Sympathy with the Devil
Let’s be careful who we turn into martyrs © 2016
In the last two years, police violations of individual civil and human rights have been captured, thanks, in part, to cell phone video. In this context, a number of African American men have been killed. Many, if not most of those young men, were involved in some kind of petty crime before they were killed. However, the nature of the crime didn’t justify them being killed, or executed in the manner they were killed.
Almost without exception, after each one of those young men was killed, protests followed. In each case, the only thing the protesters knew about the young man who was killed was that he was black, and he was killed by a white police officer. The protesters knew very little about the young man who was killed.
Protesters didn’t know if the young man was a habitual criminal who preyed on the community. They didn’t know if he had just robbed, raped, carjacked, or killed someone. They didn’t know if the police was in the process of apprehending someone who had done those things. All the protesters knew was that a young black man had been killed by a white police officer.
Should we be more particular about the people we turn into martyrs? What if a black female had been raped and the police apprehended her attacker. If her attacker tried to escape but was captured and hurt in the process, do we make her attacker more of a victim than her?
During police encounters, it would be helpful if our young men did not make a bad situation worse by being confrontational, resisting, or challenging the police officer’s authority. To do so, would only make a smaller problem a much bigger problem and could cause you your life. Even if a young man was wrong and did commit a crime, the punishment would be less than the outcome of a confrontation with a police officer.
As for the black community, we should be concerned and outspoken when police officers exceed their authority. But we also should be mindful of the character of the people we’re out there protesting for and turning into martyrs.
Let’s be careful who we turn into martyrs © 2016
In the last two years, police violations of individual civil and human rights have been captured, thanks, in part, to cell phone video. In this context, a number of African American men have been killed. Many, if not most of those young men, were involved in some kind of petty crime before they were killed. However, the nature of the crime didn’t justify them being killed, or executed in the manner they were killed.
Almost without exception, after each one of those young men was killed, protests followed. In each case, the only thing the protesters knew about the young man who was killed was that he was black, and he was killed by a white police officer. The protesters knew very little about the young man who was killed.
Protesters didn’t know if the young man was a habitual criminal who preyed on the community. They didn’t know if he had just robbed, raped, carjacked, or killed someone. They didn’t know if the police was in the process of apprehending someone who had done those things. All the protesters knew was that a young black man had been killed by a white police officer.
Should we be more particular about the people we turn into martyrs? What if a black female had been raped and the police apprehended her attacker. If her attacker tried to escape but was captured and hurt in the process, do we make her attacker more of a victim than her?
During police encounters, it would be helpful if our young men did not make a bad situation worse by being confrontational, resisting, or challenging the police officer’s authority. To do so, would only make a smaller problem a much bigger problem and could cause you your life. Even if a young man was wrong and did commit a crime, the punishment would be less than the outcome of a confrontation with a police officer.
As for the black community, we should be concerned and outspoken when police officers exceed their authority. But we also should be mindful of the character of the people we’re out there protesting for and turning into martyrs.