When I read about this story in the NYT yesterday, Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddamn" immediately came to mind. Your question does burn: "If these are the men who were caught after a months-long cover-up, how many more such groups might be lurking within the ranks of law enforcement that haven’t been caught yet?" Their name, apparently, is legion. :-( Thanks for continuing to write about these horrifying injustices.
The NEIGHBOR who made the call to police complaining about two Black men living with a white woman should be prosecuted and sued civilly for civil rights violations and conspiracy to commit violence to their neighbors. That kind of violence inducing racism should not be left unpunished. The neighbor took personal racism and elevated it to a police compliant about perfectly appropriate behavior and set in motion a horror show.
This is indeed vile. I continue to be dismayed how this behavior persists in 21st Century America. Clearly, the seeds of White Supremacy sowed at the founding of our nation when enshrining the words "all men are created equal" while in practice affirming the enslavement of Africans, has borne evil fruit until this day.
The view that "the blacks" or "the slaves" (or other dehumanized terms) are treated viciously is proof that systemic racism is part of the fabric of our nation--not just a stain on the fabric.
A sad part of White police culture is actual terrorism to strike fear in other "blacks" by making an example of some of us who trigger them.
I've had a few minor negative experiences with White cops as a large dark-skinned Black man. When profiled or wrongly pulled over, my position is not to grin and act subservient. My mindset is, "I don't work for you. You work for me. Stop wasting my time."
Because my in-law was police chief in my city, I already have respect for cops. But have zero-tolerance for mistreatment and misdeeds. I DEMAND respect for myself and others.
I am sickened and horrified by this, but I appreciate you shedding light on it. I can’t believe I haven’t seen this in the news. How is this not dominating the headlines right now?
This is utterly horrifying. How can anyone deny we have a problem in this country with rising and unabashed racism? What we thought we'd pushed to the fringes of civil society is now parading down Main Street without shame.
It’s horrific that such hate still thrives in our communities and rather than rooting out the beliefs and perpetrators, many spiritual and political leaders are guilty of or complicit with covering up and fanning the flames. Ideas and policies that harm God’s children are used to gain and hold onto power as it has been for centuries. 😣😭
When I finally woke up from being white, I began to research some of the violence that was rearing it's ugly head in our era of modern times and your voice is one of the 1st that I listened to. One of the 1st realizations came from when I began to look at where did all this come from. I thought it was over in the 60's. The more I looked and researched, the more I agree with Julie L. Moore's comment below; their name is legion. ( and Nina Simone ) And they inhabit more that just the police departments in America. All places of power are the ones they seek. Like a thread that unravels the more we pull on it, I was shocked at how prevalent white supremacy has embedded itself in not just the U.S. but in the entire world. And so, I too have long wondered at just how deep this goes unchecked in the estimated 21,000 police departments as well as sheriff departments in the America. It's pretty visible in politics as well as prisons. I am also thankful for your writing about instances like this and I pray that your efforts do not go unheard, but fall upon all "the ears that can hear".
The entire policing system is broken. Yet this example is so heinous it’s hard to believe it can be fixed. The budget of most metropolitan police departments far exceed those of community housing, job training, and the educational systems combined.
Those police officers have told themselves that black folks are worth less than white folks and can be treated as animals. And then when Trump was in office, he emboldened the closet racists and enabled the Proud Boys type of people and it can be scary out there.
White people need to step up and disrupt, interrupt, call out racism in their homes and work places. We also need to support policies that help marginalized communities.
These officers don’t deserve any mercy. I say that fully acknowledging that they bought into the social construct of white supremacy since they were children most likely. It’s baked into every single one of us.
When I read about this story in the NYT yesterday, Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddamn" immediately came to mind. Your question does burn: "If these are the men who were caught after a months-long cover-up, how many more such groups might be lurking within the ranks of law enforcement that haven’t been caught yet?" Their name, apparently, is legion. :-( Thanks for continuing to write about these horrifying injustices.
The NEIGHBOR who made the call to police complaining about two Black men living with a white woman should be prosecuted and sued civilly for civil rights violations and conspiracy to commit violence to their neighbors. That kind of violence inducing racism should not be left unpunished. The neighbor took personal racism and elevated it to a police compliant about perfectly appropriate behavior and set in motion a horror show.
This is indeed vile. I continue to be dismayed how this behavior persists in 21st Century America. Clearly, the seeds of White Supremacy sowed at the founding of our nation when enshrining the words "all men are created equal" while in practice affirming the enslavement of Africans, has borne evil fruit until this day.
The view that "the blacks" or "the slaves" (or other dehumanized terms) are treated viciously is proof that systemic racism is part of the fabric of our nation--not just a stain on the fabric.
A sad part of White police culture is actual terrorism to strike fear in other "blacks" by making an example of some of us who trigger them.
I've had a few minor negative experiences with White cops as a large dark-skinned Black man. When profiled or wrongly pulled over, my position is not to grin and act subservient. My mindset is, "I don't work for you. You work for me. Stop wasting my time."
Because my in-law was police chief in my city, I already have respect for cops. But have zero-tolerance for mistreatment and misdeeds. I DEMAND respect for myself and others.
I am sickened and horrified by this, but I appreciate you shedding light on it. I can’t believe I haven’t seen this in the news. How is this not dominating the headlines right now?
This is utterly horrifying. How can anyone deny we have a problem in this country with rising and unabashed racism? What we thought we'd pushed to the fringes of civil society is now parading down Main Street without shame.
It’s horrific that such hate still thrives in our communities and rather than rooting out the beliefs and perpetrators, many spiritual and political leaders are guilty of or complicit with covering up and fanning the flames. Ideas and policies that harm God’s children are used to gain and hold onto power as it has been for centuries. 😣😭
When I finally woke up from being white, I began to research some of the violence that was rearing it's ugly head in our era of modern times and your voice is one of the 1st that I listened to. One of the 1st realizations came from when I began to look at where did all this come from. I thought it was over in the 60's. The more I looked and researched, the more I agree with Julie L. Moore's comment below; their name is legion. ( and Nina Simone ) And they inhabit more that just the police departments in America. All places of power are the ones they seek. Like a thread that unravels the more we pull on it, I was shocked at how prevalent white supremacy has embedded itself in not just the U.S. but in the entire world. And so, I too have long wondered at just how deep this goes unchecked in the estimated 21,000 police departments as well as sheriff departments in the America. It's pretty visible in politics as well as prisons. I am also thankful for your writing about instances like this and I pray that your efforts do not go unheard, but fall upon all "the ears that can hear".
The entire policing system is broken. Yet this example is so heinous it’s hard to believe it can be fixed. The budget of most metropolitan police departments far exceed those of community housing, job training, and the educational systems combined.
Those police officers have told themselves that black folks are worth less than white folks and can be treated as animals. And then when Trump was in office, he emboldened the closet racists and enabled the Proud Boys type of people and it can be scary out there.
White people need to step up and disrupt, interrupt, call out racism in their homes and work places. We also need to support policies that help marginalized communities.
These officers don’t deserve any mercy. I say that fully acknowledging that they bought into the social construct of white supremacy since they were children most likely. It’s baked into every single one of us.