Michael Brown: 1960 or 2014?

1960 or 2014

The turbulent times of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement are long behind us, or are they?  I would like to believe that the world has changed significantly since those days, but every time a young, unarmed African American male is murdered, it causes me to pause. Michael Brown’s death marks the latest in a long string of untimely deaths of African American males.  I have found myself personally drawn to the situation occurring in Ferguson, Missouri for a number of reasons.  I have been reading articles, watching interviews and researching similar high profile cases.  I do not like to jump to conclusions or discuss topics that I have not researched thoroughly.  As I researched information about Michael’s death, I came across some startling pictures.  One of the pictures I stumbled upon depicted a scene from a 1960s protest juxtaposed with a scene from a recent protest being held in Ferguson, Missouri.  But for the captions on the picture, it would have been nearly impossible to determine the year that the two scenes occurred.  Honestly, I would have been inclined to believe that both images depicted scenes from the 1960s.  How have race relations changed from 1960 to 2014?  That is a question that cannot easily be answered in a short blog post.
  

ENDANGERED SPECIES

Young African American men are being killed at an alarming rate. For the most part, the national media is not covering many of these homicides.  But, every now and again, a case comes along with facts that are compelling enough to be covered by the national media.  Recently, the facts covered by national media outlets involve: (1) a young, unarmed African American male being killed by a non-minority male (see Trayvon Martin case); or (2) a young, unarmed African American male being killed by a member of law enforcement (see Oscar Grant case).  Each time either of these scenarios occurs, we have a platform to discuss the state of race relations in the United States.  This conversation may be uncomfortable, but it is often times the proverbial “elephant in the room” that is ignored.  When you ignore problems, those problems fester and become pieces of larger problems.  As citizens of the United States of America, we simply cannot afford to ignore the problem, while hoping that it will dissipate into thin air.

FACTS

Although the facts of this case are still developing, some facts are undisputed. Michael Brown was unarmed when he was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson.  Officer Wilson shot Michael more than a few times.  It took the Ferguson Police Department six days to release Officer Wilson’s identity to the public.  There was some kind of physical struggle between Michael and Officer Wilson before Michael’s untimely death. 

There are also a number of facts that are currently in dispute.  The Ferguson Police Department has advanced an uncorroborated account that Michael Brown tried to take Wilson’s gun and that led to him being killed.  However, according to Dorian Johnson—Michael’s friend and person who was walking with Michael before his death—Officer Wilson yelled at Michael and him to get the f**k out of the street.  According to Mr. Johnson, he and Michael told the officer that they were only about one minute from their destination and would soon be out of the street.  Johnson said that this enraged Wilson and he pulled up very close to where he and Michael were walking and attempted to open his door.  He opened the door with such great force that it actually bounced back and hit him.  This infuriated him further and he grabbed Michael by the back of the neck and threatened to shoot him.  As Michael tried to get free, according to Johnson, Wilson shot him.  Then, as Johnson and Michael started running away, Wilson opened fire on Michael and eventually fired the shot that killed him.  Several other eyewitnesses have corroborated significant portions of Mr. Johnson’s account of the story.  According to a recent autopsy report, Michael was shot six times.

MEDIA'S ROLE

The media’s role in this case cannot be understated.  The media’s portrayal of a victim of a crime is critical to the court of public opinion.  Their portrayal of a person can make the world feel bad for them or, conversely, make them feel that they somehow caused or contributed to their own death.  Unfortunately, for Michael Brown, the media’s introduction of Michael to the world was not done in the best light.  Michael Brown was an 18-year old high school graduate who was set to begin his college career just days after he was slain.  People often say that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Instead of using a picture of Michael graduating from high school, I have seen a picture of Michael Brown wearing a tank top and throwing up the “peace” sign (which some folks in the media have alluded to as being some kind of gang sign).  Painting a picture of the victim as a thug is one sure fire way to convince people to not have any sympathy for him.

DIVERSION TACTICS

Six days after Michael was murdered, a video surfaced of a young, African American man robbing a convenience store.  This also happened to be the day that the Ferguson Police Department released the identity of Officer Darren Wilson.  The Ferguson Police Department revealed that Michael was the primary suspect in a strong-arm robbery depicted in the video.  The robbery, which was caught on tape, showed a large man physically stealing a box of cigars from a convenience store.  A strong-arm robbery is one where a person uses physical force to take something that does not belong to him from another person.  By definition, a strong-arm robbery does not include use of any kind of weapon—that would be an armed robbery.  The Ferguson Police Department released a statement that Officer Wilson did not approach Michael because he was a suspect in the robbery.  He approached him because he was walking in the middle of the street and was blocking traffic.  The timing of release of the video diverted attention from Officer Wilson’s identity being released and placed negative attention on the victim. Let’s say that Michael was involved in the robbery, did that give Officer Wilson a license to kill him?  I think not.   

FRUSTRATION

The citizens of Ferguson, Missouri are frustrated.  They have seen parts of their city destroyed by looters.  Many of them have no confidence in the criminal justice system.  They want to know why Michael Brown’s dead body remained in the middle of the street for four and one half hours after he was dead.  They want to know why Officer Wilson has not issued a statement regarding Michael's Death, since he the person who killed Michael.  They want to know why it took the Ferguson Police Department six days to finally release Officer Wilson’s name to the public. They want to know why police officers appeared at their peaceful protests in riot gear and allegedly fired rubber bullets, and tear gas at unarmed participants.  Most importantly, they want to know whether justice will be served. 

Each time a situation like Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin and now, Michael Brown occurs, there is always a chance that violence will engulf the area.  Violence is not the answer, but people must be shown that their lives are not worthless.

The world is watching, so those individuals involved in the investigation of this crime better do all they can to make sure justice is served.  If not, more riots, looting and death could arrive on the steps of Ferguson, Missouri, as well as other oppressed communities.  Let’s make sure that there is a clear line of demarcation between 1960 and 2014.

Peace

Power--A 50 Cent Production

“No man should have all that power . . .” – Kanye West.  Power is defined as the ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something.  Over the course of history, the pursuit of power has led to wars, death, jealousy and many other bad things.  That being said, the new show titled “Power” is appropriately named.  If you watch the first episode, you will understand.

When I began watching the first episode of Power, I honestly did not know what to expect.  I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical when I learned that the show iss produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.  Prior to watching Power, I had only seen 50 Cent involved with one movie, Get Rich or Die Trying.  Needless to say, after watching this movie, I was not in any particular hurry to catch 50 Cent starring in another movie, television show, commercial or ad.   However, after watching the first episode, I knew 50 Cent was on to something that could potentially become a big hit.  After watching the first episode, I actually watched 6 episodes consecutively over the course of a little more six hours.  I watched the 8^th and final episode the following morning when I woke up.  The last time I watched that many consecutive episodes of a show occurred about two years ago when I began watching Game of Thrones.  Power is reminiscent of the show The Wire, but has a New York spin to it.  You can also see influences from other movies on the show, including: Sugar Hill, New Jack City, Scarface and Carlito’s Way.  If you are someone who enjoys watching intense situations, you will almost certainly enjoy this show.  Let me be crystal clear when I say, however: “this show is not meant for children; this is a show for adults only.”

This show boasts a nice range of characters—some being more involved than others—but all being important to the authenticity and raw edge that has defined the show thus far.  Although there are multiple characters on the show, I will briefly discuss a few of the most important characters.  My goal is to give you a little background without spoiling it for you.

Ghost is the main character and is the brains behind the operation of his criminal organization.  His character is interesting because he was raised in the streets of New York City and worked his way up to his position of power.  His character is very similar to the role played by Al Pacino in Carlito’s Way.  Ghost truly is a man torn between the street life and his dream of becoming a legitimate entrepreneur.  You will have to watch the show to learn more about his journey.

Tommy is Ghost’s business partner and best friend.  He and Ghost grew up together and learned the hustling game together.  He is the enforcer of their operation.  I get the sense that he wants a bigger role in the operation, and as the season progresses, it is interesting to watch his transformation.  His character reminds me of Avon from The Wire in the sense that he is kind of a live wire.  Ghost, just like Stringer Bell in The Wire, is the calm, collected half of the duo.  Together, they form a very formidable combination.

Angela comes into the picture pretty early in the show.  She represents a part of Ghost’s past that kind of slipped through his fingers.  She is a lawyer, who was involved in a relationship with another man when she reconnected with Ghost.  Ghost and Angela were in love when they were in their early 20’s, but she left Ghost’s life abruptly (she is the “one who got away”) and he had not seen her in about 18 years when they reconnected.  She always supported him and saw him as more than a street kid.  I believe their relationship will eventually become the most critical one on the show. 

Without giving away too many details regarding the show, I want to talk a little bit about the plot.  Although there are a number of twists and turns, the show, at its most fundamental level, is about a drug dealer who wants to transition out of his life of crime into a legitimate life.  Sound familiar?  The problem—as is always the case—is that his past will not release its grip on him so that he can become a legitimate businessman.  Remember Kane in Menace II Society?  What about Carlito in Carlito’s Way? How about Romelo in Sugarhill? These are just a few examples of reformed street hustlers who attempted to leave their criminal lives behind so that could move towards living a legal life, but because of their past interactions, they found it nearly impossible to do so. Ghost, just like his predecessors, has a past that is littered with drugs, infidelity, corruption, betrayal, distrust, and jealousy.  As you watch the show, you will see that these ills make it extremely difficult for him to become the man he ultimately wants to become.  If you have not watched the show, do yourself a favor and check it out.  If Time Warner is your cable provider, you can watch the entire first season On Demand.

Peace