Is There Need To Say Anymore

I am the wife of a Brown-skinned man. I am the mother of two Brown-skinned boys. It is both an honor and a reason to be concerned. In November of 2006, a Brown man was murdered by New York City Police. Today, April 25th, 2008, they were acquitted of all charges. I tried to explain what happened to my 4 year old. He, like many of us today, is confused. Are we supposed to tell our boys that life is just unfair sometimes and we have to roll with the punches? Or do we say, unfortunately, the only people that cops "accidentally" murder are men of color? Do we continue to chastise our boys for simply being boys born Brown who should not enjoy the simple pleasures life offers?

Years ago, Brown men were lynched and it was authorized and sometimes assisted by the state. Let me qualify that- if you can help and do not help, you are complicit. I see that the more things change, the more they stay the same. This case was heard by a judge- not a jury, but a judge. This judge decided that it was legally ok for a cop to shoot, reload, shoot and reload again without reassessment. He decided that reflecting over the wrongs done was punishment enough- legally. He decided that unarmed Brown men are dangerous looking enough to be profiled and attacked by police- legally. He said that he had to weigh the evidence without histrionics and decided what the Constitution writers would have wanted- legally.

Let's go back to the authors of the Constitution: rich, white male, landowners who decided that all men are created equal and then defined "men" as folk just like them. So can we really be angry at the judge? He did EXACTLY what the Constitution writers would have wanted- kept themselves safe.

Before someone says, well two of the cops were African-American and Puerto Rican. I think Rev. Sharpton said it best- just because you're my color doesn't make you my kind.

Hotep.