A couple of days ago a Palm Beach, Florida policeman shot and killed Corey Jones. The brother was trying to get help because his car broke down. Why does this continue to happen over and over again? Sometimes a writer can provide a pity explanation packed with clarity. At the end of an article written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, "Black Boy Interrupted" published in the Atlantic last year the brother offers the following observation about why the killing of black men will continue to happen over and over again: "...because our policy is colorblind, but our heritage isn't. An American courtroom claiming it can be colorblind denies its rightful inheritance. An American courtroom claiming it can be colorblind is a drug addict claiming he can walk away after just one more hit. Law and legacy are at war. Legacy is winning." The same observation holds for the entire American Criminal Justice System and especially law enforcement agencies across this nation. Our country was built on racism, genocide, slavery, and Jim Crow segregation. To think times have drastically changed just because a few signs came down is to be captured by systematic lies and illusions. We have a long way to go to build a country based on the principles of democracy and equality. I wanted to offer a few thoughts for the day before the non-stop party of Home Coming begins.
If you would like to read the Ta-Nehisi Coates article you can click on the link below:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/02/black-boy-interrupted/283881/
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