9.24.20 Bee-otch of the Day: the justice system

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Name: the justice system
Age: ageless
Occupation: the supposed enforcers of the law
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: just not being fair

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Yesterday was another sad day to be an African American. 

The police officers who murdered Breonna Taylor were all found innocent of their crime. One officer was charged when his bullets flew into a neighboring apartment of Taylor's. But, that was it. The only crime Taylor committed was being in an apartment that a judge claimed was being a mailing address for drugs.

Needless to say, the war between the African American and the justice system has always been on shaky ground. After all, America was founded on the ideal that the black man should be in the field picking cotton while their white owners reap all the profits. When Lincoln abolished most slavery, many - and thankfully not all - have tried to find ways to send people of color back to prison. Just watch "13th" some time.

After all, this is a nation where thanks to Drumpf, people convicted of white collar crimes were freed. And yet, black folks caught smoking a joint 50 years ago are still locked up. If a white man goes to a store with counterfeit cash, the cuffs are slapped on him and he's sent to jail. If he's black, a cop will dig his knee into the man's neck until he passes away. 

Like I've mentioned before, the war between the police and the African American community is not new at all. Just look at the Rodney King incident. When it occurred in 1991, many - but not all - Americans had a camcorder. George Holliday was lucky to have one when King was assaulted by Los Angeles Police officers outside his apartment. His Sony Video8 Handycam was one of the best home-use cameras one could buy 30 years ago. It was small and shot on 8mm videotape that could be converted to VCR use with a special cartridge. Of course, the video was far from broadcast quality and it wasn't cheap. Now, many Americans like myself carry around the latest and greatest smartphones with cameras that shoot in 4K and 60fps. We have a secret weapon in our pockets that should put the most-corrupt cops in jail if we bear witness to a black person getting beaten senselessly by the po-pos. 

I think most of us love the police in at least some faction. My great grandfather was a policeman in Detroit in the 1950s. He died of a massive heart attack shortly before my mother was born. According to my mother, even back then did Detroit start having major crime issues. One of her family friend's father was a Phoenix cop for decades and was a stand-up guy. 

However, the negativity that some cops bestow - especially towards people of color - has simply made all police officers look like, well, bastards. Hence, we have "ACAB", or, "All Cops Are Bastards". I do cringe when I hear about a cop who breaks the law himself and is allowed back on the force. Look at my birthplace of Traverse City. Nearly a decade ago, a 16-year-old girl named Carly Lewis was murdered by the son of a Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Deputy. Did the Sheriff's Department fire him? No. Instead, he got to stay on the force for several more years before he retired. Now, he spends his free time cleaning gravestones of Civil War vets at a cemetery during his free time. It's nice to honor those who ACTUALLY won the Civil War. BUT, it won't bring Lewis back.

You see, we have a long-assed ways to go to fix our system. Yesterday, Louisville mayor Greg Fisher hit the nail on the head by saying that we need to work on narrowing the gap between the rich and poor in this country. HE'S RIGHT! Look, Taylor and her boyfriend lived in an apartment where drug use was probably rampant. It wouldn't shock me that with what they were making, it was all they could afford. When I was her age, I was starting out, too. People often asked me why the hell I was at a place where I lived. Guess what? When you vote for assholes like Reagan who was against unions and the minimum wage, there you go. When I moved in to my first apartment, my neighbor across the hall was a drug dealer and assholes knocked on his door at all hours of the day. One idiot was nice enough to park his bicycle IN FRONT OF MY DOOR. Yes, I tripped and fell. Thankfully, the drug dealer moved away. 

Since I started my job, the housing market has been a joke. Because of this, I still rent. I'd like to own my own place someday, but not with the disproportionate cards life has handed me. I agree that if the rich were taxed more, wages will go up and the way of life will improve not just for the middle class, but African Americans as well. I think most blacks want to work and earn an honest living. But, they need the right tools to do so.

And most importantly, they don't need a white cop pulling him over just because he was "speeding" by going two miles over the speed limit.

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