Originally Published May 10, 2020:
Fair Use News Photo, No infringement intended.
“PLEASE COME GET ME! PLEASE COME GET ME!” Those are the words that Airman Sean Reed screamed before being gunned down. Almost four thousand people were watching. By the end of the live feed, 15.7 had tuned in and were sharing it. They heard everything. They were watching his murder.
Yes, he ran away. It’s easy to say, “why didn’t he just pull over?” or, “should’ve complied.” callously when you’ve never had to walk a millisecond in a Black Man’s shoes. When you don’t have constant fear of the police, you really can’t begin to understand. The complexity of the relationship between law enforcement and the Black community dates back decades. White men can confront law enforcement with loaded assault rifles and not an eye will blink. But a Black kid running after being chased? We see a contrast. Automatically he deserves death.
There are a different set of rules for White Americans than what is applicable to Black Americans. We see it every single day. Evading arrest only gives Black men automatic death penalties. No questions asked, no feeling about it. And this isn’t exclusive to White officers, it is a culture to not respect Black lives. Hearing the officer that made the closed casket comment, without seeing him, I believe he is a Black officer. Like I said, it’s a culture that’s deeply ingrained in a lot of people.
There are a different set of rules for White Americans than what is applicable to Black Americans. We see it every single day. Evading arrest only gives Black men automatic death penalties.
You see comments like, “they’re all killing their own anyway!” No we aren’t. We all don’t gang bang. We all don’t sell drugs. There’s more of us that care than that don’t. But what drives crime? Poverty. Enough said.
The video is painful to listen to. It ripped me to shreds as I immediately felt his fear, pain and desperation. How I wish I could hug his mother tight. How scared I am for my Black nephews. Namely, my 6’0 ft. deaf nephew who wouldn’t be given the chance to express that he is deaf. Fear. We live it. We have to prepare our kids for life differently. When my kids are gone too long, I send texts that simply say, “proof of life.” I get the designated response and I relax. We warn of dangers that only Black people will encounter. Oh, but it’s the race card, right? Sike your mind. Stop lying to yourself if you don’t believe this is an issue. If you are capable of explaining this away, blaming it on the victim, you’ve got so much more work to do.
Not once do you hear, “drop your weapon!” or “where is his weapon?” after they used his body for target practice after tasing him. But made sure to claim one of the shell casings was from Sean Reed. Tased and shot multiple times. Jokes made over his freshly murdered body. No sound of remorse in any of their voices. It was like ordering a quarter pounder combo in the drive thru. Rest in power Sean Reed.
No more passes.
-Mookie