THE UNARMED BLACK MAN

It’s a nerve racking thing when you have an opinion about a case like Michael Brown that is completely against the majority feelings of your own race. But then again I’ve never been the one to give in to social and or peer pressure. I say what I want unapologetically. So with that being said, here’s how I feel about this case.

                First I took my time checking out Officer Darren Wilson, who was an exemplary police officer who had no prior incidents of any kind, especially race related. He was actually honored not too long ago for his efforts in police work.

                As for Michael Brown, video evidence supports that he was involved in a robbery about 15-20 minutes before the shooting occurred. He stole cigarillos, which most people know to be a tool used to roll and a smoke marijuana. I’m still waiting to see if he was actually high at the time of the shooting, because it would support the officers claims to his wild and aggressive behavior.

                Now then, when Officer Wilson rolled up the street he found Brown and his friend walking in the middle of the street. Not a crime, but pretty damn stupid. You don’t walk in the middle of the street. It was at this command that things got crazy. The two were fighting each other, Wilson in his car and Brown outside of it.

                My first major criticism is the one where we keep seeing these images of Michael Brown next to Trayvon Martin. Brown is 18 years old, six foot three inches, and 289 pounds. He is not a kid in a hoodie. He’s a grown ass man walking in the middle of the street after just robbing a convenience store.  The comparison is sad and misguiding.

                Secondly, Darren Wilson is not George Zimmerman, he’s not a man with known history of race related incidents, and he’s not neighborhood watch. He’s a cop. A law enforcer.  I don’t believe he turned down that street with the thought “why don’t I just shoot these guys for no reason at all, that’s something to do”. Doubt that.

                Now some witnesses say he was walking towards him with his hands up, others say he was running away, this evidence to me is admissible. There’s too many versions of what happened by citizens who I would suspect would lie just to see a white officer be thrown in jail. I can’t trust that testimony as a judge.  However, the autopsy did show that brown was not shot in the back. So those saying he was running away when shot can be dismissed. Which only leaves the possibility that he was coming towards the officer.

                Now then, some say he was coming with his hands up. The officer says he was charging. In the heat of the battle the two could probably look the same. Adrenaline pumping, the officer had just been hit in the head multiple times, it’s possible he read the situation wrong. And if so, yes he should be punished. But this outcry of the unarmed black man being shot is one I’m tired of hearing, but for two reasons.

                I’m tired of black men being shot, and I’m tired of black people pretending every single one is innocent. It’s just not true.  There is a perfectly good way to handle these situations and in most of these cases the man did not handle it correctly. Whether being aggressive or back talking, it is usually some stupid reaction that leads to the senseless violence. I’m black, I’m a man, I’ve been pulled over and or stopped. I have yet to be shot, because I know damn better. Hands on my head, yes sir this, yes sir that, then call my lawyer.

                And if black people are so tired of being harassed by the police….BECOME THE POLICE. As a culture, we’ve pinned ourselves in quite a corner. We shout out “fuck the police”, or say things like, “I don’t trust the police”, then why not become the police. Become the change you want to see in law enforcement. If we had a larger representation in the law enforcement it could only make things better. At most, perhaps more people of color being in those shoes, might be an awakening to what it is really like to be a cop in the line of danger every day.

                My final point is that of warning about the power of social media and the confusion it can cause….social media is a dangerous tool far too often mishandled and misleading. I just hope and pray more people do real research and formulate their own opinions versus following a tweet and coming to a conclusion. I’m afraid to live in a world where are ability to read doesn’t go past how many characters are allowed in a tweet.