By Vernon A. Williams
After the Democrats debated this week, some were disappointed that there wasn’t more conversation on climate change. Others decried the lack of dialogue on LGBQT rights.
Nobody seemed at all bothered that African Americans are still being slaughtered by law enforcement with little to no reprisals for these dastardly acts of violent cowardice.
I don’t want to hear about “the good ones” and the cops who put it on the line without any apprehension of the danger involved. That is what they are being paid to do.
Even the best of the “blue brigade” are complicit in this atrocity being heaped on Black America as they turn away from wrong doings and choose being loyal to their fraternal sense of belonging rather than responding to their humanity.
The fact that a rogue trained officer can simply excuse misuse of deadly force with the lie that he or she feared for their lives is an atrocity. These are mistakes that can never be corrected – not with any multimillion judgement rendered in the aftermath.
And this doesn’t bother any of those seeking the highest office in the land – not even the ones of color. And it’s not just presidential candidates. Where are the state officials in these states, organizations, community advocates and civic leaders?
Is Black life in America so insignificant and marginalized in 2019 society that moral outrage is no longer a response? Or has everyone in authority grown numb to the carnage and its impact on those who lives were taken as well as those left behind?
We don’t expect positive contribution to constructive dialogue from the White House, but the lack of even the isolated voices of discontent heard here and there scarcely constitute as much outrage as Americans vent over mistreatment of animals. That’s sad.
You know by now that the night Tatianna Jefferson was shot and killed by a now-resigned police officer behaving more like a burglar at the rear of her house, her mother was already in the hospital with heart problems. I can only imagine the impact of the awful news.
The white Fort Worth officer, responding to a call from a neighbor who was concerned about the open door, fired a split-second after shouting at the Black woman to show her hands. Police bodycam video shows the officer didn’t identify himself as police.
He resigned Monday and was later charged with murder.
Jefferson grew up in the Dallas area. She graduated from Xavier University in Louisiana in 2014 with a bachelor of science degree in biology, and her family said she worked from home selling medical equipment. Merritt said Jefferson was considering going to medical school and had been studying for the Medical College Admission Test.
Her sister, Ashley Carr, who read from a statement prepared by the family, described Jefferson as “a smart, ambitious, kind person with an adventurous spirit.” She also called her a hard worker.
What about the eight-year-old who witnessed his aunt being shot and killed? Is there enough therapy and counseling to chase away that nightmare? And even if it can be done, why should the innocence of a little boy be brutally stolen?
In the meantime, there will be more empty candlelight vigils, balloon launches, angry grandstanding along with ‘thoughts and prayers’ as clergy across the nation preach the same old sermons, corporate continues, America continues with business as usual, candidates and leaders opt for more popular discussions while feckless media focus will remain on politics and war.
Maybe if chicken sandwiches were involved in these endless tragedies, we could garner more attention to the seriousness of the hour in this nation.
CIRCLE CITY CONNECTION
By Vernon A. Williams is a series of essays on myriad topics that include social issues, human interest, entertainment and profiles of difference-makers who are forging change in a constantly evolving society. Williams is a 40-year veteran journalist based in Indianapolis, IN – commonly referred to as The Circle City. Send comments or questions to: [email protected].
