So many developments are in the world now. The tragedies of Michael Brown has stirred up the conscience of a nation. ISIS has killed many people and its origin has its nefarious beginnings from al-Qaeda including Western imperialism (Western intelligence has funded terrorist groups for a while). There is the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Many extremists want Russia to be militarily attacked and other extremists want Ukraine to be a puppet state of the West/NATO. We see Western bombings of Syria, which violates international law. We see more bombings in Iraq as well. Therefore, we know that the world is very dangerous. Yet, I still have hope, because there is no functional solution to our problems excluding hope. We need more than hope, but we need action as well. Throughout the ages of the time, folks of goodwill (among all of the colors of humanity) have stood up against oppression to see a brighter tomorrow. We ought to do same now. We should struggle together, pray together, and seek justice together as one community and as one family. Yes, as the Afro-British singer Gabrielle has said, Dreams can come true. That's right. We should have dreams.
The reality is that a honest discussion about race must exist if we want to be free. There is bigotry and discrimination in the world. These things can’t be eliminated by blaming black people for everything under the sun or believing post-racial fantasies. There must be laws changed, structures changed, and other revolutionary solutions. The younger generation has every right to establish independent institutions to address real issues and fight for justice. Now, the movement for real social change must be comprehensive. We live in an interconnected world. So, we should have a deep love of anti-imperialism and we should always care for our Brothers and our Sisters in the States including globally too. We have to declare political independence, because we know how the one-percent readily funds the two party system. As for voting, people should have their voting rights protected, because reactionaries for decades have used means to restrict the voting rights of human beings. Jim Crow Esq. is more sophisticated than De Jure segregation, but Jim Crow Esq. is a serious threat to the black freedom struggle in the 21st century. The people of Ferguson certainly deserve better local political leadership since their current local political leadership has made huge errors, which contributed to the problems in Ferguson in the first place. The solutions to our problems will be collective not just individual. People deserve power, empowerment, and justice. We should fight against the evil system of class oppression, judicial inequalities, economic inequality, and other injustices. We have to keep on working. The young people should create institutions and PROGRAMS that are heavily democratic and participatory. Dr. King’s advocacy of economic justice is what I support as well. We need not corporate exploitation, but economic justice. The struggle CONTINUES, but we will win this struggle in the end. Uhuru. It is a shame that black people are judged unfairly by many ignorant people. Not to mention that some folks lacked a true empathy of black human life. Race relations can IMPROVE via dialogue, laws must be changed, and structures must change. Society must be transformed. We have to discuss about the issue of race in a progressive fashion (and establish radical changes in the world) if we want solutions. Activists are supporting the family of Michael Brown, because the family deserves justice (and the death of Michael Brown was a tragedy). RIP Michael Brown.
More on Ferguson
The events in Ferguson, Missouri were so bad that the Department of Justice had no choice, but to launch a civil RIGHTS investigation into the Ferguson Police Department and the shooting of the teenager Michael Brown. Attorney General Eric Holder came into Ferguson recently, he said a speech, and he wanted to have an investigation about the issues of police conduct and other issues as it pertains to the judicial system. The new Justice Department probe wants to see if there has been a pattern and practice of the abuse of black people’s civil rights in Ferguson. There are tons of evidence to look at. Obviously, black people have been oppressed not only in Ferguson, but nationwide. There is the case of one black man who was beaten bloody (in Ferguson, Missouri) and then he was charged with the destruction of public property because his blood was found on policemen’s uniforms. The truth is obvious. The reality is that we have a system where black lives have been harmed by crooked police officers and the prison industrial complex. Even in the state of Florida, not a single police officer has been charged for using deadly force against civilians in 20 years. We see not only class oppression in America, but discrimination and the systematic abuse of the human rights of black people in America. The CRIMINAL JUSTICE system is very corrupt and it needs an outright overhaul. The current system allows millions of black people to be incarcerated into the largest prison system on Earth. Many people in prison are innocent of any crime. Sentencing has been unfair and both major parties are complicit in the system. That is why the solution is mobilization and organization into independent political plus economic power bases where the rights of humanity are defended. The people of Ferguson were not imitated. That is one great lesson from the Ferugson rebellion that we can take. When militarized police can in Ferguson (as similar to what has happened in Gaza, etc.), the people of Ferguson were not afraid. They were not afraid of the curfews too. They used mass resistance to oppressive conditions. We should not be afraid too. We should not only talk about economic manipulation, but we should talk about eliminating discrimination and fighting the evil system of white supremacy. We have every right to be free.
Roland Martin is right that the situation in Ferguson should be turned into a movement. We have to make sure that it is the right type of movement though. I have no issue with plans and strategies to increase economic power in the black community. Yet, there must be unique solutions to address poverty, economic inequality, environmental issues, and other forms of economic injustice. There is no solution without the addressing poverty in the world. I have no issue with independent, grassroots political organizations as well. There must be direct action, boycotts, and laws have to be changed. We should fight for and demand the restoration of our civil liberties. We should fight for BETTER HEALTH care. The police should be monitored heavily of their actions and proceedings in the streets of America (with body cameras). There must be equity in criminal sentencing and more solutions ought to exist to eliminate unfair sentencing disparities. One of the easiest and best ways to begin this change is to work in our local communities first (in dealing with issues of poverty, education, infrastructure, policing, etc.). Once we do that, we can see the tangible changes caused by our efforts. Then, we can take our movement more nationally as we need national solutions not just local solutions. This movement should never stop in the local level since we should collaborate with like minded people locally, nationally, and globally. One great Sister, who is Courtney R. (she is a Great Friend and she respects my family a great deal. I appreciate her wisdom and her realness a great deal), is 100 percent right to mention that black people and all people in general should have power and justice in the Earth. This is a crisis. We have to address racial profiling, police brutality, and other important issues in our community. We have every right to institute self-determination, which freedom loving people have advocated throughout human history. There is nothing wrong with donating or funding independent, political organizations that are fighting for real social change. Grassroots, participatory-democratic organizations can be used to organize, mobilize, and execute policies. Also, we have to confront poverty, gentrification, economic injustice, the prison industrial complex, etc. It is important to defend the human RIGHTS of the residents of Ferguson. Black people in Ferguson have every right to advocate for their interests in the city. The development of political and economic power is necessary for us to be free INDEED. All of us have the responsibility to do action. We should value our lives as black people. Our lives matter.
The father of Michael Brown is a strong, brave man. His hurt is real. I express my condolences to him and to the rest of his family. Witness after witness point to how Michael Brown was killed with his hands up. The disrespect of black human life has been going on for a long time. It is truly a shame that sick people want to disrespect a grieving father and even call him every name under the sun (not only in the Net, but in the streets too). This shows that some people have no class whatsoever. While others want to blame Michael Brown for everything under the sun (which is ludicrous), we should address the issues relevant in our communities like POLICE brutality, civil liberties, the War on Drugs, the prison industrial complex, how to further reduce crime, and ways to advance more Black Unity. We should always use the memory of Michael Brown to not only be better people, but to confront and fight back against the institutions of oppression. Some people are trying to equate Michael Brown with some of the worst CRIMINALS in history. The truth is no human is perfect, but Michael Brown never deserved to be murdered at all. There are massive double standards in this situation. Society collectively places less empathy, less respect, and a lesser establishment of real, progressive dialogues on black victims of murder than white victims of murder collectively. That is just a fact. That is also why our missing has readily received less coverage. Some folks take a higher emphasis on judging Michael Brown than investigating the actions, the intent, and the history of Darren Wilson. To some, all POLICE are gods. The reality doesn't make that so. It is sad that a young Brother never had the chance to achieve his full life's potential. Many of our leaders came from certain circumstances, but they reached into higher heights not by victim bashing, but by courage, strength, insightful thinking, self-determination, and fighting injustice. Not to mention that the youth need more mentors, more assistance, more investment, and more concern (the youth need to be listened to and talked to as human beings. They should never be treated as not worthy of dignity). It will take a village to help. There can be no solution unless we address socioeconomic issues, combat misogyny, and confront the status quo.
We all want justice. Eric Garner never deserved to be choked to death at all. His death has been ruled a homicide and people are tired of injustice after injustice. People want changes in the system and changes in society in general. Marching and protesting about these evils is fine. It is not the only things that we can do though. We should organize our political and economic power to make a difference, build institutions, boycott, and to defend our communities. At the end of the day, we have every right to IMPROVE the conditions of our communities via our own power. Crooked police officers by definition will follow no rules, so the police should real rules. I hope that the cops responsible for Eric Garner’s death are punished including the EMS folks who have done a lax, terrible job in responding to the needs of Eric Garner. Many of the protesters have shown red, black, and green flags and the RBG image is symbol of our struggle & our humanity. We all remember the Birmingham Bus Boycott. PEOPLE organized (funds to help with the boycott came about from people nationwide), sacrificed, and fought against an unjust law. Economies from the local bus services failed, because of that specific boycott. A boycott is very non-violent, but it's strong, effective, and it shows the power of the community in action. People have no choice but to be part of the solution if they want real change. Brilliant people have followed through on it for generations. A boycott is noncooperation with oppression. It is about resisting injustice in a manner that is not only peaceful, but effective. In our day, we can boycott companies or entities that oppress our people. Some folks who act condescending toward people are cruel and immature obviously. We're on the right track, because we love justice and we want people in general to experience true freedom. A lot of brave HUMAN beings of many backgrounds are in NYC defending the human dignity of Eric Garner. He was a family man, a great father, and just a strong man. It is a shame that his life was ended by police brutality. That is why embracing the concept of family is so important. It is RIGHT to call for boycott and it is right to organize in independent economic and political power so our communities can witness a real change. The events in Ferguson taught us that enough is enough. Those types always use the Democratic card while they ignore how the racist Republican Southern Strategy spread bigotry in America and the cruel actions of Ronald Reagan (when he funded reactionary regimes harming citizens in Latin America, etc.). The truth is that both parties have a history of racism, bad POLICIES, and exploitation. You have the right to your views. No one rational is ignoring the need of a trial. Real people believe in the promotion of facts in this case as well. PEOPLE want accountability from a lax local police force. People want respect when the local police forces of Ferguson used tear gas and futuristic LRAD devices on innocent protesters. I saw a man on television, who experienced tear gas and he was peaceful. He was on national TV crying about the whole incident since it was a traumatic experience for him and others. So, we know what we are up against. We are up against the extremists.
There is a massive obstruction of justice in Ferguson. Justice for Michael Brown has been delayed so far. St. Louis County officials are not doing all that they can to promote real justice. Michael Brown was gunned down by police officer Darren Wilson. We know what the crime is. The assailant admitted that he killed Michael Brown. Not to mention that the victim was unarmed and witnesses say that Brown had his hands in the air when he was shot. There is more than enough evidence to arrest and indict Darren Wilson. Probable cause can cause people to be arrested and that is enough to arrest a police officer. Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch said that when the grand jury convenes to consider the case, he would take the unusual step of not recommending a specific charge. Instead, McCulloch says, he will present all the evidence gathered about the shooting--and let the grand jury decide whether any charges should be forthcoming. There must be at least nine of the 12 members of the grand jury to vote in favor of an indictment in order for an indictment to take place. We know that the city of Ferguson is mostly black, but there are only 3 black people on the panel. The grand jury must decide on January 7 as a means to decide whether to charge Wilson or not. McCulloch to not recommend specific charges is unusual. All in all, says DEFENSE LAWYER and St. Louis University law professor Susan McGraugh, McCulloch may be looking for "cover," which he can "get by sharing the responsibility with the grand jury...So when the public reacts to what does or does not happen, they can go back to the fact that the grand jury played a large role in the decision. They can say, 'We let these jurors, who are your peers, hear what witnesses had to say. This was their decision.'" McCulloch is known for scant interest in prosecuting cases involving fatal shootings by the police. In one case, police shot two Black men 21 times while they sat in their car during a botched drug bust. One of the men wasn't even a suspect. Even so, the grand jury refused to indict--and McCulloch agreed with the decision, calling the dead men "bums" and refusing to release surveillance tape of the shooting. Police claimed the men had tried to avoid arrest by driving their car toward officers--however, it later turned out that cops lied and the car hadn't moved. So, Bob McCulloch is part of the St. Louis injustice system.
Marquis Govan is an inspirational young person. He made great points. What the people of Ferguson don’t need is unfair scapegoating and them being smeared with vile stereotypes. What they need is solidarity, respect, and support for them to carry out their own aspirations. The events in Ferguson are historic. The events there further document the militarization of the POLICE, but not only that. It confirms that police brutality and the repression of the rights of protesters are not isolated incidents. They are national and global epidemics. This problem can never be solved unless race, class, and poverty are discussed and real solutions are formulated. Racial discrimination is not the only problem in Ferguson and in communities nationwide. There is also the issue of class oppression where many workers suffer low wages, lax JOB opportunities, and a sense of despair. That must change. Many people are poor not because of laziness, but because of being laid off or by no fault of their own. Poor blaming is just as ignorant as ignoring economic inequality. Freedom deals with political independence and we have the subsequent RIGHT to be political independents. People’s elemental and essential RIGHT to protest should be maintained in any society. There are many legitimate organizations in Ferguson, who are doing the right thing. We have to reject selfish individualism and embrace altruistic actions. It is a shame that the Michael Brown memorial was burned. Now, JUSTICE is still elusive for Michael Brown's family and for freedom loving people in the world. The total truth should be known about the memorial situation. We should never lose hope though. Evil people want us to lose hope and to be permanently pessimistic, but I will not. Back centuries ago, our ancestors were in chains, but they had hope to be free. Not only were many slave revolts transpired, but black people in the Americas ended overt physical slavery. Some people believe that the Birmingham Boycott would not be successful, but it was. So, giving up should never be part of anyone's vocabulary. We ought to CONTINUE to fight for justice, oppose police brutality, and to continue to defend Michael Brown's family who is standing up courageously for justice.
By Timothy
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