Los Angeles, California
August 22, 2014
(Today's Date)
August 21, 2014
(Original Date)
*Denotes a change made in the original blog (either adding or deleting)
**UPDATE-Denotes NEW information added to the blog after publication of the original blog
This will be one of my shorter blogs. I simply want to express my enormous pride, as a Black man and a Black lawyer in America, in the Black citizens of Ferguson, Mo., especially the young ones. It so reminds me of the early civil rights movement, when young people had courage, i.e., the lunch counter sit-ins and other protests involving police dogs and water hoses. *It also reminds me of the 1963 Watts (CA) riots, which I witnessed firsthand. Today's young Black people (as well as adults), on the whole, lack courage. We are, for the most part, cowards. We don't do anything. We don't say anything. And, we don't support one another. It's sad that it has taken the loss of a young Black life to bring out the courage of the few Black young people (yes, there are adults also, and I am proud of them also, but the biggest brunt is borne by young people) of Ferguson who have persisted in exercising their civil rights in the face of tear gas, rifles, *tank-like and other war machinery. They have persisted over a period of ten days, even though other so-called Black officials, along with some white officials, have encouraged them to revise *or alterate their protest, e.g., stop protesting at or by sun down. They continued their protest well beyond sun down.
It's sad that the young people must proceed ahead in their fight for justice for Michael Brown without any legal support from the legal community, especially the Black *legal community. For instance, the police told the Ferguson protesters that they had to continuously march rather than stand still and protest. Where, in the Constitution, does it say that the freedom to assemble means "continuous marching". Clearly, this was nothing but a ploy on behalf of Ferguson officials, which probably worked to some extent, to lead to the marchers getting tired of walking around in circles and eventually giving up. Where was the ACLU? More importantly, where were the Black lawyers? Clearly, the National Bar Association was present. Why didn't they provide the marchers with representation? They should have confronted the police with the First Amendment and informed them that the protesters had a right to stop and protest on the sidewalk, especially if it would not cause any serious safety problems (and it wouldn't) or other interference with public safety (and inconvenience would not be enough). And, if the police did not accept their advice, they should have proceeded to federal court to seek an injunction. The protesters were denied their first amendment right to assemble (by causing some to leave when ordinarily they would not have). This is just one observation that I have. I think it was cowardice on behalf of Black lawyers. I think they (Black lawyers) knew the order to keep marching was an infringement on the protesters' right to assemble, but simply did not want to challenge the police. I don't believe the non-lawyer protestors knew this and just went along with the police commands.
*Black lawyers should also have informed the protestors of the legal standard for an arrest, i.e., probable cause, so that the protestors could understand that they had a valid legal basis for calling for the arrest of Darren Wilson for the murder of Mike Brown, which may have motivated them to persist in their protest activities. The protestors, especially the young ones, got no encouragement or support from the legal community in their protests, which likely resulted in their early stoppage.
Again, I'm so proud of the (especially) young protestors (but, the adults as well). And, I urge them to keep up the good fight, even if its only a few (but there should be many). This is their (our) opportunity to let the world know about the racism in Ferguson, Mo., as well as the United States (because the same thing happens all over the country where the characteristics of Ferguson, Mo. exists). And, it's clear the police hasn't learn anything from the murder of Michael Brown. See the other murder of the other Black man in St. Louis County (a one Mr. Powell). And, yes, that was murder as well. And, both cases and killings were the result of racial discrimination or racism, *that is, both killings were racially-motivated murders. Neither man would have been shot and killed if he were white.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I differ to say, it would be most fair to write that the only cowards are those whom are supposedly meant to be upholding the law, not doing their job as required by true professionals showing the right integrity, but instead using their position as a harbargery and doing so pugnaciously, morally ignoble and in a notoriously cunning and vindictive manner, enough to seriously deprive life.
Any government who employ such a police force who goes out deliberately and behave themselves in such likeness as those vicious radical clerics and their organizations who sponsors them, much more, enough to help foster these shootings on American citizens, then allowing them to get away from using excessive force and showing such brutality, which all amounts to murder. When connecting the dots, naturally they all spells out as a crime against humanity.
Sanquinolency, or the cops shooting a citizen, is not a civilize way for any government to perform. As humans, we are not so heartless that we shouldn’t be open minded enough to understand that psychological bullying exists in the police force and law enforcement, especially. Even there, they are many who feels daily threatened physically and mentally. It is known that some even complained about being bullied by their own superiors. The point here is, do they get their gun out and start shooting, or go out on duty and pick on someone who they can now kill and get away, or because its easier to pick on some African American, to quell their anger. Then afterwards put up an affront investigation, which clearly expiate their selfishness to exculpate their own peers, from their crime. Churlishly and just as juveniles who cannot be trusted, arrogantly left feeling content and believing that African American are defenceless, gullible and timid.
As cowards, with no shame of their manipulative and cruel wrong deeds done, they expect the heavy as always, being there. That's those trained as governments agents, believing themselves to be the ultimatum to enforce obedience, in some case by; bullying and the use of arms, even by committing murder.
President Obama must surely realize by now, how the Americans who have voted for him in office are feeling about those who deliberately have set their soulful aim and intentions on working to sabotage and pretentiously show him as being incompetent and his position as leader, failed to realistically address this type of problems.
Post a Comment