Three Fifths Manslaughter

There are moments that define lives. Enough of those moments in the lives of many people, similar or not create patterns. Patterns create perceptions and perception is reality. Make no mistake about that.

There is a pattern that I've noticed as of late. Its not even a stretch of imagination to say so. When Black men are unjustly gunned down by police officers or anyone of authority who legally carries a firearm, the charge is usually manslaughter.

Recently, a young life was taken after suffering 10 shots from an officer’s weapon. Jonathan Ferrell was murdered after surviving a horrendous car accident in which he escaped by kicking his way out of the back window. Oscar Grant lost his life after being fired upon by a police officer while lying on his stomach. Sean Bell was a victim at the hands of several officers.

Besides the obvious fact that these young men were killed by cops, a recurring theme in their prosecution is that the party responsible was never charged with anything more than manslaughter.

Its hard for it not to feel like our lives are less than others. Its hard to see a silver lining. As Black men we are already faced with a common mistrust for police enforcement. These kind of examples further our chasm.

Are we not human beings? Are our lives worth less or worthless? No. We are human. We are lovers and we are loved. Our ancestors were once counted three fifths of human being in order for the South to be properly represented in government. Now, after full citizenship, are we not owed equal protection under the law, from danger and in this nation. This is our America, too. How about another compromise?

Excuse Me, Miss

Who is raising your kid? I ask that with the utmost sincerity. Do you really know what he wants to be? Do you realize what he could be? Do you know where he’s headed? Is that ok with you? I ask because I spoke with your son at school today. He told me that he wanted to be a thug. No joke. He wants to be a thug because it’s tight. I know that you have a lot going on and that you have other children to raise. I know that you work several jobs. I know that you haven’t heard from his father in years. I am aware of all of the obstacles in your life that could get in the way of rearing your child, but he needs you to be superhuman.

He’s much smarter than his teacher thinks. She’s just more focused on his behavior. After sitting in his class, I can understand why. He needs you. I only get an hour a week.

Making it Home 101: How to Survive an Encounter with the George Zimmermans of the World

     As I write this, I realize that I am a bit torn between the meaning of a somewhat cliché saying. That phrase just so happens to be “History repeats itself”. I finished that last sentence and found my point. History takes place as early as yesterday. We are never too far away from it. It just applies differently to situations as they occur. One of those occurrences is walking home as a Black man.

     There are many things that come to mind as I await the outcome of this George Zimmerman Trial. One of those things is as important to me as the actual verdict. How to survive an encounter with someone like George Zimmerman is a discussion that needs to be had. It’s not far from teaching a kid to not look White people in the eye. It’s not even that far removed from Vagrancy Laws or The Fugitive Slave Act. I may be reaching for sensationalism, but please hear me out. If you are a young Black male and you are in an area outside of your artificial environment, outside of your comfort zone, somewhere in which you are clearly a minority, you better damn well have a good reason for being there.

     There has always been a place in America for people who are overzealous vigilantes. These are the people that will go beyond the proverbial “call of duty” to prevent a crime from happening again. These people often say, “These assholes always get away with it.” So, with those words and that mentality, they begin each encounter with a chip on their shoulder. If you are Black, you are guilty. It’s as simple as that. The risk is far too great on their behalf to assume otherwise. Mind you, they are simply “cleaning” up their neighborhoods. You have to understand that before you understand anything else.

     So, when approached, the very first thing you should do is make yourself as small as possible. I don’t mean that you should literally shrink. I mean that whatever it is that makes you look like a threat, outside of your skin color, you should lose it. I, personally, whether right or wrong, take off my hat or hood when I enter convenient stores. This isn’t to make clerks feel safe. This is for me. I need them to know that I mean them no harm. When pulled over by police officers, I keep my hands in plain sight. Why; simply because way too many Black men are accidentally shot. I’ve even gone as far as calling my most responsible, articulate friend and putting them on speaker, just so they can hear the exchange.

     In neighborhoods, especially those that have recently had a string of robberies and or break-ins, I become proactive. I stay away from those places as soon as I realize that the sun is about to go down. There’s a place called Henager, Alabama that I drive through to get home and every single time that I do, my hands are at 10 & 2 on the steering wheel, my windows are rolled up, my doors are locked and my cruise control is on. I try to not to give anyone, of any kind of position, an opportunity to pull me over.

     People may read this and see it as overkill. “Every non Black isn’t a racist or even prejudice”, they’ll say. I UNDERSTAND THAT. I do, but my safety is a lot more important to me than being politically correct during these situations. I don’t think we realize that young slave girls that were becoming women were first “had” by their masters. They had no choice. Any and I do mean ANY good parent would mentally prepare their daughters for the horror of what was about to happen to them. That comparison is meant to be extreme because it needs to raise eyebrows.There is no excuse for failing to teach your children, no matter your race, about the worst possible scenarios of life.This is one of them.

     This is by no means an article about knowing your place as a Black man. It’s merely recognizing the place that you are in. You have to become one with your surroundings. Webster’s Dictionary is filled with words that prove my point. You need to assimilate. It could save your life. Don’t take my position literal. Take it in context of who I am and the world I live in. Soon, I’ll have to write about the lack of uproar when a Black man kills another Black man. Why isn’t Al Sharpton in “Chiraq”?

Album Drop

Thanks to music, Paula Deen and George Zimmerman, niggas have had an extremely interesting few weeks. 

Lets talk about music, though. J. Cole and Kanye dropped on the same day. That was a very bold, but smart move by Mr. Cole. We all know that you can't sell more than Kanye in the first week, but J. Cole's music and his fans gave him the 50 Cent like confidence he needed to embark on such an endeavor. Honestly, I like Born Sinner much more than I like Yeezus. Simply put, liking Yeezus more than Born Sinner is similar to not considering LeBron James great for non basketball reasons. It just doesn't make sense, but I digress. 

The next album up for discussion is Wale's The Gifted. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Maybe it does, but I didn't hear it. In a conversation with a friend, we each concluded that in order for us to return as Wale fans, he'll have to drop a Stillmatic type of album. He'll have to remind us that he made Attention Deficit. Dear Wale, we really want you to succeed. We want to be your fans. Help us out.

That leads us to the finale of my music rant. Jay Z finally dropped Magna Carta Holy Grail. Magna Carta Holy Grail...with an app. Say what you will about Jay Z, but you must admire his business sense. In sports, great players force rule changes. Some of the greats, i.e. the late Deacon Jones, even coined terms like "sack". That being said, a rapper sold $1 million units before his album dropped. The rules regarding the platinum status of records have been changed. A rapper is responsible for that. That's huge. It created a buzz so large, that at some point, it became an event. This album reminds you that Jordan came back to play for the Wizards and averaged 20 PPG. That's mediocre for a great player, but you still watched every game closely. Just like you listened to MCHG. Jay Z has branded himself much like MJ did. You might even say he's larger than rap. At any rate, his latest album is a perfect example of his current situation. He's rich. He's Black. He's from the projects. & he's forgiven for the latter two because he is good for business.