the charges. No one goes to jail. Sound familiar? Bell case brought up reoccurring memories of Amadou Diallo. Almost the same exact situation. Excessive amounts of shots fired by the police says they were obviously shooting to kill.
Lavena Johnson
And of course, the story of Lavena Johnson. Black women in the military is found dead with scratches, bruises, and burn marks by her vaginal area, and is labeled a suicide. Evidence shows an acid type substance, that would burn away any possible DNA evidence, around her vaginal area, and they still call it a suicide...looks like a rape to me. This is happening in our own armed forces; the same forces that are abroad defending our country can't even put aside whatever inner prejudices they have for a little bit to fight for our freedom. They seem to be battling with a bigger enemy, the enemy of race. As the Johnson family still looks for answers, the military leaves out key details and says she shot herself. She was living a good life, enjoyed being in the military, but committs suicide. The pieces do not fit, and yet the case still gets passed over as just another black body dead. And for what, because some white bigot could not contain his inner racist demons. Again, a modern day lynching, in the form of rape and murder, but this time it wasn't by the cops, it wasn't by a bunch of country boys down South. It was by someone who we put our trust in to defend our country and it's beliefs and values. Wake up people! Racism is prevalent, whether the government believes it or not.
3 comments:
These are some horrible examples of disgusting acts. It is scary to think that racism still exists in today's society. There is definitely a need for actions taken to finally stamp out racism and their hate crimes.
However, I worry that these occurrences may develop into a total mistrust for our military and police forces. These incidences can build dangerous stereotypes about those who aim to protect. As with any group of individuals, there will always be a deplorable few. Although we should not ignore such episodes, we need to always remember the majority who serve for altruistic intentions.
I truly hope for justice for all such victims, and also the offenders receive the punishment they are due. It is atrocious to hear of such criminality being dismissed without accurate penalty. I pray that this is a cycle that will be broken in the near future.
Cam dawg-
This is disgusting. How can people be doing these things but being let off? It is very disheartening to see that the po-po's, who are supposed to protect us, stereotype people of color and go after them with a vengeance and no remorse.
And then for the military to cover up an obvious rape because the woman was black is just wrong. Why would acid be found in the vaginal area that gets rid of any trace of DNA? Does the media and government really think we are that stupid? Jesus..please help us in this world that we are living in..
Before your presentation, I did not know anything about this. I read your blog and, and it really bothers me. I think its kind of weird that the military gets to handle things like this on their own. Since they do, they can more easily try to hide things like this. It makes me wonder how often they have been successful at it.
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