Friday, April 24, 2009

The injustice of tasers

There is so much information that is available regarding tasering while black, that has been called upon among the Black American bloggers. When I was researching this I was horrified as many of you are after reading the different blogs regarding this. I read about the children that were tasered and died and my heart went out to the parents and the family and friends. No parent expects to ever have to bury their child as parents we always think that we will be the ones that our children will bury us. We read the age of the children on the tombstones it shows when they where born and the day that they died. What it does not show, nor does the news really tell is what these kids dreams were, what were the things that made their parents pull their hair out and what the things were that just made them so proud of them. We don't hear about the first steps or their first words and where they were when they said them. We read these stories and hear on the news that people die, black people are dying, but we don't have it made personal to us. We shake our heads and go on our way and think that is a shame and this has to stop and that is it, until we hear the next story and it continues, and they all have stories that are untold. I am sure that none of us could ever imagine our children being murdered and yes I say murdered by the ones that are called to serve and protect us, but it has become the new lynching in America, not that the old lynching has been fully buried and laid to rest because it has also been resurrected from the dead. There is a man that with loving arms around his newborn daughter is preparing to bring her home healthy from the hospital to be tasered by hospital police and now his daughter is left with a brain injury. Do you think that this was the plans that these parents had for their daughter when they first laid eyes on her? In all of the media that is played regarding the injustices and murder of black folks, does anyone stop to think that these are people with families and hopes and dreams of tasks that are not finished. Homework assignments and chores to do and friends to call and dances to dance to and songs to sing. We are told that we now live in a post-racial society and that we should put behind us slavery and the jim crow era, but tell me how can we when we are constantly reminded of it by events that we see and hear about around this United States of America. Eric Holden stated that we are a nation of cowards. Some people became enraged regarding those remarks. If we cannot discuss race and if we are to put blinders on our eyes when it comes to color, then we will always remain a nation of cowards. If our government can only address abolishing torturing of people overseas and neglect to see and address the torturing and inhumane torturing of Black Americans here, we will not only be a nation of cowards but also a nation of fools. If we can continue a war to free other countries that are oppressed but cannot address and free the race that has been oppressed since it has come to this country are we not a nation of fools. As long as we have some police officers who are murders, not to protect but to feed off of their own lust for black blood are we not a nation of fools? It is time, actually it is long overdue from the first incident to take the tasers off the streets out of these murdering police officers hands and the police officers hands that are not murders and that do not abuse this device and to bury these tasers and for them to never be allowed to surface again. If we are to be the United States of America, isn't it about time that we work on becoming United and talking about the issues that are a concern to all of the American People. For the Black American community it is the murdering of our people young and old, from every class in life. I ask of everyone to contact Eric Holden's office and demand that tasers be banned and destroyed. That the police officers have mandatory mental elevations and that they are made more frequent then they are done now.

2 comments:

sheyla said...

I couldn't help while reading this entry feeling an overwhelming feeling to weep. And I know that this country has not even begun to weep for ALL the injustice it has participated in.

As a society familiar with a variety of afternoon talk shows we are made aware of different professions from legal to humanitarism to therapy. Shows intended to enlighten us we use as a source of entertainment.

If we were lawyers we would seek and destory injustice in all its forms not like the blinded woman of Justice unaware of the seeds of corruption but her predecessor Egyptain deity Maat (Mâ-at) who weighed the heart against her white feather of purity. She was without blinders as she stood at the threshold of the afterlife as to make certain no one that was not permitted to enter would.

If we were humanitarians we would deeply empathise with the struggle of our fellow human and reach out our arm with an open hand to help them in their struggle. Instead we face expensive Black Tie charity events that pump the egos of the rich and bored while simultaneously giving them an excuse to eat and drink delicacies we in our wildest dreams couldn't fathom. On the reverse side of that coin we experience the grassroots movement with all its young wild energy that has yet to be fully focused into viable resources that can really make a difference. Instead we must set a clear agenda to which we all subscribe to.

And fnally if we were therapists we would tell our patients to weep for the pain reguardless of how recent the wound. As doctors of our mental spirit we would (like doctors of our physical vitallity) properly access the level of trauma, treat appropriately and give time to heal. In this society African Americans are so wounded by the weight of oppression that it has become adapted to our existance. Our ancestors were the strong overseers of our futures that one day we could take what they could not express and express it for them. We have become so hardened as Black society that we do not weep for one another so that we may alleviate the pain of our current conditions.

In closing do not let the blinders fall on our hearts so that we may reach out and be the leaning post for our follow folk as they heal to ensure we will All be able to fight the injustices we see around us. We must first unite with one an other if we are to join the larger whole. Know Thy Self.

Zhana21 said...

Thank you so much for posting this. We must remember the human cost.

I agree with what Sheyla Whittle said as well. We need to heal. We have so much healing to do. We have been wounded for many generations.

My work is all about the healing. You may be interested in my web page:
http://www.blacksuccess.com/improvingcommunication.htm

Thank you again.

Zhana