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Letter to the Editor
Deadly Summer
How can African-American
men stay cool, calm and collected when they are constantly
being killed by law enforcement officers? The list continues
with the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philandro Castille on
July 5 and 6. These killings are just another piece of
racial disharmony in America. When I think of how blacks
were brought over on slave ships, hearing stories of black
bodies hanging from trees in the South, Martin L. King’s
assassination, Emmett Till’s gruesome death, little black
girls bombed in church, Medgar Evers’ death, should we say
calm?
If you are black, pulled
over by a white police officer, you are “at risk.” You have
to wonder what kind of officer will show up. A good one, bad
one, a racist or one who is just having a lousy day. Most
importantly, how do you tell the difference?
The shooting deaths of
five white officers in Dallas, Texas by Micha Johnson was
heartbreaking. Johnson had a twisted mind. His past was
analyzed, trying to find out why he would commit such a
violent act. Tell me, what is causing some white officers to
shoot so many African-American males?
My black brothers have
been shot in the back while running, shot carrying a bag of
skittles, held in a police vehicle, mysteriously injured,
then dying, shot holding a toy gun, shot with their hands in
the air. Another brother telling officers, “I can’t
breathe,” was restrained, although not killed by gun shots,
the end result – death! Maybe analyzing should be
reciprocated!
Some white law enforcement
officer are saying they are fearful for their lives. Read
your history books, check out the news and tell me what race
of people have had more reason to be fearful for their lives
in America? How many white parents worry about their child’s
safety when they leave home?
No one has said any life
matters more than any other but the way I see things our
lives didn’t matter beginning with slavery, when history
books excluded our worth, even now when juries don’t indict
white police officers responsible for the brutal deaths of
my black brothers.
I will never condone any
acts of violence. I condemn a nation that will not hold
individuals accountable for so many blatant killings by some
white police officers who were hired to maintain and enforce
the law. For me there is a strong feeling that black lives
don’t matter in America. The violence against my black
brothers, the phone calls reporting the deaths, the pain,
grief stricken family members and countless funerals
continue!
Cora Louise Jones
356 ½ W. Central Avenue
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