Do you really think it won't happen to you?

       In the last 12 months, the nation has seen at least half a dozen widely televised incidences where white law enforcement officers have shot or abused black people. In some cases the people died. In all but one or two, the black person had done nothing to warrant such an outrageous over reaction by the cop.

    I won't go into names. There are too many for me to remember. What I remember is situations, caught on camera. I believe it was in St. Louis? where a black motorist was stopped by a white policeman who ordered the black man out of the car.  The cop was yelling "get out of the car get out of the car". The man complied. He had his hands up and was asking the cop why he'd been stopped. The cop-who was caught on his own traffic camera..crossed in front of the camera and said "Show me your driver's license." The black man turned to get his wallet out of the car...and was shot by the cop. He fell over and the cop ran up, pointing his gun down at the man, yelling incoherently,and the man was saying, "why did you shoot me?"

    In Seattle, again, on camera, an elderly black man (later learned to have been a combat veteran and totally harmless, without so much as a traffic ticket.) was waiting for the pedestrian crossing light to change so he could cross the street. He was minding his own business. He had a golf club for a cane.
A white female cop accosted him. Again, the entire interaction was caught on her dash camera. She was shrieking, "drop the weapon, drop the weapon, drop the weapon." The man was bewildered. He even looked around, looking for someone with the weapon. The female cop then wrestled him to the ground, still shrieking why didn't you obey me, you are resisting me. She handcuffed him, saying he'd 'attacked' her with the golf club. He was protesting his innocence, "why are you doing this" and she was shrieking that he'd swung at her.
He'd never done any such thing. She later swore in her statement that he'd swung the golf club at her and hit a street sign. In the video, there is no street sign. He's leaning on the cane, waiting to cross the street. . He has done nothing to warrant such a virulent and pointless attack.
He was released from jail two days later, given a two year 'probation''. Only later, when someone else got pissed about it, did it hit the news. The cop was adamant that she'd been attacked by this harmless old man. Later it was revealed that this female officer had a record for being less than truthful. She'd made racist rants on her face book page about black people and had a history of being overly aggressive when dealing with blacks. The man was exonerated, his "crime"  (standing while black) obliterated and the Seattle chief of police publicly apologized to him. In the meantime, dozens of black men were standing on the same street corner, all with golf clubs as canes. The original man now uses a cane and probably feels fear whenever he sees a cop. 

    Another situation was in, I think, Missouri, where a black man was stopped by a white cop for some reason. The cop claimed the man had 'stolen his radio' and he shot and killed the man 'who attacked him'. 
But a bystander, a young black man, witnessed and video'ed the entire situation. Wisely, he did NOT interact with the cop at all. The video shows the black man obeying the cop's order to 'come here'.  The cop pulled his gun. The black man threw a cell phone at the cop's feet and then turned and ran away.  The cop SHOT HIM IN THE BACK, then PICKED UP THE CELL PHONE and placed it next to the man's body. 

     Only by virtue of the fact that the bystander had the courage to go to the police (hmmmmm) with the video was the dead man exonerated and the white cop charged with murder.

   A few days ago, a black woman motorist named Bland was pulled over by a Texas  cop for 'failing to signal a lane change." Maybe she didn't. But she's dead now. This time it wasn't a shooting. 
 She'd already handed over her driver's license et al. He ordered her to put out her cigarette. She can be heard on his dash cam " I can smoke in my own car." He orders her out of the car. She refuses. You don't see the rest of it, why, I don't know, but the next scene on his camera is she's in handcuffs and walking towards the patrol car. 

   She was put in jail. Apparently they either forgot about her or weren't doing any sort of checking because she 'hanged herself' with a plastic trash bag. Of course the cops are saying we had no idea she was suicidal so they didn't check her every fifteen minutes. I bet they didn't check on her AT ALL. 

    In Seattle, again, a 20 year veteran bus driver was accused by two cops (whose job it is to handle bums/druggies/etc who cause problems on the bus). (he had the night shift). The two white cops swore that he had cursed them, saying they weren't 'doing effing nothin'' in regards to their job. They arrested him for 'cursing' them and being 'obstructive' and 'resisting arrest."
The man...again, an older, African-American man, said he'd never said any curse words and didn't say "nothin'." Again, only the fact that he was wearing a camera was the truth upheld. He had NOT said the f word. He had NOT said you don't nothin'. He's said, "I'm not arguing with you, officer, I am frustrated that you aren't doing anything to stop these people."

   In all these cases and so depressingly many more, a white law enforcement officer over reacts, treating the black 'suspect' as if he or she is a violent criminal just waiting to murder a white person. The cop unnecessarily  escalates the situation into one where he or she feels the obligation to shoot the black person. 

   Before we go any further, I'm white. I have no criminal record whatsoever. I was raised to think that the police were my friends, ones who would protect me and defend me,ones who would bust the bad guy. 
     But in the last decade or so, I've seen things go very much wrong. 

     My husband reported that his truck had been broken into and a handgun stolen, and the cops didn't even bother to come out to take a report. 
    Now there is a law that if you don't report a stolen handgun YOU are going to be fined and perhaps jailed. 

     I have been pulled over and threatened by a cop for driving with one headlight out. The headlight was working when I left my driveway, I know because I had to have them on in order to drive through my gate. It burned out right after that, when I was in a lighted area. 
    The cop treated me as if I'd KNOWN it was out, didn't give a damn, and that I was a danger to society. 
      If I didn't get it fixed in ten days he was going to arrest me. This is the same area where kids in fast cars routinely break the speed limit (by twenty or thirty miles per hour in a school zone), where idiots tailgate, pass against the double yellow line, on blind curves...and sail right past the house where the sheriff lives, with his patrol car in the driveway. He does nothing. Every once in a while you'll see him in his patrol car, parked in front of the Methodist church on Sunday mornings. Precisely the time when NO one is driving fast because they're still in bed. 
   I think, again, in Seattle, a white kid was put in jail...and a week later, when they happened to check, found him dead. This time it wasn't suicide. He'd died of STARVATION. (to include dehydration, when the temps were in the mid 90's). They'd forgotten about him. 

   When I'm on the highway, I routinely have gigantic semi trucks trying to push me to go faster so they don't have to change lanes. I drive the speed limit in the far right lane. That's not good enough. They will pass with an inch to spare. They routinely break the speed limit. The State Patrol ignores them, preferring to pull over little old ladies in Buicks. Why?

   Because old people don't shoot cops. 


    There's a saying that I cannot remember quite how it goes, but it is in reference to the Nazis, when they first started rounding up the Jews. It goes sort of like this: "When they rounded up the Jews, I did nothing. Now they are rounding up me."

   That is what's going to happen, white folks. I promise. For whatever reason, cops in America are on the muscle. They will shoot you, they will lie about you, they will throw you in jail and forget about you. It's going to happen to us all. We must stop being complacent about the outright hatred demonstrated towards blacks. Maybe it's due to the Republicans, many of the congressmen and senators who say the most racist, filthy things about President Barack Obama and then flip it off as "if you have a problem with my words, that's your problem."
I don't know what to do about it.  
But I'm warning you. We white folk stand and watch it happen, and honestly, so often, can do nothing about it. It's mostly demographics. There aren't many black people in the rural area where I live, so the cops must bust white ones. And they go for those of us they know aren't going to retaliate. We're easy prey, just like the blacks in the cities. 

But we must do SOMETHING, because once all the innocent black folk are in prison, they're going to come after us. 

What can we do? Watch. Video. Stand up for the innocent people who happen to be arrested (and killed) because they're black. 

Remember your rights and stand by them. Don't argue. Don't drink and drive. Keep your hands out where he can see them. You don't have to let him search your car without a warrant. If he calls himself deputy or officer you call him by that, not 'sir'. Hope to god he's got a camera going. 
Remember your Miranda rights.

And keep a good lawyers name in your memory.

Watch out, folks, of all colors. The fascists are in charge.