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Give is the prompt word this week.
Give: Give means a lot of things. Give me a break! It also means, "I quit!" as in, "I Give".
I Give....
I will quit trying to make any sense of the violence against Black Americans that constitutes Law in America both in the past and at the moment.
There are police officers in my family; I also, know Peace Officers as friends. I'll be very frank. What some others of them are doing endangers the lives of every other police officer in ALL of the forces around the country.
I read a book - actually read isn't the word because it was mostly a book of photographs - while away visiting the kids. In it was an essay about the life of African American males, discussing, in part, their life expectancy and why it is so short. From the moment of birth, fewer of them survive; as the children get older, it starts to be mostly because of violence. I'm not talking about the violence associated with criminal activity but also because their families are among the poorest in the nation, and the whole pushing down of African Americans from birth to death. I'm through trying to understand. I think I know the causes. It just isn't pretty. I quit. I want God to look down, have pity, and straighten this all out. I want it Now.
That's all I have to say, other than I am so very sad about this. I'm worried. I'm angry, and I'm sad. If you find this hard to read, I'm sorry. I'm just tired of trying to figure out why we, as a people, have institutionalized this mess and think we should be blaming the victims.
Give me a Break!
Stop!!!!
Give is the prompt word this week.
Give: Give means a lot of things. Give me a break! It also means, "I quit!" as in, "I Give".
I Give....
I will quit trying to make any sense of the violence against Black Americans that constitutes Law in America both in the past and at the moment.
There are police officers in my family; I also, know Peace Officers as friends. I'll be very frank. What some others of them are doing endangers the lives of every other police officer in ALL of the forces around the country.
I read a book - actually read isn't the word because it was mostly a book of photographs - while away visiting the kids. In it was an essay about the life of African American males, discussing, in part, their life expectancy and why it is so short. From the moment of birth, fewer of them survive; as the children get older, it starts to be mostly because of violence. I'm not talking about the violence associated with criminal activity but also because their families are among the poorest in the nation, and the whole pushing down of African Americans from birth to death. I'm through trying to understand. I think I know the causes. It just isn't pretty. I quit. I want God to look down, have pity, and straighten this all out. I want it Now.
That's all I have to say, other than I am so very sad about this. I'm worried. I'm angry, and I'm sad. If you find this hard to read, I'm sorry. I'm just tired of trying to figure out why we, as a people, have institutionalized this mess and think we should be blaming the victims.
Give me a Break!
Stop!!!!
I have found the whole episode - from when it happened to the court case - despicable. Beyond inhuman. It's really sick-making to think that it *can* happen in this day and age....but, as you say, it's 'allowed' to happen because there's a whole swathe of the population (not just blacks, Latinos and many others too) who do not have the same rights and privileges as other parts of the population. I never understood Americans - who claim to be some of the most religious people in the world - could let this sort of thing happen and now, seeing all of this, I wonder how on Earth these people involved could do anything but hang their heads in shame. It's despicable. I daren't think what his poor Mama is going through. [Brave you for writing about this...I felt your outrage and sadness through your whole piece]....a fellow FMF-er
ReplyDeleteAll of it, from the blinding of the pregnant woman to the treatment of Sagon Penn, I find it despicable because I do know what discrimination has cost our country. The poor white worker in the south knew it, when he remarked to a co-worker, who was black, that the owners were dividing and conquering over unionizing the mills. I've seen far too much and participated too much in the dialog over the years not to be outraged. Thank you for your comments.
DeleteI respect your opinion. However, if he would have only gotten onto the sidewalk none of this would have happened. I am tired of black people thinking they have the rights just because their ancestors were kept as slaves. Too many black people are continuing to think our white country is responsible when none of us were even alive then. It is time for BOTH sides to quit with the race issue and just be people. I, too, am very sad by all of this. But I know that far more information was provided to the grand jury than what we the people got to see. What we saw was a media that loves to stir the pot all in the name of the story. I will continue to respect and support the police officer. They put their lives on the line every single time they walk out their doors. I want the black people to take responsibility right along beside all of the whites people who are continuing to keep this alive. We, including myself, are all responsible.
ReplyDeletePaula, I respect yours, and I'll have to respectfully disagree. I've seen far, far too much and it just makes me incredibly sad that we have not figured out the costs of this discrimination. If he had been white he wouldn't have even been stopped. Now that I do know. I have family who are going to be targets like never before if this thing spirals out of control and they are some of the most kind people on this earth. I know how dangerous this situation is and I'll repeat what I said. I want God to take pity on us all, and send help!
DeleteAs do I Zippi! And I will continue to pray for all of us. But mostly for my police officer son who I fear for his life every single day just because people do not want to respect the laws. Have a great day!
DeleteHave a great day Paula! I will also pray for your son specifically, and for everyone in particular.
DeleteAll this has to be put to rest by the people who caused it by actions they have taken or, perhaps, not taken to let this go on and on. Thank you for your comment.
Hey there... I am stopping by from Kate's for Five Minute Friday! It seems we both touched on Ferguson in our post. (How could we not... after such a week!) Praying for healing and grace... and that one day we could no longer have 'sides' - but realize that we are one!
ReplyDeleteKarrilee, hi, and thanks for your comments. The so named "Mother Mitochondrial Gene, MtDNA" in all of our genomes says that's what we all are; We are One! We are one great big family, and this occurred as soon ago as 200,000 years ago. We all know that 200,000 years is a mere blink of the eye in Geologic time.
ReplyDeleteI will pray with you and with Paula, for Grace, Healing and Understanding sufficient to change enough to solve long standing problems. Thank you.