New Year, Same Story: Same Crime, Different Charges

It's less than a week into the New Year and already we're seeing the same issues of unequal treatment and harsher punishment of P.O.C. when it comes to the American justice systems. On January 5 the news story began circulating of four Chicago youths who Facebook live streamed themselves attacking and tormenting a special needs teenager. Undoubtedly this is a terrible act, and all individuals involved should be punished for their actions. However, examining the case one can't help but notice a stark contrast to a similar case from last year involving similar circumstances with the only difference initially being the race of the attackers.

On October 23, 2015, an Idaho mentally disabled teenager was attacked by three of his peers – R.K. Howard (18), Tanner Ward (17), and an unnamed juvenile- following the team's football practice. Not only did the three teens physically assault the young man, but also sexually violated him with a coat hanger. Ward initiated the attack while Howard (pictured above) kicked the coat hanger several times while it was inserted into the victim’s rectum. It was an equally horrible and aggressive act, with stark unexpected results. Just last December, Howard reached a plea deal to avoid jail time despite his heinous crime. While initially charged with sexual penetration by use of a foreign object, Howard (miraculously) was able to plead to felony injury to a child and will receive only two to three years of probation and community service.

As swiftly as the story circulated, the four Chicago teens have been detained and each charged with a hate crime, felony aggravated kidnapping, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Their arrest took less than a day. The investigation involving Howard and company lasted several months before any charges were officially filed. In case you haven’t concluded, Howard is white while the four teens are African American.

The contrast between Howard's charges and that of the four Chicago individuals is alarming but not surprising when examining the recent string of charges reduced or dismissed against individuals who commit crimes against African American. Howard (and likely Ward) will be released back into society having learned nothing from his actions and likely to enact his hateful views and thoughts on others in the near future. The four Chicago teens, however, are highly likely to be processed and sent to prison without any type of rehabilitation, despite the chances that each were/are special needs students.

I want to remain hopeful that 2017 will be the year that equality will be incorporated into the notion of American justice for all but it is undoubtedly past due time to reconstruct our American justice system, because until we do it fails us all. 

Oops...I Did it Again: Anger, Resentment and a Harmless Post

Recently I began getting more involved in participating in Google+ communities, and so far it has been an enjoyable experience. There are some truly unique and brilliant minds in these communities, but as always where there's good bad is never far to follow.

After viewing the image to the left, in one community, I decided to like and share, and chaos ensued.

Whoa, what had I started? All of this over a Malcolm X quote (addressing Blacks nonetheless). It was then that I noticed that I'd shared the image in a "Thinkers" group, instead of the African American group I intended to. The irony was funny, but since the message was received negatively, by most, I thought it important to stand by the post and it's message.

Firstly, the post/quote was specifically addressing Blacks/African-Americans/P.O.C so for anyone nonP.O.C. to be offended would be ridiculous. The post was never intended to place blame on any one group, but simply to point out the power of self-awareness.
There, of course, were those who neglected the message altogether and decided to play the blame game when it came to the responsibility of slavery.

Yes, Africans sold/traded Africans into slavery, but of course, they were not aware of the cruelty that awaited on the west of the ocean; however, this does negate the fact that Africans were also kidnapped by Europeans and placed into slavery. Furthermore, the effects of the institution of slavery are still present in today's society seen through the American legal and political systems. If anger towards a group could be excited by a simple picture or quote then it is time to address those linger feelings and label it appropriately as the racism that it is. It may be alarming at first, but relax plenty of racists are not aware of their racism.

The humour of the situation aside I was left wondering why does Slavery make some White people so angry? Not uncomfortable, but angry. Although a common misconception, the African-American community is not looking for a pity party from any group. What we desire is for (White) America to finally and collectively acknowledge that Slavery still plays a part in the mechanics of American racism. Maybe then America as a whole could finally work together and build a truly united country. I know,  it seems like a long shot but hey I'm an optimist.

Until addressed, White anger will continue to be a prominent issue of (Colored) America and unbridled anger represents a danger to us all.

Religion and Chicken: The Master’s New Whip

Nowadays, I’m sure almost all people are familiar with the outrage of Chick-fil-A's condemnation of gay marriage, or homosexuality in general. Familiarizing myself with this issue over a year ago, I admit that the current rise of outrage and media coverage is quite overrated. Still, then I saw the picture shown above. Such a photo speaks volumes about the African American community. Why are we always portrayed as the lap dogs of wealthy white patrons?  Now I’m sure that Chick-fil-A will never publicly endorse such a photo, but I’m also quite sure that a picture of white churchgoers raising their poisonous chicken contents to the sky won’t surface on the internet any time soon. My issue with the image touches on two key points: The stereotype of black and chicken, and also the Black community's tie to Christianity.

I will keep my rant about blacks and chicken to a minimum, as I’m sure everyone is familiar with the connection. My only question is why? Does music, recorded fist fights, and the high crime rates of our community not hurt us enough that we have to pose for pictures praising chicken? Okay, you might say that the picture isn’t about glorifying the chicken, it’s about supporting the chain, and though you may be right, the picture does paint an image that isn’t easily escaped.

Now onto my second issue; time has continued to prove that whatever issue the Christian-based church seems to have with a subject, most of the black community is sure to jump on the bandwagon. My issue with the black community backing the decision of Chick-fil-A is how, once again, the bible is being used as a weapon. Not too long ago, the bible was being used as a weapon against the African American community. Sure, it allowed us to get married, but it also enslaved and humiliated us. I may not be the most religious person in the world, but I thought the purpose of Christianity was to spread love, not to oppress.

I’m not going to tell anyone what to spend their own money on, but I will point out that it is foolish to support any person/event/venue that isn’t supportive of you. Chick-fil-A’s true intentions will come to light soon, and when it does I hope a lot of people reevaluate their faith and their beliefs. The picture prompts an interesting question: “Have the oppressed become the oppressor,” or are we slowly sliding backward? 

Think and Discuss: Double Standards

Now that enough time has been passed for me to clearly convey my thoughts and feelings on the issue I can give an honest opinion on the Trayvon Martin issue. Do I think Zimmerman is racist, probably so but then again so is the majority of America. Do I think Zimmerman killed Martin because he was black, no. Do I think Zimmerman should be arrested and convicted, yes. That’s all I have to say on the situation before I dive deeper into the uproar that this shooting has caused.

Why is it that Americans are so prejudice and racist against others that we ignore the wrong doing done by our brothers and sisters of the same race? Why is the highest level of hate for a white man to kill a black man but when blacks kill other blacks it is hardly recognized. There is no media coverage. There is no rallying and petitioning. There is no call for justice.

I thought that a crime was a crime no matter who is involved. Was I wrong to think so, because in recent times it only seems as if a crime is a crime, depending on the shock value of the details? Here is a piece by a friend Alan Martin:

“Recent events in Sanford, Florida in regards to the Trayvon Martin incident have had me in deep thought. Like most Black Americans, I was outraged. However, as time has passed, I've gone from seeing it as just a Black/White issue but as an issue deserving justice. Most of you know my position on gun control...and had George Zimmerman not decided to patrol the streets armed with a gun that he had the legal right to carry, this wouldn't have happened. 

This has also reinforced my overall view of the double standard that the Black Community has always lived under. We are the first to gather the troops when someone of another race brings harm to us...yet we sit silently by each and every time there is a Black on Black crime. How many murders committed by a Black person against another Black person go unsolved because of the wall of silence in the Black Community. No one ever see's anything or knows anything. Yet, we want those same police and the Justice System to give us justice when we feel attacked from someone from the so-called outside. When our children act out in school or does something wrong, we're quick to claim it wasn't him, or how dare to chastise my child. We teach our children not to respect authority when away from home...how many teachers tell me of their Black students who talk back or disrespect them because they know their parents will always side with them. 

We also have one of the highest birthrates of children born to unwed mothers.....especially among teens. We celebrate those births into the home...yet if your son or daughter brings home a spouse of a different race or of the same sex...we're less accepting. Instead of hearing Black parents asking "When is my child getting married?"......I hear "When is my child gonna give me grandchildren?"

We allow our children to walk out of the house looking like anything other than young ladies and gentlemen. We give them names that will harm them for life. I was in Target a few weeks ago, and the young lady checking me out was pregnant, she happened to be Black. I asked her when she was due and if she knew the sex of her baby. She told me the date and told me that she was expecting a boy that she was naming him Christopher. She said she wanted his name to look good on a resume and that she had no intention of doing as so many of her friends had done by the naming of their babies and branding them for life. I complimented her on her wise decision. I wish more young Black parents thought of that these days before naming their children. 

Look at the mug shots in the news...you can't pronounce half of their first names. It is way past time for us as a Community to come together...not just when we feel wronged by someone else...but to also to prevent us from continuing to destroy ourselves from within. We cannot simply keep blaming someone else for what's wrong in the Black Community. 

It's time to look in the mirror. We may not like what we see, as the truth always hurts.”

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The black community has a long way to go as justice should be fought for all, not just once it’s convenient. My only hope is that this Martin case doesn’t die down in the few months such as everything else has its way of doing within the Black community. “Buying skittles and hoodies” will only increase someone’s revenue not get rid of the problems. Let’s continue the fire that has been started by this tragedy and not wait for the next instance to decide to want to do something.

Gay Is The New Black

In my personal opinion, I feel that the African American community is the biggest critic when it comes to homosexuality, especially among men. The idea of the African American male is this Alpha male, head of the household, breadwinner, ultra masculine, never see him cry type figure or in short the complete opposite of what some people believe homosexual males are. I think this hype, of course, stems from the effects of slavery. It’s an ongoing backlash from African-American males having their dignity stripped and pride broken for years with hope nowhere in sight.

Because of this, the African-American community put emphasis on the new found freedom of  men, expecting us to be the strong superior males that slavery denied us to be, which consequently creates a view that any man willing to have sex with another  man is for lack of better words weak.

I myself find a major flaw with this. As a group, African-Americans should be some of the biggest advocates for the LGBTQ community as not very long being black was the equivalent of being gay today.

Too often the same arguments posed against homosexuals are those that whites used to keep African American’s enslaved for years, even using religion to support their belief that they were our superiors and we were an inadequate species made to serve them. Aside from this, slavery left an everlasting impression on the African American community which leads me to ask the question ‘after years of oppression and injustice why would we subject another group of individuals to the same treatment?’ ‘After years of being persecuted for something as simple as our skin pigmentation, an aspect of ourselves that we didn’t choose, why would we persecute a group for being born a certain way?’ ‘After being lynched, burned, beaten, dragged, and whipped why would we turn around and indulge in the same activities towards others.’

If being gay means being hated and persecuted for the way one is born then it is safe to say that being gay is ironically the new black. Everything about Gay Rights parallels the fight African American’s faced for Civil Rights which is more reason I believe the African American Community should be more sympathetic to the LGBTQ community and their plight. Only time will tell if African American’s will face the reality of the struggle or continue to hinder the struggle.