A Weapon of Mass Destruction

When the incomparable powers of the universe force feed you revolution with the allure of historical sentiment and ancestral demands, regardless of how weak or disconnected you are from your people, your soul cries and requires that you take some form of action and possibly make a new commitment to destruction.

This is the space we have found ourselves in. For what good reason would the concert of Mother Nature, Father Time, and all of the Supreme Gods of the world wait until everyone’s spirit is covered in smoke and gun powder from the fireworks of America’s pretend Independence Day to remind us that just as it was in 1776, it remains true in 2016. Full citizenship was not contemplated for Blacks, and since it wasn’t and hasn’t been, it still isn’t.

Your Black a** was born just for this. Every one of us is obligated to prep our minds by studying the greatest of history lesson and committing it to memory as if it IS our national anthem, for it is the only way we will ever be able to sing that wrenched tune and not feel hypocritical or less than.

While this lesson may seem complicated, it is written in the simplest of languages. This lesson I speak of is that it was through struggle and righteous indignation that the small and seemingly ill-equipped 13 colonies were able to declare freedom from the tyranny of British Empire some 240 years ago. In like manner, we Blacks are 13% of America’s population and are cursed by daunting similarities to the dingy and oppressive lifestyle of those original colonies. For it is inarguable that Britain ruled over the colonies differently than she did her other citizens. It is well known that Britain taxed colonies at higher rates than her other citizens. And, it is plain history even by those with an elementary knowledge that Britain required citizens of the colonies to feed and house British troops because Britain claimed that the troops were there to protect and serve. An idea that the colonists pushed back on, and famously asked, “Protect us from whom?”

With basic penmanship replace Britain with America and colonists with Blacks and watch how the years disappear and the objectives become clear. If America’s idea of freedom was born out of Britain’s behavior the century prior to 1776, then most certainly the last four centuries (400 years) have made the case for Blacks. For am I a liar when I describe the “black tax”? Do I distort history when I say America treats her Black citizenry worse than others? Are Blacks not required to spend their wages on a police force that occupies our neighborhoods? Do we [Blacks] not scream, “Whose interest(s) are cops protecting and serving as they kill our young and old alike?

Once one has perfectly measured the country’s climate around her purported Independence Day some two-hundred years ago, then we are, as a matter of course, required to audit the addition to the lexicon that created “absolute freedom.” This scrutiny takes place at the “.” that ends the 12th amendment and the “N” that begins the 13th. For how can the very amendment that endows Blacks with freedom provide the prescript on how to re-enslave us? But, since it does, we must expect the same potency to carry out both aspects of the law.

Said with taller clarity, considering the 13th amendment gave slaves freedom and provided the rules under which slavery would be acceptable, we must expect both parts of the amendment to be concepts this country would work to uphold. So, if the Constitution states Blacks can no longer be enslaved unless we commit a crime and are duly convicted, then everything begins to come into focus. With this new acuteness, we recognize why officers aren’t accused, tried or punished for the murdering of Black bodies. For it was never criminal for a White man to kill a slave, and if Blackness is made synonymous with criminality then the 13th amendment makes us slaves instead of freeing us. All while protecting murderous White men with the many pages of the stifling Constitution.

Differences

With the swiftest of talents, America’s media has convinced us that the only stories and lives that matter are those they choose to cover and in the manner in which they choose to paint. The grandest of example(s) for this is carried out in the films shot when the death scenes don’t allow the camera-phone directors to yell “cut” or “try another take.” There are never Emmys, Tony Awards or Oscars, only critics and loud critics, I might add.

They remind us of how horrible Black the actor was. Either she talked back or his candy obsession caused unwarranted aggression, or his belief that he could play at the park or ride the metro, or sell CDs, or use the 2nd amendment seem too outlandish to be recognized by the Actors Guild even as their Black-selves lay and paint red whatever carpet lies beneath them.

Automatically an investigation must be done before we are allowed to hurt, regardless of the footage we saw with our very eyes. For it is never enough, there must be a point of view from the opposing side that is worth listening to. Take your time judging these well-meaning officers, who kill blacks as often as the clicker changes channels, but not unjustifiably, after all they are police. Which is a point the media uses to explain posting every aspect of the deceased’s life that made him, her, or them human, all while concealing the identity of each murderous officer. There is no media outlet brave enough to champion those willing to struggle and risk being incarcerated for protesting, instead they too are otherized: labeled as criminals, rebel rousers, and/or thugs. They are never given proper space as the bravest amongst us, even though they stand, unarmed in the face of police dressed in full-out riot gear backed by semi-automatic weapons, tanks and robotic bomb throwers.

Yet the same institutions, from MSNBC to Fox, from CNN to CBS to the Post, to the Times—either and both, New York and LA, and all others outlets forget this logic when a single cop is killed. The entire scheme is different, these officers, without examination, are held and heralded as heroes, even the murderous cops are protected from bad press. For the country has been programed to sympathize with their work, their ever so noble work.

We know the hardships which exist serving as a police officer, but have we forgotten how hard it is to be Black in this country? Or does this truth not fit America’s media need to demonize and criminalize Blacks? Where are the investigative journalists willing to question the over policing of Black communities, those willing to question how Black men can be a mere 6% of the general population yet 40% of those killed by “well-meaning’ police officers? Where are those who are willing to be as unapologetically honest about the murder in Baton Rouge or Houston or Minneapolis as they were about Orlando? Rhetorical question, because I know they do not exist, for if they did there would have been an explanation to why Black Lives Matter isn’t an assault on “Blue or White” lives instead it is an attempt at humanity.

The differences in how the media responded to the deaths of Black people murdered by police, versus the death of the officers in Dallas is not an anomaly. These stark differences are also represented throughout our country as a whole. My explanation shall not be artful for I am not here to protect anyone’s feelings; it was racist. When we can pretend that a lunatic with an automatic weapon, that our laws allow him to own, is the same as institutional racism and on par with the systematic annihilation of Black people then racism is stronger than decency, and evil more palatable than good. This problem may be exacerbated by the media and public sentiment, but it falls like lead rain at the feet of our government(s) central, state, and local levels.

Governmental Failure

With her Black president at the helm, America still fails to affirm the homo “sapiens-ness” of Blacks. Since its creation, this country has been adamant about reminding Blacks that we are an afterthought. In a time when French citizens can cause the American flag to drop to half-mast, Blacks still lack such power, even if four of them are murdered directly following Independence Day. In an epoch when hi-definition lights can change the color of the White House to fit any effected population, it has yet to be lit with a Black light. But who cares about symbolism, for none of us are better because of symbolism alone.

However, this is not America’s only problem as it pertains to her dark citizens. Her policies allow Blacks to be killed in the most technological of ways. Our federal government supports police departments by shipping them equipment designed for the battlefield, that’s fancy for war. It is logical for government officials to know that these armored tanks will one day roll down the center of Chicago or Ferguson and never in Northern Virginia or Middle Montana. Also, our government sends our taxes to police departments that we know are violating the rights of Blacks. All of this supports the idea that America has more passion for dogs than Blacks. For football star Michael Vick was sentenced to two years in prison and lost a $100 million contract for his role in a dog fighting ring, I challenge any person to show me a cop, in the last three years, who has killed a Black man and done two years in prison.

The Need for Destruction

As Blacks, and those allied with us, it is far beyond the time when doing nothing was an option. We are obligated to look realistically at our democracy and realize that we must destroy it. Though violence seems to be the course set out by every historical revolution, I have another path of destruction that sits on an equal amount of potential to revolutionize our democracy.

We must rethink which elections are the most important and own them. Let me attempt to make my thoughts clearer. Part of our hurt, from the murdering of our brothers and sisters at the hands of police officers, rests in the fact that we know these “officers” will never be punished and most will never have charges brought against them. This problem can be corrected with a lot less votes than it takes to win a presidential election.

We must show up and un-elect racist District Attorneys, for they are the first problem with our criminal justice system. District Attorneys have prosecutorial discretion that allows officers to murder Blacks and never miss a night on their pillowtop mattress.

We can destroy this comfort with a little strategy. Likewise, we know that when more people vote, progressive ideas win. This is not a fact known only to us. Those who seek to do us harm are aware of this as well. We must confront those who seek to snatch our votes and silence our voices. This, too, can be done with significantly less resources that are required to win a presidential election. In every state the Secretary of State or some official similarly posted has the ability to control who votes. By putting our efforts into forward thinking candidates for these positions, we can elect candidates who restore every citizen’s right to vote and instead of being required to register to vote a person would have to opt OUT of voting. This isn’t a pipe dream, Oregon is already doing it.

Conclusion

We have every right to be angered, to scream, and to protest, but when we are done with chanting, singing, and blocking traffic, we are obligated to create strategy that will prevent these horrific acts from occurring ever again. We are obligated by the historical context that smells brand new. We are obligated by the spirits of our fighting ancestors to not go back to the “normal” in which we lived the day before Philando was murdered by police, the day before Alton was murdered by police, the day before Alva was murdered by police. The new us must wake every morning with a strong sense of destruction for this broken democracy and a renewed commitment to tearing it apart, one racist law at a time, one racist District Attorney at a time, one racist Secretary of State at time, and we must do it one vote at a time. Black people and allies alike set your temperament to enraged, your heart to bold, your mind to duty and let us set out to destroy America’s current democracy for one that truly serves us all!