"Call my momma! Oh, God." She exhaled in frustration as the white man sworn to protect her, hovered menacingly over her body instead.
"Get out of here, or you're going too!" He growled at the kids in the crowd as he knelt over her body after pinning her to the floor. Her sobs were punctuated by the movement of her figure underneath his frame.
His voice no less frightening than the gun he threatened the teenagers with. His badge altogether shiny under the hot sun and saddening to the onlookers.
A "chaotic video" said the news source. However, the clip I saw showcased a determined authority figure in the McKinney community single out, verbally abuse and forcefully subdue minors.
Ferguson, Missouri. Trayvon Martin. Freddie Gray (Baltimore). McKinney.
Civil unrest. Riots. Protests.
...There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
Brothers on the instant replay
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
Brothers on the instant replay...
The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised
Will not be televised, will not be televised
The revolution will be no re-run brothers
The revolution will be live-- Gil Scott-Heron
Television may have its gatekeepers but social and digital media would give Gil Scott-Heron reasons to smile. From Twitter to YouTube to Facebook, and newer platforms like Periscope, U.S. citizens (communities) have tools at their disposal to broadcast unedited information to their social networks. @InsertNameHere broadcasts through their smartphone (or connected device) without imposing the editorial point of view that @NationalNewsNetwork would. In doing so, this democratization of information allows for different truths to come through. Like those that would not have otherwise been televised.
As discussions of the "Ferguson Effect" make the rounds and major U.S. cities reportedly experience double-digit growth in crime, it's apparent that the symptoms have not been dealt with: Racial tension is a term that's used as a substitute for "Racism Lives Here." There are systematic and learned behaviors at play that allow for the abuse of authority under the guise of maintaining order.
However, it would be disingenuous to limit the discussion around racism to the small group of men and women in uniform that have made headlines. There's a silent truth that's more painful to address and that's the sustained racism inherent within minority groups. Skin tones, contours, hair types exist within these groups to classify its members.
As teachable moments go, it would be a lost opportunity if we did work to strip away attitudes, behaviors and language that propagate hate. I'm not sayin' it's easy, that's why I called it WORK.
The indisputable truth is, NO ONE deserves this: