No Indictment for the Unjust Murder of Eric Garner (RIP Eric Garner)

The verdict from the grand jury is a disgrace. Eric Garner’s death was ruled a homicide. The cop violated police procedure with the chokehold. Video evidence shows how Eric Garner was killed by terrorist cops. Also, medical people were disrespectful to the human dignity of Eric Garner. The cops could have done a myriad of alternatives without killing Eric Garner. The judicial system is complicit in the violation of the rights of black people spanning centuries in America. It is clear what happened. Many people in the judicial system should be ashamed of themselves. The man Eric Garner was crying for help and the thugs in blue showed no empathy or sympathy at all. This is a serious problem and things must change. We can’t have the status quo. Our democratic rights should be respected. We are still fighting for justice. Black men have to look out not only for black men, but for black women too. We are all in this together as human beings. We know clearly about the corruption found in the judicial system. There has to be some level of accountability here. These police officers who killed Eric Garner should be punished. This is a problem. This event shows that cops can kill anyone at will regardless of video tape evidence and walk away without any punishment. We all express sympathy for the family of Eric Garner. We all pray for the late Brother’s family. RIP Brother Eric Garner.

I saw Charles Barkely's comments in the morning before I went to work. I was not surprised at his comments. He has made sick comments about black women (that Sister Mary Burrell has exposed) and he has done other disgraceful things. Cops are not all “awesome.” Many of them are stone cold terrorists who have harmed black people, the poor, etc. Obviously, with the recent no indictment grand jury verdict of the cops who killed Eric Garner that proves that the criminal justice system is a disgrace. Young black people lives matter. I don’t agree with destroying innocent property unjustly, but Barkley ignores the American Revolution (when people destroyed property, burned buildings, and enacted outright insurrection. This insurrection spread across thousands of miles not just in one city). The Haitian Revolution involved strong, brave Brothers and Sisters actively resisting racist tyranny in order for them to be liberated. Therefore, we shouldn’t just condemn an unjust riot. We should understand the underlining causes of a riot or a rebellion as a means for us to make society better. The police terrorism will never cause me to unconditionally support the police at all. Black people are readily viewed as guilty until proven innocent in Western society. You can be as moral as you can be, but if a cop wants to kill you, then that cop will try to kill you (and that cop could receive no indictment at all). So, it is not enough to condemn looting. Structures of society must be changed, the prison industrial complex must end, and economic justice must exist. Criminals like crooked police officers, corporate criminals, etc. should be put behind bars. There is nothing wrong with doing actions to improve the community. Yet, the children should be told the truth that standing up against injustice is the quintessential act of being honorable human beings. That is real teaching.


Madison Reid is a young, inspirational person. Her positive loquaciousness, her extraordinary gift of the love of literary works, and her transparently strong passion are parts of the true creativity found in Madison. Books readily stimulate intellectual curiosity and they can inspire real social change in the globe. I wish for more blessings to come to her. The reality is that black people have always been actors, doctors, scholars, educators, theologians, etc. throughout human history. The haters’ views don’t matter. Essentially, John Boyea has the right to play in that role in Star Wars if he wants to. Black people are filled with intelligent, caring, strong, and compassionate human beings. The diversity of our lives and the power of our stories should not only be shown but respected. The malcontent haters should get used to it. We aren’t going anywhere. Chris Rock has been very honest about what he thinks. With him, there is no middle ground. He shows his views unashamedly. He is right to mention that just because white people in America now haven’t lived during the Maafa doesn’t mean that they lack white privilege. They have it. Also, his comments about various Presidents are interesting (his views on Bush and Obama are witty. Bush didn’t care. He just did what he wanted to do regardless of what people thought of him or regardless of how evil his policies were). Fundamentally, a strong leader is not a follower of consensus permanently, but a molder of consensus. In other words, people should not worship polls, but they should follow their core convictions because it is the right thing to do. Yes, the reactionaries (including the rest of the right wing) will still hate us, but we still maintained our principles in the process. Chris Rock has great intelligence.

I have Cornel West’s book of the “Black Prophetic Fire” book at my house. I bought it recently. The book is fascinating. It is basically an interview that he has with a German philosopher about black heroes. It shows the anti-capitalism of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It shows the great intelligence and the courageousness of Ida B. Wells and Ella Baker. WEB DuBois went from being a follower of the bourgeois NAACP to being more revolutionary. DuBois (I don't agree with some of his comments about Marcus Garvey obviously) woke up before he died and lived in Africa. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech about DuBois. It was one of MLK’s last speeches, which was delivered at Carnegie Hall on February 23, 1968. In that speech Dr. King said that DuBois was a radical and that he was a Communist before he passed. Dr. King wanted to celebrate DuBois' 100th birthday. The book outlines the fierce intelligence of Frederick Douglas. Black Americans have a great tradition. We have a great resiliency. Our ancestors were never descended from weak people. We are descendants of a people who suffered the Maafa and survived. We are descendants of a people who shed blood for freedom, justice, and human liberation. Cornel West is a great author. I agree with him on exposing neoliberalism and condemning the vicious Western empire (which is taking resources which could be better used to solve poverty, improve our infrastructure, and build up our educational system). Fighting for social justice, opposing the prison industrial complex, and believing in economic justice are part of the black prophetic tradition. The courageousness of the people of Ferguson is inspiring.

There is an excellent article (entitled, "Black Death in the Era of Ferguson") from Sister Jamilah Lemieux. We have every right to be angry and dissatisfied. To see story after story of unarmed Brothers and Sisters being killed by the police and no real accountability transpiring is heartbreaking and revolting. It shows how society refuses to respect the human dignity of black people. Black people living now have the right to live. There is no need for complacency since the innocent blood shed is crying out for justice. We have to voice our views and organize economically and politically. Black people have the right to use our self determination to fight for real changes in society. State-sanctioned murder is known by our people. Our ancestors were victims of it when our ancestors were brought into the Americas in chains. Our ancestors experienced unspeakable crimes, but they stood up to fight against oppression. The White House and the Attorney General has talked about this issue. On many occasions, they have talked about it in terms as a means to not offend the wider white society. The Attorney General said that he wants to end racial profiling. I want to see racial profiling gone too. They have talked about the rule of laws, etc. but it is a fact that torturers, Wall Street criminals, and others don’t follow the rule of law. Many of these people aren’t prosecuted either. Activists are demanding real change too. Some want the end to 1033, which is a program that provides military grade weaponry to police departments. There must be the end to the militarization of the police. Federal stats about police misconduct must be recorded. There must be laws in place to protect communities from crooked police. The War on Drugs must be abolished and end for real. The prison industrial complex must end as it has ruined the lives of so many people across backgrounds and classes (especially black poor human beings). The events of Ferguson show the growth of the new generation of activists who want real change not just talk. Today, we have to CONTINUE to fight back. We have to fight back not only against police injustice, but against poverty and against racism in general. We have no choice. We are in solidarity with the people of Ferguson.


By Timothy