Staying Alive

At first we thought it was just a white disease. You know because locally it was only affecting White men in West Hollywood. It was the eighties and unless you were a snow queen who lived there, Black gays did not frequent West Hollywood as not only did we have our own neighborhood clubs (and House music), we were clearly unwelcome north of Wilshire. I’ve always found it amusing that people so often perceive the gay community as extremely liberal and accepting to all. For us when it came to white gay establishments, our blackness clearly outweighed our gayness. We used to joke about getting double carded at the West Hollywood clubs while White guys on skate boards with back packs looking all of twelve years old rolled on in past us with no ID. But it eventually reached our side of town and slowly began to invade our lives, this disease not yet named. A friend of a friend had gotten sick from some strange flu virus or something and within a matter of months and even sometimes weeks they were gone. We tried to rationalize by blaming it on those who did drugs, spent time in bath houses or generally led unhealthy lives. The crowd I ran with was fairly clean cut so we all fooled ourselves into feeling safe.

When it began to affect us as a group, we were unsure how to react. Hushed voices spoke of so and so who’d gotten sick…but shh, don’t tell anyone…keep it to yourself. We watched helplessly as our friends began to die off and our ranks diminished. The reaction from the Black community was particularly devastating. We were told we were less than and somehow deserving of what we had foolishly brought on ourselves…God’s wrath. We were shunned and ostracized by those who we called our own and the one place we should have been able to seek non-judgmental solace closed its doors to us. The Black church. Those who claimed they cared for our souls condemned us to hell. I can remember having to actively seek burial and memorial services for friends as their homecoming was deemed dirty in houses of worship. When we were able to secure a place, we were either completely ignored or preached down to and publicly demonized. You’ll forgive me my obvious angry bias against bible thumping, select scripture quoting, fake Black Christians but if you’ve ever spent time seeking a place to memorialize your friend, a friend whose family had disowned and abandoned him, a friend whose only crime was living his life truthfully, a friend who assumed those who had raised and righteously protected him as their baby boy would do so with his passing, you might understand.  To this day I’m unable to fully release the resentment I harbor as though it would somehow be a sign of disloyalty to the memory of my friends. To be clear in spite of the total disregard for our lives by the many Black pulpit bullies and their willfully ignorant congregations, I never turned away from God. I just realized I don’t need a church in order to facilitate my spiritual relationship.

So we formed our surrogate family and banded together to silently but defiantly fight for our dignity and to battle the discrimination from within our own community. Discrimination brought on by ignorance, assumptions and false prophecy. And always as we battled it was in constant fear of that dreaded four letter word and the certainty of the death sentence it imposed. We battled simply to stay alive leaning on each other for support as hope became our mantra. Perhaps we should have been stronger and ignored it but the weight of the judgement was crushing and the fact that it was coming from the people and the community we loved made it painfully unbearable. Fortunately, over time scientific research led to effective preventive solutions and the community allowed themselves to become educated about the disease as well. The ignorance and judgement abated…somewhat. And I have to say I was privileged to have friends and family to lean on who were mostly non-judgmental but always caring and compassionate. Others, many others were not so fortunate.

All these many years later I find myself today turning 60…WTF! Though I feel proud to have lived through those times I feel guilty for having survived. I know that in those early days I did nothing particularly different than those who passed, as initially none of us knew what to do…I was just lucky. Of course with time I learned the rules of survival. I learned how to stay alive but for many of my friends, it was already too late. Today I can’t help but to think of my friends. Those who never saw their 30^th, 40^th and certainly not their 50^th birthdays. Friends with whom I assumed I would grow old. Not all of them were victims of the disease but they all died much too soon. I wonder how their lives would have turned out, what they may have become and the successes they may have achieved. I wonder how they would feel about the things the younger generation now take for granted. Way back then most of us were not out to our families and certainly not at work. There were no Black out athletes, politicians or other people of prominence. My friends were never able to engage in an argument of gay marriage, adoption or even simple gay rights, to them it would have been unimaginable in fact not even on their radar. A Black president? They would have laughed you out of here. Dating hook-up sites? Please, back then you met people the old fashioned way…at the club.

So Happy Birthday to me, I’m fortunate and thankful to have lived another year but more importantly Happy Birthday to my friends for all those many birthdays missed. I celebrate you and today I live every moment for you all. Please join me in toasting my brothers.

Garland Jones

Dennis Mathieu

Vince Livingston

Calvin Woodard

Leroy “Poncho” Matthews, Jr.

Duane Bremond

Darrell Trible

Anthony Jiles

Aaron Davis

Leonard “Mickey “Gindratt

Greg Washington

Torrey Edwards

Matthew Pearson

Heywood “Woody” Weaver

And

Daryl Lamar Troup

A Change of Heart

So Donald Trump has come to the realization that Klan members, White Nationalists and racist Nazi bigots alone won’t get him the votes necessary to win the presidential election. So now he’s courting the minority vote by reaching out to the African-American and Latino communities. Except he’s decided to court them by speaking exclusively to White audiences and reinforcing their negative stereotypical view of the deplorable plight of minority voters. I don’t know, usually when you want to speak to a specific group of people you go where they are. Wait, what’s that now? You feel insulted and agree that’s not the most effective way to reach the intended audience? Well of course it is because this isn’t about the minority vote or some attempt at outreach, it’s about White people. White people on the edge who can’t bring themselves to vote for him because of his continual racist rhetoric but think if he’s reaching out to the minority communities he can’t really be that racist, now can he. And just as an aside, where the hell are his token African-Americans? He used to have a couple of them standing behind him at his events but they seemed to have disappeared…just wondering, not suggesting sending out a search party for their dumb asses or anything they’re probably happily back on the plantation.

So Mr. Trump goes to a Klan rally rally in Mississippi and again in front of a an audience completely devoid of minorities calls out Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party as bigots and says minorities should vote for him because democrats have made our communities uneducated impoverished war zones full of crime and drugs that only he can help. With him as president he says we’ll be able to get off of welfare and walk down the street in our neighborhoods without the fear of getting shot. He’ll bring back jobs from Mexico and China and we can all go work in his factories for stagnant minimum wage and we’ll all be so thankful we’ll be worshipping at his feet. (Isn’t that called slavery?) Ok, this asshole is just fucking insulting. Seriously he generalizes and paints entire groups of people with broad strokes as crime ridden, jobless, uneducated and living on freebies from the government.  Because of his generalizations he and his supporters see us as all the same, so of course there’s no variety in our lifestyles or livelihoods. None of us are college educated, have good jobs or own homes. We’re all unemployed, lazy more than likely on drugs and constantly killing each other for sport. So he says we should vote for him because “what do you have to lose?” Well let’s see:

• Healthcare.
• Any chance at a minimum wage increase or higher wages.
• Jobs, jobs, jobs.
• Criminal justice reform.
• The Supreme Court.
• Sustained institutionalized racism.
• An end to voter suppression and the gutting of the Voter’s Rights Act.
• A woman’s right to govern her own body.
• Changes to gerrymandered districts.
• His appeal and enabling of white nationalist and supremacists groups.
• Dignity & self-respect.

Just to name a few.

To be clear we’re just supposed to forget that whole vile racist birther movement you helped to promote Donald? Or that during the primary, Mexicans were rapists and murderers and now, not so much? What about your claims that a judge was biased against your legal case “because he’s a Mexican”. We’re just stupid and don’t remember your refusal to condemn your white supremacist and Klan supporters? Were you just joking when you said the Trump supporters who beat up a homeless Latino man were simply being passionate about voting for you? Weren’t you the one who said “we need more racial profiling”? What about that housing discrimination suit brought against you and you father by Blacks and Latinos in New York in the 70s? Hello, is this thing on? Please, Donald Trump is full of shit. He hasn’t changed his views or his opinions. He’s the same condescending, bigoted, sexist, narcissistic, bankruptcy filing loser he always was. Simply put Donald Trump is an inherent racist snake oil salesman, he can’t help himself. Any minority person who falls for this latest strategic change and votes for him is a delusional idiot.

Cowards, In Two Acts

I don’t even know where to begin. Except to ask when will it stop? When will we get to the point of refusing to take it anymore? Another senseless police killing, make that two killings within 24 hours of African-American men at the hands of police. So where to begin, the one in Baton Rouge, Louisiana or the even more brutal execution outside of St. Paul, Minnesota?   

Case #1

So we’ve all seen him. The CD man selling movies outside the liquor store or in the parking lot at Ralph’s. Hell I’ve bought a few. So he’s selling his CDs with the permission of the store owner. A homeless man begins persistently harassing him for money so to get him off his back he lifts up his shirt and shows him a gun in his waistband. The homeless man calls 911 to report a man threatening people with a gun. The police show up and confront the man who is bewildered as to why they are there as he sells in the same spot everyday with no problem. He ask why as he is unaware of the phone call made by the homeless man. Rather than talk to him or make any attempts to deescalate the situation, the two officers use a Taser and tackle him to the ground. While both officers are on top of him with his arm pinned back one of them feels the gun in his pocket shouts “he’s got a gun, gun!” and the other officer pulls out his gun and shoots the guy four times point blank in the chest. One of the officers then reaches into the shot man’s pants pocket and pulls out a gun. I’m not making this up or enhancing the story this is exactly what happened. Take a look for yourself, both the first and second video here, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/06/new-video-shows-alton-sterling-was-not-holding-a-gun-when-baton-rogue-police-killed-him.html . Of course they feared for their lives, you know him being black and all. Almost immediately there are press releases touting the man’s criminal record.

So let me break it down for you. He had a gun in his pocket but he did not have it in his hand nor did he reach for it. The man was pinned to the ground with two police officers on top of him. One of the officers apparently saw the hand grip sticking out of his pocket so he yelled GUN! At this point his cowardly partner pulled his weapon and shot the man point blank in the chest. Another murder by a spineless, panicked public servant.

Case #2

While driving with their daughter in the car, a couple gets pulled over for driving with a busted tail light. An officer approaches the car and ask for license and registration. As the driver reaches for his wallet, he informs the officer that he has a concealed weapon carry permit and he is armed. The officer pulls his revolver and shoots the driver 4 times. Not made up eyewitness account live streamed here (it’s not only graphic, it’s heartbreaking), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WkTURRuDZ0 .

While the man is lying there dying this trigger happy thug still has the gun pointed at him and the woman and child in the car. The police then force the girlfriend to her knees outside the car, toss her phone which she is using to record and put her handcuffed in the back seat of a police car. Meanwhile the cops get their story together to dispute her version of events. I know, I know, feared for his life, blah, blah blah. Cue the victim’s criminal record report. Wait, what now? What do you mean he has no criminal record and was a fully employed hard working father? That’s not supposed to be part of the story, ok who changed the script damn it.

As a concealed carry holder, I’m not sure if this guy was under an obligation to inform the officer he had a gun. But he's thinking he'll be responsible and let the officer know that he's legally armed and reaching for his ID. At no time does he point his gun at the officer nor even retrieve his weapon. Yet, this young man ends up dead. Because we are immediately seen as a threat he was shot and killed by an obvious panicked and frightened police officer. I’m sorry and don’t mean to appear judgmental but there is seriously something wrong with the men being hired to “serve and protect." The truly scary part is he was shot for complying with a police directive. He was asked for his ID, when he went to get it the cop freaked out and yelled don't move then executed him. A young white man with his girlfriend and daughter in a car with a broken tail light would never have been murdered in such a vicious and cold blooded manner. No one can convince me otherwise.

Of course in both cases it was the victims fault. I mean they had no business being non-white around cops, right? I’ve said this before, I don’t think all cops are bad, I’m sure no one does, but there are too many who are and they are killing people and something needs to be done. I know the officer’s job is tough but they signed up for it, so do it with integrity and not with vengeance. Ok, so when will it stop? Unfortunately for us this persistent relentless problem of cops killing Blacks and not being held accountable is unlikely to be addressed until things escalate to the point where these murders start affecting white people as much as they affect everyone else. Until it’s a problem for white people.

Cry Baby

It’s been over a week and I can’t stop crying. I didn’t know any of the people killed last weekend in Orlando but I knew all of them. Twenty years ago that could have been me or any one of my friends. But it wasn’t, it was someone else’s children. Someone else’s brother, sister, aunt or uncle. It’s painful to imagine someone so filled with hate they would viciously gun down those simply out for a good time. Drinking, dancing and enjoying themselves with no idea they would soon be brutally murdered.  I’ve read a lot this week of how gay clubs were and are places of refuge for the gay community. Places where you feel safe, guarded and immune from the judgement and bigotry of the outside world. Places where you are free to be yourself, free to love yourself, free to embrace yourself and all that you are. No longer, and I can’t stop crying.

I can’t stop crying and I’m angry. Angry because a homophobic, ruthless wife-beater who had threatened violence before and been investigated by the FBI was able to legally buy war weapons. Angry because this man specifically targeted gay people of color. Angry because people want to post rainbow flags and praying hands on their Facebook page after these innocents were murdered as if that shows their support for the LGBT community. Angry because these same anti-gay bigots will get mileage out of this tragedy by pretending support they never gave before. Angry…because I feel helpless. And I can’t stop crying.

I can’t stop crying and my heart aches. It aches for the families of the victims, some of whom may not have realized their loved ones sexuality until this tragic event. It aches for those who have survivor’s guilt and will always wonder why them and not me? My heart aches because we still live in a world where hate and condemnation is taught and encouraged because of obedient and blind faith to biased opinions and anti-gay rhetoric. Like this pastor from Sacramento, http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/news-sacramento/sacramento-pastor-upset-more-didnt-die-in-orlando/40049716 . This self-proclaimed Christian had this to say in a sermon the morning after the shootings. "People say, well, aren't you sad that 50 sodomites died? Here's the problem with that, it's like the equivalent of asking me, well, aren't you sad that 50 pedophiles were killed today?' No, I think that's great. I think that helps society. I think that Orlando, Florida is a little safer tonight. The tragedy is that more of them didn’t die." My heart aches for those who sit in this man’s church pews week after week and are influenced and buy into his hate speech. It aches for those who didn’t immediately get up and walk out of the church but instead remained seated. It aches for those who look to this man as an example of how they should lead their daily lives. And still I can’t stop crying.

I cry at my own vulnerability and I find myself in an incessant state of anxiety constantly looking over my shoulder. Wondering if some nut job knows I’m gay and wants to kill me or my partner because they received the word from their pastor. Rejoicing and confident in the fact that if they slaughter and murder those worthy of death it will somehow please the God they believe in and grant them instant access to heaven. I can’t stop crying and I’m angry. Angry because people refuse to believe the violence, discrimination, and hatred of homophobia still exist. Angry because this man possibly full of self-loathing because he was gay, felt he could rid himself of his internalized homophobia by acting out against others. Angry because there are those who instill this hateful ignorance in innocents from birth and feel it’s their God given right to hate me simply because of who I am. I’m angry and I’m sad….and I can’t stop crying.

Just Wondering

Why is it that when a Black person shoots someone all Black people are considered violent murderous thugs? When a Latino rapes or kills someone, all Latinos are rapists and killers. When a Muslim shoots people all Muslims are declared violent jihadist terrorists. But when a White person shoots and kills he’s always misunderstood, acting alone and in need of a big hug and mental health treatment… and a Burger King meal. 

Gotta Broken Heart Again

The true gift of an accomplished musical artist is the ability to capture and pass on relatable songs musically and especially lyrically. When you catch a song you haven’t heard in years and you’re able to sing along word for word, beat by beat it’s indicative of musical genius. It’s also because originally you were presented with a story, Darling Nikki or an experience, When Doves Cry with which you connected. It’s funny that Head came on my iPod this morning at the gym (save that dirty joke for later) and I had to catch myself because not only was I dancing along, I’m pretty sure what I thought was me singing in my head was actually out loud…lets’ just be happy it wasn’t the more controversial song which follows Head on the Dirty Mind album, I may have been asked to leave the gym. The artists I appreciate most all have this talent in common. Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Maurice White and Prince. The genius is not in just having something to say but in making people want to hear it…again and again.

There are so many songs he wrote that touched me it would literally take pages and pages to fill.  I know a lot of people attribute me with turning them on to Prince but in reality it was my sister Wanda who gave me that first album, For You. She had purchased it on a trip to Texas because she liked the single Soft & Wet but wasn’t really feeling the rest of the album…she would learn to appreciate him in later years. I know a lot of people didn’t really get that first album but I was hooked from that point on. I saw him perform at Flippers Roller Disco (I know) in West Hollywood in 1979 and our relationship was cemented. I bought every single album he put out from that moment up to and including the millennium. I was there with him and the Revolution, the New Power Generation and don’t fool yourself that first album by the Time was all Prince… Jamie Starr my ass. I remained a fan through it all, even when he was releasing albums annually, I bought them all. No matter the name he used Prince, the Sign, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince I bought them all.

Over the years I would see him perform several times. The last time I saw him was 2011 at the Forum in Inglewood when he did his 21 shows. I was with several friends and we, just like the entire audience were on our feet from the time he hit the stage through to the end, two solid hours.  Each song triggered a different experience from the past and I found myself racing through a multitude of emotions and memories trying to keep up. When it was over I was drained but I wanted more. I’m thankful I got see him that last time and I’m gonna miss him but I refuse to linger in sadness. For me he’ll live on in the many memories he helped me create through his music and for that my heart continues to dance and I remain forever grateful.

I was dreamin' when I wrote this

So sue me if I go too fast

But life is just a party, and parties weren't meant to last

War is all around us, my mind says prepare to fight

So if I gotta die I'm gonna listen to my body tonight

                                                                    -Prince

Bitter Betty

We’re gonna fool around and blow a golden opportunity handed by us by the Republicans. They have managed to allow Donald Trump yes Donald Trump to become the front runner in the Republican primary and we need to take full advantage of their blunder. Unfortunately there are those who would let this chance pass us by. I’m talking about all you Bernie Sanders supporters who say you won’t vote if Hillary is the democratic nominee and not Bernie. Look everyone has the right to be stupid irresponsible idealistic? Ok so that I don’t intentionally insult anyone, we’ll go with idealistic. So everyone has a right to be idealistic and committed to a cause but that doesn’t mean you get to be a spoiled 6 year-old brat and decide to not play when you don’t get your way. Even if your candidate of choice doesn’t make it to the finals you still have a responsibility to stop the other side in their contentious strategies of voter suppression and their xenophobic misogynist policies…and let’s not forget the old reliable gerrymandering which a Republican majority allows. A non-vote aids in their goal to push back all the advancements made by the Obama administration for women, minorities and the LGBT community.

 This election cycle has given us two great Democratic candidates amidst the crazies of the Republican pool. To be honest the ideals of Hillary and Bernie are not that far distanced so if Bernie doesn’t get the nomination and you don’t vote you’re essentially saying you don’t care about any of the things for which he advocates. Of course there are reasons to dislike both candidates. But everything I hear about Hillary is rooted in fake scandals and fabricated or exaggerated stories which usually have origins rooted in the Republican opposition. Hillary isn't evil, she's progressive and pragmatic and Bernie is a liberal socialist. Certainly not worlds apart. It's really a shame that all these Bernie supporters have bought into the total smear campaign the GOP has been running against Hillary for years now.

This no Hillary vote seems to be embedded in the minds of Gen X and Millennial voters who are avid Bernie supporters and apparently under the impression that they are the first anti-establishment generation. Look it’s great that you’re excited and committed enough to say Bernie or die but it’s just not practical and to be honest its political extortion. What does not voting ever accomplish? If Hillary wins the nomination and doesn't win the presidency because you didn’t think your vote would matter, then you obviously don't mind if Trump or Cruz appoints another Scalia clone that we’ll be forced to live with for 40 years. You also don't mind if they then replace Ginsberg and Stevens with Scalia clones as well. This is simply not the time for apathy, especially among young African-American voters who have no privilege to fall back on…you will be affected. Unlike nut ball privileged one-percenters like actress Susan Sarandon who suggest a non-Hillary protest vote, you will not be insulated from the craziness of a Trump or Cruz presidency…and I’m sure they’ll thank you for your support.

To be clear if Democrats had gotten up off their asses to vote in the 2014 midterms the senate would not have been tipped and we would be celebrating the presidential appointment of a new Supreme Court Justice. Instead we are left to suffer the reign of Super Turtle, Mitch McConnell. This is the man who was famously among those Republicans who on the night President Obama won his first term vowed to make him a one term failed president. So it’s no surprise he leads the obstructionist movement which consistently votes no to anything Obama.

Here’s the thing as I said before, the Democrats have two great candidates. It's stupid to think otherwise and everyone who says they're voting for Bernie should vote for whoever's on the Democratic ticket come November. If you don’t care about systemic racism or police and justice reform, if you’re willing to let the poor, women, minority voters, the LGBT community, immigrants, and children all suffer because Bernie isn't the nominee it’s an indication of outright selfishness. I’m not a Bernie supporter but if it turns out he’s the nominee, I will definitely vote for him as both he and Hillary are the true antithesis of any Republican opponent…period. You gotta have respect for history folks, people died to give your dumb ass the vote, so use it.

A Few Words

I’ve been silent for a while and there’s been a lot going on. It’s not that I haven’t cared to comment, just that I’ve been busy and to be honest I’ve heard that sometimes if you don’t have anything good to say you shouldn’t say anything at all…wait, that’s never stopped me before. From Trump to Cruz, Bernie to Hillary to the city of Cleveland with their ridiculous billing of the family of Tamir Rice for the ambulance ride to the hospital to the water poisoning of Flint, Michigan residents. Yep, a lot of craziness going on.

On the presidential scene, I like everyone else initially treated Donald Trump as a joke. Laughing at the reality show clown and sure he would burn out as soon as we were all let in on the apparent prank of the American public. But the more extreme and outrageous his claims, statements and insults, the more he rules Republican polls and he has now become a major force in state caucuses and primaries. The fact that anyone would even consider voting for this polarizing idiot scares the hell out of me but what’s really terrifying is his appeal to extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, white supremacists and neo-Nazis. They flock to this man like flies to... Remember this, every time he wins so do all the racists, bigots and misogynists who make up his base…and he’s bring them out in big numbers. As for Ted Cruz, well I’ve said it before. Just Google Mr. Haney from Green Acres. Seriously, we get it Rafael, you’re a holy roller. This fake ass Christian has evoked the name of Jesus Christ more times than the book of Luke.

And let’s not forget Mr. Robot Rubio. This is the man who when Governor Chris Christie pointed out that he repeats the same blame President Obama talking points over and over responded by blaming President Obama. The man has nothing to say and to be honest he sets off my Gaydar.  Lastly there’s cry baby Jeb. He’s reminds me of the kid who gets bullied on the school yard and runs home crying to Mom. Except when Mom sends out the kid’s big brother to handle the bully, he himself ends up getting bullied even worse. GW showed up in South Carolina and Trump immediately went on the attack. Rightfully blaming the former president for everything from a failed unprovoked war in Iraq to the collapse of the American economy. A move critics were sure would hurt Trump’s poll numbers but, well you can guess what happened. Apparently invincible Trump strikes again. I say keep an eye on Kasich.

On to Hillary and Bernie. Now I’m the first to admit that the Clintons have not always been the most ardent crusaders for Black folks. Most notably Bill’s 1994 crime bill and his 1996 welfare-reform bill, both of which targeted African-Americans. If it’s fair to include former President Bush’s failures when discussing Jeb, then it’s fair to include Bill’s when discussing Hillary. However, the fact remains that Hillary has her own track record and has both national exposure as a senator and international exposure as the Secretary of State. There are those who say she unfairly attacked President Obama when they were both running in the 2008 presidential election to which I say, they were running against each other…duh that’s how elections work. Anyway he clearly thought enough of her to appoint her Secretary of State. Hillary is by no means the perfect candidate but who is. At least I’m familiar with her.

My question for Bernie is, where the hell ya been bro? I’ve heard he worked in the early civil rights movement and was a student activist who fought for desegregation while attending the University of Chicago but where you been the last 40 years dude? I don’t mean to diminish any accomplishments he may have made and perhaps he has quietly continued the fight, just saying I’ve never heard of him until now. And let’s be real, being the senator from a state with a 96% white population, it’s not like he’s ever had to worry about the African-American vote…until now. While I appreciate his economic plans, some of them are a bit unrealistic and like Rubio he can be a bit robotic, repeating the same talking points over and over. But if he’s able to follow through on his plans to expand healthcare, get corporate money out of politics and create jobs that bring back the middle class decimated by the Bush recession, more power to him because we’d all be better off. I gotta say he’s fooled a lot of people who said nobody would ever vote for an avowed socialist (me included) but there are those who said the same thing about a certain young African-American senator from Illinois about 8 years ago.

With Hillary and Bernie it seems to come down to a generational divide. Young people just don’t like Hillary…and old people like her just because. Or maybe the younger generation is simply sick of the same old same and I can’t say that I blame them. Whatever the reason I hope they appreciate the fact that whoever ends up the candidate, they better get their butts out and vote. Especially considering any of the alternatives. In reality their differences are closer than those of the Republican candidates. Both Hillary & Bernie support Obamacare, although Bernie would like to move to a single-payer plan, both have plans for college affordability, both support an increase to the minimum wage, both support background checks for gun purchases and both of them support a path to citizenship. In addition the two want to eliminate for profit prisons and each have plans to overhaul the criminal justice system. Unlike a lot of people, friends of mine included, they also understand that Latino is no more synonymous with immigration than crime is with African-American. This isn’t to say they don’t have some widely opposing views but just to point out that they do play for the same team. So, considering the options it would seem either Hillary or Bernie is the best choice, period. Anything would be better than having to choose from the Republican clown car.

One Mississippi, Two Mississippi

It amazes me how quickly people come to the defense of the police and blame the victim when a police shooting occurs. How can it be that a pair of police officers race up to within 5 feet of a 12 year old boy holding a toy gun and within seconds shoot him dead from the vehicle even before it skids to a complete stop? They then stand around for four minutes while the child lays there dying without administering any type of assistance. When the little boy’s sister rushes to his aid, one of the officers tackles and handcuffs her and she is forced to sit in the back seat of the police car to watch her brother die. Oh and did I mention all of this was caught on video? The county prosecutor in the case not only finds them free of negligence but he blatantly stacks the deck against an indictment and then recommends that the grand jury in fact, not indict the cops. And still there are those who continually blame the victim or others for these officer’s actions. These people have no compassion and are incapable of empathizing. They cannot put themselves in or even imagine their children in the same situation because they simply do not view young Black boys as they do themselves. So they blame the victim.

• He shouldn’t have been playing with a toy gun in the park.
• He was big for his age so they mistook him for an adult.
• Where was his mother, why did she buy him the realistic looking toy gun? Why didn’t she raise him to not act like a thug?
• Where was his father? With the assumption that because he’s Black his father couldn’t possibly be involved in his life.
• He should have simply complied with the officer’s orders (my personal favorite, especially considering the time frame).
• What do you expect the police to do in those neighborhoods? Full of crime and infested with gang activity?
• The officer feared for his life. (see above)

 RIDICULOUS!

These excuses and assumptions are all based on the fact that this child was Black. PERIOD! You cannot convince me that had the police been in a White suburban neighborhood and gotten the call of a White child playing with a possible toy gun in the park they would have rushed in, pulled up right next to him and shot him dead. Absolutely not. They would have taken time to properly assess the situation and choose the least lethal way to handle. Hostage negotiators, a psychiatrist and the kid’s Priest would have been called in to assist. But because of where he was and who he was, he was assumed to be just another hood thug to be terminated…and literally left to die. They did not see a 6^th grader in the park playing with a toy…they didn’t take the time.

So the prosecutor says the video shows Tamir reaching for the gun in his waistband. That’s not what I saw. What I saw was a kid who saw the police rushing in and attempted to motion to the gun to maybe let them know it was a toy and not real. Or maybe he was trying to drop it. Maybe he thought, I don’t know “I’m 12 years old, perhaps these well-armed adult officers are here to protect me”. He never got the chance to explain. The prosecutor says he was big for his age. WTF?? So what! Being big and Black is justification for killing? These two officers rushed in there and shot him with the car still rolling before you could count to two. I bet they couldn’t even give an accurate description of him. So if the police are as innocent as the prosecutor suggest why did they lie on the initial report? They originally said he was sitting on the bench with a group of kids. That they gave him several commands to drop the gun and he pointed it at them so they shot him…again, the video. None of that shit happened. So when the video comes out they change their story and use the old they “feared for their lives” defense. But the prosecutor saw nothing wrong with this. Or nothing negligent about the fact that they left this child on the ground bleeding to death until an FBI agent who just happened to be in the area came along and administered aid. Yeah, nothing wrong with that at all.

But what do expect, this is the same incompetent police department who upon hearing a car backfire mistook it for gunshots and chased down the car killing the two occupants inside. True story http://abcnews.go.com/US/verdict-reach-trial-cleveland-police-officer-accused-2012/story?id=31252998  and  http://nypost.com/2015/05/23/cleveland-cop-acquitted-after-killing-two-in-137-shot-barrage/   At the end of the chase after over 137 bullets had been fired, an officer stood on the hood of the car and fired into the windshield and additional 15 TIMES killing the two unarmed occupants… he was acquitted. The judge in the non-jury case said it was not possible to determine whether the 137 shots fired by the other officers or the 15 by the hood cop killed the victims… I can’t make this shit up folks. When someone says to you in response to Black Lives Matter that All Lives Matter this is proof positive that it does not. But don’t bother arguing, they just don’t get it.

Having a police presence shouldn’t mean that we have to constantly watch our backs or walk on egg shells for fear of spooking or terrifying some overly hypersensitive cop. Police should not have nervous hair trigger reflexes ready to shoot first and ask questions never. The responding officers in the Tamir Rice case were obviously grossly incompetent, but poorly trained racist cops should not be armed with a license to kill. They drastically and unnecessarily escalated the situation and ultimately should be held responsible for the death of Tamir Rice. So too should the county prosecutor who failed miserably at his job and denied the community an opportunity to use the justice system to determine whether or not the police officers were justified in their actions. But they won’t and the 12 year old child will continually be blamed for his own death. Gotta love it, justice in America.

Childish Behavior

You know I’ve got to stop reading stories on the internet and then reading the comments section. I read the story and watched the video of the young girl in class who after refusing to give up her cell phone and demands that she leave class was assaulted by a police officer…yes assaulted. Some of the comments in the articles were cringe worthy. Not only did these police apologist condone the behavior of this officer, this young girl was called an animal, a thug and a sassy black bitch who got what she deserved. The reaction was the same last summer at the pool party in Texas where cops were called in and another young Black girl was assaulted by a police officer. This is exactly what the Black Lives Matter movement is all about and it proves what they’ve been saying all along, there is a total disrespect and disregard for Black lives. When these situations arise the person of color is viewed as somewhat less than human and deserving of the treatment received. The point of the movement is not to say that Black lives have more value than others but simply that Black Lives Matter Too.

I know some will say it’s not about color but let’s be honest, the situation would have been handled differently at a school involving white students. If blonde haired, blue-eyed Becky had refused to give up her phone and leave the classroom the police would not have been called in. Instead, the school psychologist would have been contacted to discuss with Becky her compliance phobias and her fear of authority. There then would have been a round table discussion including the other students to air their grievances after which there would have been tears shed and hugs all around. Becky certainly would not have been tossed around like a rag doll and then cuffed, arrested and charged. And by the way since when is it a crime to simply speak up when you see a police officer dragging a girl around the room as was the case of the second student arrested.

Was the girl wrong? Yes. I’m not condoning her behavior but my point is the cop completely overreacted. Teens didn't start rebelling against authority in 2015, this was going on when I was in high school (insert preferred age joke here). We had kids disrupt the class and some may have refused to leave but we didn't have a police officer twice their size come in and flip them out of their desk and toss them across the room. Yes she resisted but the type of resistance she exuded did not merit that kind of force. She wasn't being violent and not one person in that room was in physical danger. Her crime was sending a text. His response was totally unacceptable. He got angry and lost his cool because he didn’t know how to handle an unruly teenager.

To be clear I’m not saying all police officers are bad. However, you will have to deal with non-compliant people when you are a cop. The good ones will use the appropriate amount of force based on the situation. Part of his job was to get this high school student, this child to comply with his orders with minimal disruption to the class and without anyone getting hurt.  Well not only was the girl hurt physically but I suggest you view the video again and look at the faces of the students as he’s attacking her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3T5yVBz5j4 Some hid their face or attempted to look away but all except the second girl arrested remained silent. The mental damage and trauma inflicted on these children forced to witness the violent acts of this police officer thug may be irreparable.