The Moral Universe – Are the Police the New KKK?

The United States cannot claim any moral high ground over Middle East nations that are not trying to thwart the Islamic State when almost every day we learn of new instances of police brutality against black people and do nothing to stop it.

Continually we learn of outrageous new incidents where policemen have either over-reacted or acted in a way they saw fit while confronting black men. This week we learned of Jamal Jones, a passenger in a car being driven by his girlfriend, Lisa Mahone. Their children were in the backseat. They were on their way to a hospital to say good-bye to Ms. Mahone’s dying mother.

The car was stopped for a “seatbelt violation,” the new code for driving while black or in the company of a black person. Despite Ms. Mahone’s cooperation, the policeman decided to question Mr. Jones with gun drawn and demanded to see his ID. He had no right to ask for it, and Mr. Jones was not obliged to give it. As the policeman became more aggressive, Mr. Jones told the policeman that he was afraid to open the window. (Ms. Mahone, meanwhile, had actually called 911 and told a supervisor what was going on.) The policeman then took his billy club, smashed the window in, and tased Mr. Jones while dragging him from the car.

Don’t take my word for it; it’s captured on video: http://thefreethoughtproject.com/family-traveling-hospital-tased-assaulted-traffic-stop-seat-belt-violation/.

The look of smug privilege on the policeman’s face as he wielded the billy club is disgusting. So is the reaction of Indiana officials that the policeman was operating within the law.

Last week we learned of Lavar Jones, the South Carolina black man who didn’t even know he was being pulled over until he got out of his car at a gas station. This was also for a “seatbelt violation.” The State Police trooper immediately pulled his gun and told the man to show his driver’s license. The man turned to get his license from his car and when he turned back, the policeman shot him twice. Fortunately, the man survived. This was captured on the trooper’s own dash-cam (http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/25/justice/south-carolina-trooper-shooting/). At least the trooper was charged.

Is anyone even aware of what happened to John Crawford in an Ohio Wal-Mart? While shopping and talking on the phone, he picked up a BB gun. Now mind you, Ohio has an open-carry law, but a white customer called 911 and said that a black man was waving a rifle around (not true; yup, on video too). The police who responded rushed into the store and shot Mr. Crawford dead before asking any questions. A grand jury refused to indict the policeman.

The city of Ferguson, Missouri, is worried about black reaction if policeman Darren Wilson is not indicted by the grand jury. What are officials doing about it? Holding reconciliation meetings? Oh no, they’re gearing the police with more weapons and ammunition and have called in the FBI. This makes the federal government complicit with any new violence that takes place in Ferguson.

Put in this mix the strife there will be over the upcoming mid-term elections when millions of people across the country are turned away from the polls because of draconian new laws instituted after the Supreme Court took the heart out of the Voting Rights Act.

Let’s see, what else is going on this patriot’s dream of a country? Oh yes, there’s the blaming of all Muslims for ISIL and Scott Brown fomenting hatred against them in New Hampshire. There’s the blaming of President Obama for the Ebola epidemic . . . Well, I won’t go on, you get the picture.

We know these kinds of things have been happening since so-called Reconstruction ended in the 19^th century. Am I the only one, though, seeing such a rise in violent racial acts since President Obama was elected? And committed with such impunity? The Tea Party has fomented an “us” vs. “them” attitude for the past six years, spewing lies and bent truths for their own agenda. Hate in the brain is going to translate to hate in actions sooner or later. Members call it patriotism; I call it malevolence. They cannot possibly love a country they are making such a mess of.

It’s time for a march again. The only trouble in organizing one is deciding where it should take place. Florida? Washington, DC? Missouri? South Carolina? Ohio? New York? Maybe in all of them.