Raise The White Flag

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And, I know I spelt "Breathe" wrong, AGAIN. I'm always spelling it wrong, but this edit took FOREVER, and I'm not changing it now. 😇
'I am the brown man picking up cans getting accosted by an officer making demands “Show me your hands!” Show me your badge! “Obey my commands!” What am I doing wrong, officer? I don’t understand. Bam. I am the black woman hugging her kids getting assaulted by an officer “Where do you live? (A punch in the ribs) “Answer me! Those aren’t your kids.” Why are you doing this, officer? I just want to live. Damn. I am the brown woman in a hijab getting confronted by her coworker losing her job. “Take that shit off! You heard me right. Take that shit off! You want to live here? You have to respect American laws.” Man. I am the coloured child, not allowed to run wild, can’t get angry, ’cause that anger just might get me profiled. This same wise child smiled after being reviled because his beauty was so beguiling it could not be defiled.'-@Jogia
Throughout most of last year, I've been putting #RacialInjustice on the back burner. I felt that #Covid19 was of far more importance.
But, seeing Avan's portrayal of a man being held in a choke hold by am officer of the law has helped me realize what truly angers me.
"Stop resiting!" They say.
But, how cam a man stop fighting when you've got an arm around his thraot like rope?
We tend to panic when we're being suffocated, which is exactly what Avan's character did in this clip.
"I can't breathe!" He choked. "I can't breathe!"
Just like so many other colored men.
Officers are supposed to protect and serve, not lynch and kill.
And, this. This senseless killing of innocent human beings doesn't just happen to black men and woman, but all men and women of color. Indian, Mexican, Arib, the list goes on. We live in an age where some police officers get suspicious when they see a dark skinned person and that is not ok.
"But, how can we fight back?" You ask.
Well, Avan wrote a book. He portrayed what it's like to be a victim of police brutally. He puts it in his music. He's shown me that there are other ways to fight back that don't include protests or revenge or rioting. There are other ways that our voices can be heard.
And, before you go and say, "What does this matter to me as a white person?"
This could've been your colored friend, your cousin who's skin is a shade darker than yours. This could've been my brother, Gabe or Anthony or Devin. This could've been my uncle Larry. This could've been Wes, sweet gentle Wes who gives me the biggest bear hugs, because he is always so happy to see me.
It's not that Covid19 isn't important. It is. I just think that dying at the hands of an officer, gasping for air as your vision blurs, your last words being #ICANTBREATH, is a far worse fate to face.
Change Begins With Understanding. And, the key to understanding is looking at both sides.
Are there Bad Apples in Policing? Yes, and we need to speak out against that. But, that doesn't mean that all Officers of the Law are Racist or Violent. And, assuming so as you fight for equally makes you just as dangerous as the Bad Apples in the Police Force.
The truth is, most of our men and women in Blue have the same goal as you do; to get home safe.
It's tricky, isn't it, choosing what side to fight for? But, why can't we fight for both? What law says we can't come to a solution that will benefit both the Cop and the Suspect?
De-funding the Police Force isn't the answer.
Better training, maybe.
Teaching our children that skin color doesn't have a label, absolutely.
Yes, I have family members who could be Racially Profiled at any time, dark skinned brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles and their little ones. But, I'm also friends with a few people who actually work in the Police Force. I know not everyone is lucky enough to see both sides so personally.
To begin to understand, one must be willing to learn and let go of their previous assumptions.
That is the only way that things will change.