Shout out to readers in France, Portugal, Denmark, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Cote Ivoire, Cyprus, Turkey, Ukraine, Canada.
"BLACK LIVES MATTER (Period, nothing else needed or to change when talking about humans) Because if you recognize the humanity and value of the least considered person as being human or of value by the power majority, then, you really do believe by default that all human life matters.
On May 25th, 2020, the world watched the George Floyd death. Some people went into shock. Others shrugged it off because to them, that's what someone gets when they "resist" arrest. For others, it was the openly blatant arrogant posturing, seeming smirk in the eyes of emerging trauma, "someone getting this on film? this is my best angle---record it on cell phone. i'm signaling, i'm signaling, time for action . . .read my code!!!!!!!!!!! spawned in a law officer's demeanor, he who will remain without name in this op ed.
No everyday person in America be they Asian, White, Black, Native, bi-racial, expected the world to erupt in waves of repulsion that breach-birthed protest.
The killing shocked us.
The killing frightened us.
And for once, America had to see that the world really is watching, disapproving of our troubling indulgence in racial vitiation. We are unflinchingly being judged. We can no longer delude ourselves that we alone possess an all encompassing global eye of judgement.
Of course, older generations' aberrant amnesia blocking out the 1960's Civil Rights rebellion when global television cameras transmitted images of police dogs and water hoses weaponized as means of societal control on US citizens seeking equality, ebbed and flowed in states of tolerance during similar killings over the past two decades.
But this . . .is somehow different.
Amnesia got slammed by a horrendous bucket to the consciousness ice-water reality splash.
Poor and oppressed people in American and around the world, uniting in coalitions of diversity, are shouting ENOUGH! in the face of strong resistance and historic inhumanity.
In the memories of most who witnessed similar interactions, in person or on television, during the 60s, THIS DEJA VU IS TROUBLING!
Multi-racial/cultural coalitions in the US are not new.
Freedom Singers at the March on Washington in 1963
Peace keepers, good police, community minded law officers across the world wrestle with their conscience and bigoted, divisive colleagues who hold a different opinion of who is human and who has value.
Police of all races are sometimes hurting, yet forced to conform to the tough warrior personas in a spiral of employment oppression. Frequently stigmatized as weak when they call out for help, these police in fragile mental, emotional, and spiritual pain due to job stressors are stigmatized and ostracized. Those who genuinely joined their departments to serve the people, and are walking broken beings should not be on the streets. They need compassion. They need help..https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/record-number-us-police-officers-died-suicide-2019/story?id=68031484
Many Whites who are in denial of issues in their own neighborhoods and families also need help. White victimization, White crime, and White poverty exists.
It's not just Blacks or other people of color, To many people of color, it seems as if it is easy for Whites to compartmentalize and justify the suffering of their race, silencing White pain in the 21st century. They seem to be able to only link thoughts of poverty, crime, and "victimhood" to African Americans or other people of color. It is possible that algo rhythms on the web are coded to encourage the frequency of stories about poor people, people of color, criminality, and pain.
However, this myth is being exposed for what it is . . .aberrant amnesia/denial about societal problems, including negative interactions with the police, in White communities. AND a significant number of White as well as Black people with disabilities are being hurt or killed in the crush of unmediated interactions. https://thegrio.com/2020/09/08/utah-police-shoot-autistic-boy/
Videos have increasingly continued to surface like this:
White's common 21st century responses used to be,"If you obey the
police, it doesn't usually happen." or "I think he(the officer) did what
he thought he had to do to control the situation." as stated in many
Youtube. videos by Whites from various ranks of society for over the
last five years. Until now.
More and more are emerging.
These videos, increasingly revealed on social media, point to one of the reasons why protesters in America are comprised of several classes, generations, races, and gender expressions.
I remember thinking during the first months of the pandemic that racial conflict must be disappearing. It seemed too good to be true. It was.
Media coverage of Ahmaud Aubrey detonated racial poison onto national public awareness. Outrage, outrage, outrage. COVID 19 dynamics meant nothing to too many. George Floyd's tragedy erupted up into our societal stratosphere.
Now? It seems like total chaos. Yet, at the personal relationship level to the community minded level, ethical people are standing up and speaking up, working on a new foundation for 21st century racial healing.
If we don't learn how to at least exist in tolerance, may God have mercy on us all.
Just a few random thoughts,
Delores fisher
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