Is 'Dead' the New Black?

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 #DITNB

Am I to believe that ‘Dead is the New Black’…?  Is killing black people the new ‘craze’ (pun intended)? Living in this country as a black person will surely have you feeling that way sometimes. Maybe I need to change my race and become ‘TransArmenian’ or something so I don’t become a hashtag one day. I know… what a terrible thing to say, but when terror becomes truth should we not call it what it is? So I’m calling a few things out.

The Shooter

I will not say his name, he is nothing more than his action to me, but the members of the KKK who sit on court benches and government and law enforcement must be immensely proud. One of their soldiers did his duty willfully and proudly and for that, he will be rewarded (its already happened if you just look more closely). Most black people know there will be probably be no real jail time. We know that there is no such thing as justice or ‘due process’ (especially in the good ol’ boy club of South Carolina). We’re already mentally preparing ourselves from snapping when he will simply be 'treated' for his 'mental illness' (which one of the Klan’s court appointed psychiatrists will sign off of on).  We know these things because this has been our reality.

Special Treatment

A lot of people were in outrage with how the shooter of The Emmanuel African Methodist Church was handled during his apprehension.  Personally, I was mad that he was apprehended at all. It would have brought a special joy to my soul to hear reports of how he was found dead laying in a pool of his own blood. Because then, I wouldn’t have to watch the bullshit ass ‘Wag the Dog’ style spin on ‘mental illness’  that will ensue and be propagated by the media. You know, cause only angry murderous white boys suffer from mental illness, no one else.

But the truth is, he did not receive special treatment. He received a Hero’s welcome and it was done in plain sight. Follow me for a moment:

·      He was not being manhandled or called out of his name for murdering 9 people, instead body language to me almost looked like the hint of a pat on the back

·      I wonder what sweet consolations and ‘don’t worry kiddo, you’ll get through this’ was whispered into his ear

·      By putting the bulletproof vest on him, they were not concerned for his safety (they knew he would not be harmed, because if a black person did pull out a gun in retaliation, they would be riddled with bullets).  My guess is they were probably covering up something incriminating that might have been on his shirt (strengthening that defense)

·      While all the of American flags at state building and institutions in SC were flown at half-staff for the slain victims, the Confederate Flag which is STILL flown at the State House of South Carolina (a government institution mind you) was still high in the sky. This was because it was a day of honor and celebration for those who respect that flag. That spoke more loudly than anything anyone could ever say.

·      I wouldn’t even be surprised if he was instructed to get high by his chain of command (because please believe he is not acting independently,) so that the drugs use would show up (building the defense)

No Coincidence

The time, date, and location of this heinous act was calculated, planned and methodical. This is and was clearly a hate crime and I don’t even know why there are still some people who refuse to grasp this concept. Funny how racists know our history better than us:

·       This was Denmark Vesey’s Church

·       This church was a historic landmark

·       There was a Senator there as well as pillars of the community (this was not random)

·       It was the 193^rd Anniversary of a planned slave revolt

·       The day before many Juneteenth celebrations commemorating slaves being aware of their freedom and walking off of plantations in droves

You can research more yourself

The Media

Fuck you. No like seriously, Fuck you. Fuck you for the misreporting. Fuck you for the under-reporting. Fuck you for the slanted negative implications you always seem to impose upon us.  Fuck you for the unfounded justifications you give to those who commit crimes against us. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you… and yes, Don Lemon, that lady was correct ‘You ARE an Uncle Tom’.

Covert Operations 

There is a reason why the Klan remains hooded, Why Navy seals do not announce themselves, and why in war ambush is one of the best strategies. Covert operations always yield the most effective results and black people need to start grasping that concept. We do need to act, but we don’t need to publicly announce every move and plan we make. That wasn’t how slaves were able to run away and it won’t be how we bring about change. We don’t need to put our most valued fighters and organizers on the world’s stage (because there is a history of them being killed). Just secure your home (in the same 2^nd amendment manner as ‘others’) and be prepared to protect yourself if need be (as is your legal right).

Prayer

Prayer is great on the micro and personal level, but just like you can’t pray away mental illness, you cannot pray away the hate someone else feels towards you.  It’s no different than being angry at someone who isn’t even thinking about you. It’s not affecting them. Pray is vital, but it is not the resolution to everything. If my son's say's 'Mom, I'm hungry, is dinner ready', I can't go tell him to pray away the hunger. That's not how this works. All those times we’ve jumped to defending those who hate us have gotten us where? Think about that black woman who shielded the Klansman at that rally a few years back, who was about to have his ass handed to him by a group of people, guess what?… He still fucking hates black people and is more than likely still very active in his homegrown terrorist activities. Stockholm Syndrome at its finest. Fuck that.  Pray, but protect yourself, your family, and your interests.

The Great White Hype

I have white friends who have no problem with my anger and uproar on black issues because they are just as upset. Which everyone should be at the incessant crimes, murders, and violations against humanity (specifically black people) in the form of institutional racism supported by ideologies of white supremacy.

However, my frustration is with the many white people who intrinsically see, know, and agree that this shit is wrong, but continuously remain silent. Those who felt broken, confused, ashamed, and helpless when 9 black people were shot in a church yesterday. Those who are still in disbelief at all the slain black people who should have been apprehended instead of killed, but would rather just not ‘get involved’. Hell, there are white people in this country who express more sympathy, rage, and public outcry over abused and homeless DOGS and CATS than they do for dead black people. To me, that in itself, is an indicator of mental illness.

The Walking Dead

 Yesterday goes down in history as an all time low for social media. I saw one of the saddest, most disturbing images I have ever seen in my life online (and I've seen some pretty gruesome shit). In the photo, there was a group of boys in what appears to be a hall or gangway. They can't be older than maybe 12-15 years old. At the front of the group, one of the boys has another boy performing oral sex on him, another boy is right next to him preparing to pull his penis out as well. Then it becomes clear. The boy on his knees is to repeat this act on at least 4-5 other boys 'waiting their turn'. All this being captured by the one girl present who took the 'selfie' smiling with this going on in the background. As horrific as this already is, it gets worse.

If you look closely at the boy who the act is being performed on you realize... There is a gun in his hand and he has it pointed at the head of the boy on his knees. The boy on his knees is being forced to perform felatio on this group of boys with the threat of being shot in the head if he doesn't comply with whatever they request of him. You painstakingly realize that you are now privy to and witness of the sexual assault of a minor by minors. Many of you saw it as well. It was removed and reported ( as it should have been) but that doesn't solve the bigger issue. 

I've been around children who operate this way, children who only know pain, abuse, and neglect. It is a harsh reality but some kids (not all) are too far gone to help and they are out here damaging other people at light speed. When images like this go viral, it validates all the terrible things 'they' say and insinuate about 'us' being savage animals. What is even scarier is that I have to worry about what type of interactions my child will have with these apathetic empty beings out here. This shit rips at my soul.

I spoke to a nurse from the University of Chicago who works in the neonatal and pediatrics unit. She had been there many years and told me something very sad and interesting. She said that the crack era of the 80's affected more than people realized. She said that you couldn't always see what was wrong with a baby because so many looked and appeared normal in spite of the mother or father's drug use. She went on to tell me how when those babies had babies ( many young) there was something very eerie that many of the nurses noticed. What they noticed was not with the parents (children of addicts), but the grandchildren ( this current generation after millennials) of former crack cocaine users. 

She said they all noticed that from a very young age many of those children were apathetic. Emotionally, many of them were cold. She spoke of a lack of empathy that was chillingly unnatural and a certain emptiness in their eyes (as if there is nothing there). There may or may not be research to support this but I believe this woman and the other nurses who have seen and birthed multiple children from the same communities and same family lines through generations, witnessing this first hand. I am not saying that this applies to all children of those particular circumstances, but I too have noticed certain disturbing patterns with this most recent generation. A general numbness. Unfortunately, there have always been children who were taught miscreant behaviors and have in turn inflicted them upon others, but with the rise of social media, never before has it been brought to the forefront in such a wickedly prideful manner. It is both sad and disgusting to think of what those boys in the picture were doing as they smiled for the camera as well. If that doesn't signify a disconnect I don't know what does.

So as I write this, with tears burning down the sides of my face in anger, I too, like many of you, feel helpless. I think of the dysfunction of the girl who happily took the photo as if nothing was wrong with what was going on. As if this was normal children's behavior. I think about what was done to the aggressors by some pervert fuck that made them want to assert their 'dominance' over a peer in that manner. I think of the mental, physical, and emotional issues the boy who was assaulted will now deal with. The shame and anger, the embarrassment, guilt, and helplessness (or what he might have to deal with from family or community members if now labeled 'gay' as a result of the sexual assault). I wonder, will he now become one of them doing this to someone else or will he be ostracized and regularly abused. I think of the young boys in Parkway Gardens, not far from where I live, who run trains on other young boys because they've been taught this prison culture behavior and I can't take it. 

There are so many of our youth who from day one were neglected, told they were nothing; treated like they were nothing, given nothing, so LIFE means nothing. They respect nothing, care for nothing, and feel nothing inside. The zombie apocalypse is now and the children who are killing and doing these heinous things are our walking dead. 

Sigh....