Baton Rouge Police Execute Alton Sterling in Public
Police Execute Alton Sterling
Police Execute Alton Sterling ~ I want to start this article off by elucidating my position, and the grounds from which I write and speak on the death of Alton Sterling, and so many other unarmed Black men. First of all, for any Whites who may come across this article, and begin to feel some type of way about it, it is not for you. I have no desire to seek or earn your approbation. I don’t need you to co-sign anything I say or write. Unless you stand in my way or move against my people, I am completely indifferent to you. I see you as a group of people who are being manipulated and controlled by the same system that is oppressing my people. The thing is that it is not my responsibility to rescue you from your slumber. My responsibility is to come to the aid of my people.
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Now, to those of you who love to point to so-called black-on-black crime the moment a white cop kills an unarmed black man, it is time that you put as much effort into understanding the dynamic of social engineering, social constructs, criminology and penology and more. Exogenous violence against blacks is a different dynamic in comparison to intra-racial violence. While we definitely need to deal with the violence that is present in our inner-city communities, we must understand the killings that are being carried out against our people by law enforcement officers are the manifestation of an altogether different monster.
When it comes to the killing of Alton Sterling, and so many other black men like him, at the hands of white police officers, we must take the time to understand the psychological and sociological implications. White cops killing unarmed black men for the slightest provocation is a form of contemporary lynching. It is a form of terrorism — designed to incite terror and fear. It is not about diminishing the numbers of blacks as much as it is about paralyzing their mobility. It sends a message that your life does not matter — I can kill you with little to no consequence. Living in a constant state of fear has psychological and physical implications — ultimately leading to health issues and a shortened life span. It thwarts the trust in the justice system that is so necessary to the effective coexistence between citizens and their government.
When I watched the video of the execution of Alton Sterling, I saw something that literally jumped out at
me — not the shooting of Alton, but the immediate aftermath. The young lady who was shooting the video was obviously traumatized by the event. It is likely that the young man in the vehicle with her will be impacted by what he saw. Additionally, watching the press conference where Alton’s wife addresses the public, and watching his 15-year-old son break down points to a situation in which this young man’s view of life, and especially of law enforcement, has been changed forever — creating would will likely be a lifelong distrust of law enforcement. This distrust can lead to this young man running when he sees a law enforcement officer, even when he has done nothing wrong. He is being taught that he can’t trust the decision making faculties of cops. He could be shot without provocation.
Because social media makes everything instantly available, this young boy has literally witnessed his father laying helpless as a police officer arbitrarily determines to snuff his life out.
While I am certain that there will be those who feel the need to victim blame, I urge you to refrain from the practice of blaming the victim moving forward. The process of digging into Alton Sterling’s past has already begun. The fact is that this young man had already been subdued and was pinned down, so his past should play no role, whatsoever, in impacting the police officer’s decision to use deadly force.
When I examine a situation like this, I always ask myself the question, could a black police officer have shot a white person under the same conditions and it be considered a justifiable killing? And, in almost every situation, the answer is no. In most instances, a white police officer could not get away with shooting a white person the way that they have in killing countless unarmed black men. The contempt towards black life by White America cannot be ignored. Whether it’s Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, John Crawford, Tamir Rice, or any of the Black men who are being killed at a rate of one every 28 hours, it has become clear that it is still open season on the Black man in America.
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My preliminary assessment of this situation is basically the same as it is each time this happens. My concern is what type of action will this ignite within the black collective? I am more concerned with the response of the African American community than I am with the White power structure and their pseudo-investigations.
The docility of the black collective conjoined with its proclivity to whine, is one reason we are in this current predicament. We have failed to send a clear message that the violation of Black life will not be tolerated, regardless of the perpetrator. We are literally begging our enemy to have mercy, instead of associating consequence with their heinous acts.
It is now time for Blacks in America to consider the cost of freedom and empowerment, and to make a determination of whether they are willing to pay the price or not. It is time to forcibly remove the proverbial White foot from our collective necks — by any means necessary! ~ Dr. Rick Wallace, Ph.D.
Actual video footage of the shooting:
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