R.I.P. Michael Brown

I'm writing tonight with such a heavy heart.



This evening, while at work, a friend texted me asking me if I was okay, and telling me about a shooting in Ferguson, MO ... a suburb of St. Louis. I quickly did a search to find out what happened, and my heart sank.

This afternoon, 17 year-old Mike Brown was gunned down by police. He was unarmed. According to reports, he was shot once, surrendered with his hands up, and was shot again. Head ... chest.  Afterwards, his body would lay in the streets for four more hours before being removed, two of those hours uncovered. His grandmother had seen him minutes before walking down the street toward their home as she drove by. When she arrived at home, she heard a commotion outside. When she went to see what was going on, she saw her grandson laying dead, body riddled with bullets.

Jesus help us.

Being frank, we live in a day and age where it seems the police are just as much a danger to black people as other potential criminals. It certainly doesn't seem like we receive the same amount of protection as others ethnic groups. It happens over and over, that people who's faces look like mine are in the media after being gunned down unnecessarily by the police. And then people wonder why the relationship between blacks and the police is so contentious.



If you're not black and reading this, I ask you, do you get nervous in the presence of police? If so, why?

The reason blacks are uneasy in the presence of police is because we feel like our lives are in danger. Blacks are conditioned to fear for our lives around police due to previous experience, stories, media, and upbringing. We are taught during our upbringing how to protect ourselves not only from potential assailants, but from police. "If you're pulled over, keep your hands on the steering wheel. Don't move. Don't reach for anything. Stare straight ahead." Those are things I was taught by my mother. Where is the justice in that?

At this point, what do we do? How do you fight against the people who are supposed to protect you? Where do we even begin? Once again, another of our black sons has been gunned down in the streets by law enforcement.

Weird...doesn't seem like they're enforcing law. It seems like they're merely enforcing their will.

I know this is short, but ... I'm hurting y'all. And at a loss.

God Bless.

I Told Myself I Wouldn't Blog About Trayvon...

...but pictures like this one just break my heart man.


This is going to be a bit lengthy, so bear with me. First, let me say this. If strictly looking at the facts and the way they were presented in the case, am I surprised that George Zimmerman was acquitted? No. Not in the slightest. The prosecution did a PISS poor job of presenting evidence to support that Zimmerman was guilty of Florida's definition of 2nd degree murder and manslaughter.

However....

...my emotions want justice. Unfortunately, as I have intimated several times since Saturday's acquittal, it seems there is no justice in this country for Blacks. As someone on my Facebook timeline said, "I am sad, but not surprised. What makes me sad is that I'm not surprised."

What that means is that it seems cases like this have become the norm. Don't believe me? Google these names:


Ervin Jefferson

Amadou Diallo

Patrick Dorismond

Oscar Grant

Sean Bell

Aaron Campbell

Victor Steen

Jordan Davis

Kimani Gray

Alonzo Ashley




All of the above were under the age of 30. Don't care to research? Here are some with a brief explanation of the occurrence.


Kenneth Harding, Jr. Shot by police after he supposedly shot at police. Witnesses didn't see Harding with gun. Allowed to bleed out at scene.

Kiwane Carrington. "Accidentally" shot & killed after police stopped him for attempting to break into what turned out to be his own home.


Reginald Doucet Jr. 25. Unarmed. Shot & killed by officers in front of his home after a night out. Officers not charged in shooting.


Raheim Brown, Jr. 20. Shot 5 times, twice in head after police claimed he attacked them with screwdriver. Witness said no attack occurred.


Derrick Gaines. 15. Shot & killed after being stopped by police. Police claim he drew a weapon. Eyewitnesses report no weapon was drawn.


Rekia Boyd, 22. Shot in head during when an officer fired blindly at a nearby suspect. Charges dropped when officer didn't show up to court.


Steven Washington, 27. Autistic. Shot in head & killed when officers thought he was drawing a weapon. He was unarmed. Officers not charged.


Robbie Tolan. Unarmed. Shot in his driveway when officers suspected the car he was driving was stolen. Tolan owned car. Officers acquitted.


Aiyana Jones, 7. Unarmed. Shot in head/neck & killed when officers raided home in Detroit in an attempt to arrest her father


Deandre Brunston, 24. Unarmed. After a standoff with police, the officers fired 81 shots at him - 22 of which hit Brunston's body. A police dog that was injured during crossfire was airlifted to a vet center, while Brunston was left bleeding out where he lay.


All of those people, also under the age of 30. What is a young black person's life worth in America? The justice system apparently feels that it's not worth any jail time, that's for sure. 

The Black community in America is hurting, and will hurt for a long time because of Trayvon Martin. I think what has saddened us so much is that we felt like this time would be different. Maybe, just maybe this time, we would see the man who admittedly killed this young boy, be brought to justice. This man who disobeyed an order from a police dispatcher to not approach Trayvon. This man who I have no doubts would not have approached Trayvon had he been a white kid wearing a hoody walking in that neighborhood. Instead, we sat and watched as this man was allowed to walk out of that court room free.

The only justice now, is that George Zimmerman has become an embodiment of the very ideology behind racism. Mr. Zimmerman will get strange looks from people in public. He may not be welcomed to visit certain establishments. People will shun him, simply because of their perception of who he is, instead of learning about who he is. People will stare at him, possibly call him ungodly names. He won't be hired at places because of who he is. And I for one don't feel sorry for him. 

I don't feel sorry for him because my little brother could be Oscar Grant. My future wife could be Rekia Boyd. My future son could be Trayvon Martin. And that reality scares the hell out of me.