Ferguson Missouri « Reclaiming Our Way

13Aug/140

Black Kids Don’t Have to Be College-Bound for Their Deaths to Be Tragic

The piece by Jasmine Banks linked below is something I think folks should read. I agree with the sentiments wholeheartedly. While I understand some aspect of the intent, it absolutely feeds into this hierarchy we create in terms of who is more or less deserving of respect, dignity, compassion, even justice.

Read the entire piece here.

The message is clear...

Let me be clear: Unarmed college hopefuls don't deserve to be shot. Unarmed kids heading to work or trade school don't deserve to be shot. Unarmed kids floundering aimlessly through life don't deserve to be shot. Unarmed kids who have been in trouble—even those who have been nothing but trouble—don't deserve to be shot.

The act of pinning the tragedy of a dead black teen to his potential future success, to his respectability, to his "good"-ness, is done with all the best intentions. But if you read between the lines, aren't we really saying that had he not been on his way to college, there'd be less to mourn?

That's dead wrong.

Tagged as: Black youth, excessive force, Ezell Ford, Ferguson Missouri, Jasmine Banks, Los Angeles, Michael Brown No Comments

11Aug/140

Michael Brown & Ferguson, Missouri: Old Problem, New Fronts in Our Resistance

Michael Brown.

Another good brother.

Another shooting.

Another death.

This time (and yet again), at the hands of the police.

This has got to stop! And from the sounds of it, all of the authorities are falling in line behind the officer. At least tomorrow, we'll learn who the officer is.

One thing I know for sure is that this is unacceptable. But it was unacceptable on Saturday morning as well, hours before our young brother Michael Brown began walking to his grandmother's house, and became the subject of a police officer's unwanted attention. It has been unacceptable since the earliest periods of contact between African people and Europeans, and subsequently between African Americans and whites in this country.

It's always been unacceptable, yet it's always been a reality. We absolutely need to protest, demonstrate, and so much more, in the ways we each are familiar with. But we also need to find newer and more updated ways of fighting back, of protesting, of countering this huge and tragic injustice.

So... While I don't have much knowledge of the inner workings of computer systems, software, etc., I do know that other forms of protest are needed, and more and more "good-intentioned" citizens in this country need to stand up, speak up and get involved.

With that in mind, I'm curious about how this sort of cyber-protest will unfold (see the brief video below) with the anonymous group of hackers. As they describe in the video below, they are committed to intervening via the city's computer assets if any of the individuals involved in the protests and demonstrations are injured.

Yes! We absolutely need justice in this case!

We also need an end to all of these killings!

They are not isolated incidents!