12 Things White People Can Do Now Because of Ferguson
In the wake of Michael Brown's murder, there's been silence from the majority of my nonactivist, nonacademic white friends. we all know by now, Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenage boy, was gunned down by the police while walking to his grandmother’s house in the middle of the afternoon. For the past few days my Facebook newsfeed has been full of stories about the incidents unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri.
[How a former attorney can misuse legal terms and mislead the public appears to be almost concrete proof of her radical left bias and a self-serving agenda?
First, Michael Brown was not murdered. Murder implies intent or wrongdoing on the part of the officer – and that has not been proven in a court of competent jurisdiction. It appears that Michael Brown’s death was self-inflicted the moment he decided to physically confront the officer (who suffered an orbital blowout of the eye socket) and reach for the officer’s weapon. Clearly a case of justifiable self-defense on the part of the officer.
Second, unarmed does not equate to innocent or unable to be a credible existential threat to the officer’s life. The moment he reached for the officer’s weapon, the presumption is that he would use the weapon to kill the officer. The fact that this “boy” was eighteen, stood 6’4” and weighed 292 pounds is part of the message that I missing.
And third, Michael Brown was not “gunned down” – he was shot while participating in an existential aggressive attack on an armed police officer. And, while he may have been “walking to his grandmother’s house,” he appears to have committed a strong-arm burglary of a convenience store in the previous fifteen minutes in close proximity to where he was shot. This is relevant because he may have had the belief that he was now wanted for a major felonious crime. But, then again, this narrative does not aid the author’ agenda.]
But then I realized something.
For the first couple of days, almost all of the status updates expressing anger and grief about yet another extrajudicial killing of an unarmed black boy, the news articles about the militarized police altercations with community members and the horrifying pictures of his dead body on the city concrete were posted by people of color. Outpourings of rage and demands for justice were voiced by black people, Latinos, Asian Americans, Arab American Muslims. But posts by white people were few at first and those that I saw were posted mostly by my white activist or academic friends who are committed to putting themselves on the frontlines of any conversation about racial or economic injustice in America. And almost nothing, silence practically, by the majority of my nonactivist, nonacademic white friends- those same people who gleefully jumped on the bandwagon to dump buckets of ice over their heads to raise money for ALS and those same people who immediately wrote heartfelt messages about reaching out to loved ones suffering from depression following the suicide of the extraordinary Robin Williams, may he rest in peace. But an unarmed black teenager minding his own business walking down the street in broad daylight gets harassed and murdered by a white police officer and those same people seem to have nothing urgent to say about pervasive, systemic, deadly racism in America?
[Extrajudicial? It appears that the shooting was well within the law and the police officer was defending himself against an existential threat to his life. And, perhaps most “white people” have a modicum of common sense that urges caution and suggests that one might wait for further verifiable information before making false, misleading, and inflammatory statements. Calling for justice that would see the thuggish perpetrator, whatever their color, roundly condemned as a criminal and upholding the actions of the police officer in a nation that has a Constitution and operated under the rule of law. Or, perhaps white people are not invested in the politics of racial agitation to bring about a progressive, socialist or communist agenda?]
They have nothing to say?
Why? The simplest explanation is because Facebook is, well, Facebook. It’s not the New York Times or a town hall meeting or the current events class at your high school. It’s the internet playground for sharing cat videos, cheeky status updates about the joys and tribulations of living with toddlers, and humble bragging about your fabulous European vacation. Some people don’t think Facebook is the forum for serious conversations. Okay, that’s fine if you fall into that category and your wall is nothing but rainbows and happy talk about how much you love your life.
However, I think the explanation is more complex and mirrors the silence of many people that I witness in real life. A lot of white people aren’t speaking out publicly against the killing of Michael Brown because they don’t see a space for themselves to engage meaningfully in the conversation so that they can move to action against racism. It’s not so much that they have nothing to say but rather they don’t see an opportunity being opened up for them to say something or to do something that matters. Or they might not be sure what to say or how to do it. They might have a hard time seeing a role for themselves in the fight against racism because they aren’t racist, they don’t feel that racism affects them or their loved ones personally, they worry that talking about race and differences between cultures might make things worse, or they think they rarely see overt racism at play in their everyday lives. And, sometimes, they are afraid. There’s a real fear of saying the wrong thing even if the intention is pure, of being alienated socially and economically from other white people for standing in solidarity with black people, or of putting one’s self in harm’s way, whether the harm be physical or psychological. I’m not saying those aren’t valid fears but I am challenging white people to consider carefully whether failing to speak out or act because of those fears is justified when white silence and inaction mean the oppression and death of black people.
[The death of Michael Brown had nothing to do with racism. It was the self-inflict death of a thug who lost his life when challenging a police officer in an existential threat to the officer’s life. Had the officer been black, this outrage would have never happened – providing it is more about black racism and the promotion of a progressive socialist agenda than it is about equality and fairness under the law.]
Let’s talk about an active role for white people in the fight against racism because racism burdens all of us and is destroying our communities. And, quite frankly, because white people have a role in undoing racism because white people created and, for the most part, currently maintain (whether they want to or not) the racist system that benefits white people to the detriment of people of color. My white friends who’ve spoken out harshly against the murder of Michael Brown end with a similar refrain: What can I do that will matter in the fight against racism?
[First, racism continues to be promoted in this country by the black racists, activists, and agitators as it provides a comfortable living, media attention, and the promotion of the progressive socialist democrat agenda.
Second, if anything is destroying communities, it is well-meaning people and politicians who give a pass to minorities – allowing them to rampage and tear up their own communities; allowing them to be terrorized by minority criminal gangs that are little more than domestic terrorists; and divert significant funding to make minorities a permanent underclass for political purposes.
Third, billions of dollars have been spent on programs that give special treatment to minorities – with, I might add, little or no results. Consider why true African-Americans (immigrants from Africa) seem to assimilate into our culture and rise beyond poverty faster than indigenous African-Americans who have decades to prosper – but continue to self-segregate by location, dress, language, and behavior. And fourth, the idea that only whites can be racist is belied by the racist activities we are now seeing in Ferguson, Missouri.]
White people who are sick and tired of racism should work hard to become white allies.
[Allies to what? The spread of black liberation theology steeped in Marxism and Communism? Giving black criminals a pass because of historical slavery? If anything, whites – as well as all people of color – should support the Constitution of the United States, the rule of law, and the abolition of progressive socialist democrat politics which creates victims for the purposes of political exploitation. We should demand equality of opportunity and condemn the socialist/communist meme of equality of outcome.]
In the aftermath of the murder of Michael Brown, may he rest in power, here are some ways for white people to become white allies who are engaged thoughtfully and critically in examining the situation in Ferguson and standing on the side of justice and equity. This list is a good place to start your fight to dismantle racial inequity and shine a light on the oppressive structures that lead to yet another extrajudicial killing of a black person.
[Again, with the big lies claiming Michael Brown was “murdered” and the “killing” was “extrajudicial.” There hasn’t been any court proceedings and for a former lawyer to put forth these assertions says more about the apparent corrupt nature of the author’s agenda than it does about the facts in evidence.]
1. Learn about the racialized history of Ferguson and how it reflects the racialized history of America. Michael Brown’s murder is not a social anomaly or statistical outlier. It is the direct product of deadly tensions born from decades of housing discrimination, white flight, intergenerational poverty and racial profiling. Themilitarized police response to peaceful assembly by the people mirrors what happened in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement.
[I call bullshit. This event – riot or protest – is rooted in the criminal activities of one Michael Brown and has absolutely nothing to do with racism, or the racialized history of America. The thug happened to be black, the officer happened to be white, and the racists, agitators, poverty pimps, and media whores took it upon themselves to exploit the situation for their personal gain and the promotion of their agenda. I, however, do agree about the seemingly lopsided demographics created by “white flight” – whites no longer being welcome in an increasing violent and decaying neighborhood; or the fact that a very small minority of minorities cares to vote for representatives that will reflect their values. But, this can be laid at the feet of the blacks – not those who want to better their lifestyles and standard of living.]
2. Reject the “He Was a Good Kid” narrative and lift up the “Black Lives Matter” narrative. Michael Brown was a good kid, by accounts of those who knew him during his short life. But that’s not why his death is tragic. His death isn’t tragic because he was a sweet kid on his way to college next week. His death is tragic because he was a human being and his life mattered. The Good Kid narrative might provoke some sympathy but what it really does is support the lie that as a rule black people, black men in particular, have a norm of violence or criminal behavior. The Good Kid narrative says that this kid didn’t deserve to die because his goodness was the exception to the rule. This is wrong. This kid didn’t deserve to die because he was a human being and black lives matter.
[While all lives matter, Michael Brown was not a good kid – he was a thuggish criminal who had good moments with his friends and family. This ended the minute he challenged a police officer and presented an existential threat to the officer’s life. He became just another victim of his own behavior. Yes, he was a human being – but, he also essentially committed suicide when he reached for the officer’s weapon.]
3. Use words that speak the truth about the disempowerment, oppression, disinvestment and racism that are rampant in our communities. Be mindful, political and socially aware with your language. Notice how the mainstream news outlets are using words like riot and looting to describe the uprising in Ferguson. What’s happening isnot a riot. The people are protesting and engaging in a justified rebellion. They have a righteous anger and are revolting against the police who have terrorized them for years.
[By all means speak the truth about the progressive socialist democrats who have created a perpetual class of victims to be exploited for political purposes. By all means speak the truth about a black culture that refuses to assimilate and continues to self-segregate while demanding special perks and privileges not available to all citizens. And, by all means speak about the activists, agitators, and provocateurs who continue to foment racial discord to advance their self-serving agenda. And a peaceful demonstration is a riot the minute shots are fired, looting occurs, firebombs are used, and private property destroyed.]
You can read more of this tripe at … 12 Things White People Can Do Now Because of Ferguson | Alternet
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