BLACK LIVES MATTER
[Political cartoon newspaper clipping.
First panel: NYC 911 Operator: "You're being assaulted, sir? Have police arrived?!"
Second panel: Man on the ground being beaten by three police officers: "Y-Yes."]

"I can't breathe, I can't breathe."
"Hands up, don't shoot."

The more things change, the more they remain the same. However, this must come to an end, permanently!

Dontre Hamilton
Eric Gardner
Kedemah Dorsey
Hector Sosa
Renisha McBride
Michael Brown
Amadou Dialo
Oscar Grant III
Marquell McCullough
Dianne Jones
Aiyana Stanley Jones (7 years old)
Sherrod Crawford
Tryon Lewis
Alan Blueford
Trayvon Martine
John Tucker
Kelly Thomas
James Rivera Jr.
Author McDuffy
Miguel Diaz
Maurice Williams
etc., etc., etc., etc.

Police violence and other abuses of authority against the people they have sworn "to protect and serve" is a national crisis. Those in positions of political power recognize this and, since the rebellions began in Ferguson, Missouri, they have done all they can to contain, control, and redirect the social explosion that seems to be an inevitable reality. This is so because policies practiced by America's law enforcement is going to get worse—ie. more repressive—by design. Add to that the ongoing militarization of police forces throughout the country and the appearance and mentality of an occupying army nurtured and encouraged.

Lastly, the US justice system's failure to hold these killer cops accountable either through grand jury indictments, guilty verdicts, and long prison sentences, or US Department of Justice prosecutions and long prison sentences, has the effect of being the spark that ignites the powder keg because of the people's lost trust and respect for the system.

---

Taking A Stand For What's Right
St. Louis Rams Players

In a world filled with so much wrong, it was inspiring for me and—hopefully for others as well—to see NFL stars Tavon Austin, Jared Cook, Chris Givens, and Stedman Bailey emerge from their stadium's tunnel and display the "hands up, don't shoot" gesture as a sign of their solidarity with the people's demands for real justice and for recognition that Black Lives Matter.

In the aftermath of white policeman Darren William's murder of "unarmed" black teenager Michael Brown, the "hands up, don't shoot" signal has become symbolic worldwide with the growing movement to end police brutality and murderers here inside the self-proclaimed "beacon of democracy."

Austin, Givens, Stedman, and Bailey should all be applauded rather than condemned for their courage and consciousness in taking a stand for what is right. A stand concerning an issue that directly affects them, despite their wealth as NFL players, because at the end of the game and day, they understand that they are just another black man in the eyes of the police. Today is a Michael Brown or Eric Gardner, but tomorrow it could easily be one of them.

All but a few of the debates surrounding these players' actions have missed the point entirely. You see, it's not about the statement they made but, more importantly, the circumstances and conditions giving rise to why each of them felt compelled to make the statement.

This is true now, just as it was in 1968 in Mexico City, when Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood on podiums during the Olympics award ceremony with clenched fists raised high in the air.

It's like I said before, the more things change, the more they remain the same. The struggle continues!

---

Police Officers Wearing Body Cameras

It has become a national discussion as a result of the increasingly deadly confrontations between law enforcement and members of the public—particularly individuals from the black and brown communities across the country. One area that has taken steps to implement on a large scale, the use of body cameras is Harris County, Texas, which is best known for its city of Houston.

In a recent move to appease the public following several protests over the police murders of unarmed black men, the chief of police and Harris County sheriff announced plans to soon have some of their officers wear body cameras. While this idea may allow the grieving family of a minority victimized by police violence to have a piece of evidence to account the last moments of a loved one's life, it's nothing close to being a part of the solution to our problem. I said "our" problem because everyone, regardless of your race, background, religion, or age, has a stake in seeing to it that deadly encounters between law enforcement and the public come to an abrupt end. And while these body cameras shall be used moreso to absolve law enforcement of wrongdoing, they cannot be hailed as being a part of the solution to our problem.

This is so because, when it becomes necessary for the law enforcement of this country to be equipped with body cameras to monitor their interactions with the public, the hypocrisy of "to protect and serve" is highlighted for the world to see. It is a fundamental contradiction for those men and women sworn "to protect and serve" us to require a body camera to deter their use of excessive, and often deadly, force. Ironically, what the sheriff and police chief purposely failed to discuss is the historical relationships their respective agencies have with the poor and working-class communities of Houston and its surrounding areas.

For example, the Houston police chief never said a word about the fact that in the past six years, not a single Houston police officer has been disciplined for shooting someone. Not one! HPD officers, however, have been involved in approximately 550 shooting incidents in which a citizen or animal was injured or killed by a police officer's bullet. The HPD's Office of Internal Affairs purports to have "investigated" each shooting and, amazingly so, determined that every one of these incidents of deadly force was "justified."

Of the 706 complaints about excessive force, the chief of police disciplined just 15 of his officers. Yeah, "just" 15.

You do the math, and the message becomes crystal clear: either Houston police almost never abuse their power or they abuse it with impunity, just like their counterparts around the country.

What will wearing body cameras do to end these circumstances?