I am not good at saying I told you so, however, there were numbers of people both Black and White, who said, “Dr. King’s dream came true, a Black man is the president of America and that is the death of racism.”
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A great number of people knew better but they wanted to lull Black folks to sleep. 1 said then in this very same column that racism is alive and well, so be on guard.
I accidentally tuned into a local radio show and heard the host championing all police. In his other life he must have wanted to be a police officer. His very attitude encouraged his racist-leaning audience to light the station up with pro police and anti-Black phone calls.
It is regretful that a radio station will put ratings over realism and put blinders on when a police officer is charged with a violation of a person’s rights, particularly when it is a Black person. The topic was the brutalization of a young Homewood Black honor-student by three White undercover policemen. The response was not surprising. The bigots and those who truly believe the police can do no wrong overwhelmingly took the side of the police.
Let’s analyze some of the weak arguments. He should have known it was a plain police car with undercover police. If it is a plain car it could be three White boys who frequent the ’hood making a drug buy. The boy should have been home. He was home—that is the street he lives on. The mother just wants some money. The truth of the matter is that the mother wants justice. These people ask for police protection and then complain when they do their job. We want and demand professionalism so our family members don’t have the same fate as Jonny Gammage.
A police officer’s job is extremely dangerous, just remember how many got killed locally. My heart goes out to the families of those police, but I am always reminded that when you put your hand up to be a policeman you are fully aware of the dangers. In the next exams there may be 20 vacancies and a thousand applications.
The weak argument they were decorated generally means they got recognition, not that their hands or actions are totally clean. There were two highly decorated retired policemen in New York, and they were tried as hit men for the mob. Think how many religious leaders, who profess to serve God, get defrocked for every crime under the sun. It is the epitome of stupidity to state all of any profession are without fault.
Throughout the course of my life I have witnessed the actions of the police—Black and White—male and female—and I also have been a victim on several occasions. The most common charge was being a Black smart aleck. That means I had the audacity to question the conduct of the police officers and it resulted in my arrests. But I had a daddy I could call and I was exonerated in every case.
Anyone that would suggest that police—particularly those who work plainclothes—stop Blacks and approach them all the time with badge around their neck or in their hand and say, “Pardon me sir, I am a police officer. Would you please come over here and place your hands on the top of this vehicle,” belongs in a mental hospital or with with the skinheads.
Please help the youth at Kingsley Association.
(Louis “Hop” Kendrick is a weekly contributor to the Forum Page.)
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