You won’t find many of my thoughts on the events happening in Missouri on my social media pages. I’m at a loss for words and that doesn’t happen often. No doubt I am mentally drained and exhausted from listening, reading, “liking”, and keeping up with the many updates about the Michael Brown tragedy and it’s aftermath. I also probably haven’t said as much because I truly don’t think it would be enough, and wouldn’t fully express how I feel. Until recent I really didn’t know how I felt. Sometimes things are so bad that to try and make sense of it adds insult to injury, and to be angry or hurt about the matter seems even more dangerous because subconsciously you are preparing yourself for more, or for worse. There is apart of you that says these tragedies are just the beginning and instead of being upset, you decide to brace yourself. Yet, there still manages to be some optimism that pushes past the overwhelming frustration towards the parties involved, and hopes the unity and support for one another that is happening won’t slowly fade away as it typically does after outrage over an appalling act.
We all have our hot buttons that really take us over the edge about things we are already upset about. For me, it was learning that after Michael Brown was murdered, his body was left lying on the ground for ten minutes before it was recovered, while his family and bystanders looked on. If you were not sure the police thought the person they murdered wasn’t valuable, how they treated the body afterwards ought to confirm they did not. Even animals are treated better after an injury than this young man was.
As the world watches to see how these events play out, I like a lot of people work daily for a company where nepotism is openly practiced, that has plastic and glass ceilings, and uses indirect racism to promote underqualified candidates. I manage to function in this environment for no other reason than I have bills to pay. Where it is not said, but is said in other ways to not mention the murder of Michael Brown at all. So, when I leave the building I turn to social media where I can somewhat freely express my views and get updates, since the news coverage on the situation is late and limited. I’ve managed to keep pace with the hacker group Anonymous that right now seems to hold all the cards, and is very serious about implementing justice. It seems everyone is waiting to see what new information they will share, while growing bored from the political statements being given from so called Leaders that offer no comfort to the people demanding accountability.
(forum.philosophynow.org)- I am a man
Having to read news feeds to know whats happening in Missouri feels like I’m in another world. I truly hope nothing like this happens in Baltimore because our leadership and relations with the police would be just as unequipped to handle the situation. I’ve never had a problem with the law, and I’ve known people that I care about that have worked in law enforcement. But over the last few weeks, even I am looking at the cops differently. And, when I see one begin to wonder are they good or bad? I can only imagine the signs that these images are sending to our youth about the people that are supposed to protect them. These recent events have alot of us questioning the roles and effectiveness of our governing agencies.
In case you had any doubt, this last week occurances has confirmed the following:
A police department can openly intimidate an entire town that is attempting to peacefully protest until justice is given, and the people that endured this type of treatment from the police in the sixties are seeing it happen again fifty years later.
The KKK- a hate group is still very real and very active.
We have no real Leaders, and the 1 or 2 who call themselves Leaders are tired and ineffective, and we have allowed them to speak for us too long.
A country with an African American President still does not know how to address racism.
And, Social Media is at the forefront of most information given and maybe the only part of this that has any control.
With the multitude of other murders of black males over the last few months, and the rise of recorded violence committed by the police, I am hoping that we finally understand that we are the only ones that can give ourselves a fighting chance in the world we live in. We have to decide to stop the self hatred of destroying neighborhoods, corrupting our youth, and giving up on ourselves before we have even seen what we could be. This can only be done by loving and protecting each other. It is obvious that we cannot count on anyone else to do it, even if they are paid to do so.
Rest in Peace.
Rachel Bryant Lundy
