12/30/15
I'll admit it. I thought racism was going away. Obviously, I was terribly wrong. I knew that older people had reached some younger people. Then, those younger people would birth even younger people, and pass their own ignorance on. But, I thought over time, it would lessen the effect.
However, now protests are found in major cities around the country. Some show up, then there are a few broken windows--some arrests made. Then, the protests go away.
Currently in Cleveland, the Tamir Rice protests are underway. The usual disruption of traffic flow, etc. Some people are angry they're there. Protesters are angry that the angry people protesting their protests aren't properly protesting with them.
The big tragedy is the loss of a young life. A black life, I know. But a life feels like a life to me. Once it's gone, it's gone. And the memory of us begins to shrink away, until it's like we weren't here at all. This kid's life was valuable to those who loved him. Now, it represents a much bigger cause. As it should.
I'm especially bothered by all of this because I think a lot of people failed this child. Yes, he shouldn't have been waving a gun around in a park in the first place. Toy or not, it really doesn't matter. We all know what the gun represents. When you point a gun at someone, you're aiming at them. He should've been instructed where this is and is not appropriate.
Why do we even have toy guns? They're pretty vile instruments. Many people, especially in the inner city, look at a gun as a very normal and necessary thing. Like I do with a car. You've gotta have one because you just need to have it. That's all. Somewhere, those who were teaching him about behavior failed him.
Secondly, the 911 emergency system failed him. They didn't have a lot of details. They sent the officers to the scene with the idea that live weaponry was quite possibly involved. 911 is supposed to be a safety net. Here, it was Tamir's death sentence. This failure is unacceptable.
Thirdly, these police failed him. These cops certainly feared him. Why? Black? Possible weapon? Both? It doesn't matter. They feared him and they acted quickly because of that fear. Because they acted aggressively, he's no longer alive.
But most importantly, we're all failing him now. There's no change being enacted because of him. There are more protests, and more angry white v black or black v white tweets. What is this doing? Nothing. We have to change the fact that so many people are dying when they don't need to.
We simply need to all recognize there's a problem. And we need to address these individual issues on their own. Change the way officers are trained to handle situations like Tamir's--to avoid senseless tragedies in the near future. Examine our obsession with handguns and weapons. Show our children that the music and culture they see everyday doesn't have to be the reality they deal with as they grow up.
Finally, we need to let others help us raise our children. Not by physical means, obviously. But, just by being involved in their child's decision-making and upbringing. Think about how many people helped to raise you personally! Family, friends, neighbors. Everything you read, heard and watched all came together to form who you are. If just one kid had talked to Tamir about his toy (and its nature), he might still be here. And if one person had talked to these officers about the decision they were about to face, it might have ended differently. But we can't block bridges. And we can't burn bridges. We have to build bridges. Together. As it stands now, it feels like an endless, empty cycle.
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