
Unpopular opinion was the headline I used to start a very brief Facebook post..it was followed by "this doesn't feel like justice. Let me explain. Sitting on my couch watching the press conference jubilee, the celebrations in the streets, and the glee on social media did not move me; if anything, it made me more cynical and more detached. Call me the grumpy old Black Man...who can't find the joy at this moment. The cheers made me think, "today is April 20th, and I can guarantee another unarmed person of color will be shot by the police before the end of the month."
Unfortunately, before I could even finish my thought and make an angry post, this hit my news alerts "An Ohio teen was shot and killed Tuesday when a fight broke out in her foster home" She called the police. She got killed...she was 16, and from what I could surmise from the article, she was Black...sound familiar? And with that headline, the void, the emptiness, and the meaningless outcome of the Chauvin trial expanded in my soul. Because as I see it, I still won't let my son play with or possess a BB gun. I worry about what will happen when he gets his driver's license. All my daughters are strong-willed and loud-mouthed. Because law enforcement still does not value Black Lives, I have no hope that this decision makes them any safer from the arbitrary unadjudicated executions levied out by law enforcement on people of color.
Unfortunately, before I could even finish my thought and make an angry post, this hit my news alerts "An Ohio teen was shot and killed Tuesday when a fight broke out in her foster home" She called the police. She got killed...she was 16, and from what I could surmise from the article, she was Black...sound familiar? And with that headline, the void, the emptiness, and the meaningless outcome of the Chauvin trial expanded in my soul. Because as I see it, I still won't let my son play with or possess a BB gun. I worry about what will happen when he gets his driver's license. All my daughters are strong-willed and loud-mouthed. Because law enforcement still does not value Black Lives, I have no hope that this decision makes them any safer from the arbitrary unadjudicated executions levied out by law enforcement on people of color.