Tuesday, November 25, 2014
I had a few conversations today about the Ferguson protests and the 150 other protests in cities across America. Here in Oakland, protesters marched down Telegraph Avenue and broke windows, vandalized businesses, walked onto I-980 and stopped freeway traffic. It seems we've taken several steps back in addressing the unresolved issues of race, justice, fairness and equal opportunity in this country. The statistics speak for themselves regarding how dangerous it is to be a black man in the U.S. (49% of African American males have been arrested before their 23rd birthday; homicide is the leading cause of death for African American males ages 15-24). Destroying buildings and burning cars doesn't help anyone, but I guess it does draw attention to how serious and intolerable the issue has become. This isn't a black problem. It's an American problem. White people need to realize this, break free from their denial and address the shocking disparity we have between the haves and have nots, between the white life experience and the black life experience, between the secure middle class and the vulnerable poor. The other day, I heard a military expert on some news channel state that had we never invaded Iraq or Afghanistan, we'd probably be much more safe and much better off today than where we currently are. Imagine what we could have done with all those trillions of military dollars going toward educating our citizens, rebuilding our infrastructure and redirecting those from poverty and mental strife to proper healthcare, jobs and teachable skills that keep youth out of trouble, and programs that build up instead of tear down. Unfortunately, we live with the choices we've made. To me, last night's protests and rioting are less about the death of a young black man who may have made some very poor decisions when being confronted by a police officer, and more about the horrendous decision making our country has engaged in since 2001. The denial we can't seem to break free from has brought us to this place. Rather than confront reality head on, we distract ourselves with spectacle and the illusion that we're exceptional. If we're really such an exceptional nation, I sure wish we'd start acting like it and start addressing the incredible unfairness and double standards that exist in the country. The rule of law works perfectly fine for someone like me, but if I were black, I'd probably be in prison, or dead, or more likely, living in another country.
I had a few conversations today about the Ferguson protests and the 150 other protests in cities across America. Here in Oakland, protesters marched down Telegraph Avenue and broke windows, vandalized businesses, walked onto I-980 and stopped freeway traffic. It seems we've taken several steps back in addressing the unresolved issues of race, justice, fairness and equal opportunity in this country. The statistics speak for themselves regarding how dangerous it is to be a black man in the U.S. (49% of African American males have been arrested before their 23rd birthday; homicide is the leading cause of death for African American males ages 15-24). Destroying buildings and burning cars doesn't help anyone, but I guess it does draw attention to how serious and intolerable the issue has become. This isn't a black problem. It's an American problem. White people need to realize this, break free from their denial and address the shocking disparity we have between the haves and have nots, between the white life experience and the black life experience, between the secure middle class and the vulnerable poor. The other day, I heard a military expert on some news channel state that had we never invaded Iraq or Afghanistan, we'd probably be much more safe and much better off today than where we currently are. Imagine what we could have done with all those trillions of military dollars going toward educating our citizens, rebuilding our infrastructure and redirecting those from poverty and mental strife to proper healthcare, jobs and teachable skills that keep youth out of trouble, and programs that build up instead of tear down. Unfortunately, we live with the choices we've made. To me, last night's protests and rioting are less about the death of a young black man who may have made some very poor decisions when being confronted by a police officer, and more about the horrendous decision making our country has engaged in since 2001. The denial we can't seem to break free from has brought us to this place. Rather than confront reality head on, we distract ourselves with spectacle and the illusion that we're exceptional. If we're really such an exceptional nation, I sure wish we'd start acting like it and start addressing the incredible unfairness and double standards that exist in the country. The rule of law works perfectly fine for someone like me, but if I were black, I'd probably be in prison, or dead, or more likely, living in another country.
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