A couple of days ago I engaged in a social network exchange with someone who I wouldn’t say is a friend, but that I have known for several years and have a limited knowledge of his background so I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his views on people who don’t look like him. This person was taking issue with President Obama’s statement on Ferguson, MO in which he stated that there are things that need to change in America when it comes to the interaction between black youth and the police. My greatest concern with this person’s position that he believes that nothing needs to change. This person is an elected official in my community and I’m sure that while his views are reflective of those in the part of our community that he represents I expect more than group think from those serving the public. My father used to teach us that everyone is entitled to their view, even if it’s wrong so while I respect his view we can agree to disagree.
I can see all of you right now, you haven’t read the article yet, but like a bunch of boxers, you’re running to your respective racial corners, preparing to refute what I’m about to say and defend your positions! Well you can stop running, this article isn’t about accusing anyone of anything, it’s not about how awful white or black people are and it’s not really about the police or the justice system. So now that we’re all hopefully relaxed I will begin with what I consider to be some of the more obvious points in the debate on race in America.
- Let’s all just stipulate to the fact that we don’t know each other. Although we work together, most blacks and whites don’t socialize beyond a certain point. The exception is that when people are young there appears to be greater socialization but as they get older those same young people move to their respective race based social corners. There are exceptions of course but generally speaking what was just stated is a truism. The result of not knowing someone beyond the fringes is that you can’t understand the thinking, situation or issues that person may have. We learn about each other through the media which is at best distorted and biased. Ask yourself, why is it that if you’re friends with someone at age 15 or 16 you would allow society to separate you at 25 or 30? Why not stay in touch with that person, have
- Some coffee or dinner on occasion and maintain your friendship. Worse case is that you’ll have a friend for life and perhaps even have a better understanding of his/her culture. Understanding others culture is essential to understanding those who don’t share your race or background.
- Stop getting your information about me from your TV set! You can’t learn about me nor me about you by watching Fox, CNN, ABC, CBS, or NBC. Let’s take a short look at how we’re portrayed by the media. Black people are portrayed in the media as criminals who come from families where everyone is on welfare or some other public assistance. According to media outlets, there are no poor people of any other race in America, or if there are, they’re too hard to find to put in their stories about poverty and public assistance. Negative stereotypes about black people are a daily occurrence in our media and because you don’t know us, it makes it easier for you to believe those negative stereotypes. Despite the facts, whites are almost never shown as poor or collecting assistance but anyone who does just the minimal amount of research would be able to see that there are actually many more whites collecting SSI, food stamps and other assistance than all other races combined. Don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely not saying that I begrudge people assistance regardless of skin color, I just hate that when the media tries to put a face on public assistance, poverty and crime they always use black faces.
- Let’s all learn to accept that our legal system isn’t perfect and that sometimes the guilty go free, sometimes the innocent are jailed in error, but overall it works. I remember when OJ was acquitted, white people thought it was the greatest injustice in American history to the point that some were calling for changes to our legal system so that it couldn’t happen again. Each time that black people think they have been wronged, we also want to change the legal system as well. Let’s face it, the system isn’t perfect, and contrary to what some would say, it may not even be the world’s best system, but it is our system. My advice is stay out of the system and you don’t have to worry about it working for or against you.
- A quick look through social media comments suggest that many whites believe that all black people support violence, rioting and hate for the police when nothing could be further from the truth. I would never portend to speak for all black people, but I assure that more have my view than the opposite. It has never made sense to me to riot and burn down your own neighborhood because something didn’t go the way you think it should. People who engage in such activity are fools who don’t really care about justice, their looking for a reason to loot and raise hell. Anyone who’s ever been in a predominately black neighborhood knows how hard it is to get businesses to set up shop in those areas. Given that fact, how can anyone condone or think it’s a good idea to burn down the business of a person who provides much needed services in your neighborhood knowing that once those businesses are gone, they are not coming back. The very sad fact is that 95 percent of black people in these neighborhoods are hard workers just trying to make a living and support their families just like the rest of society.
- The police and black people both need to check themselves and evaluate their attitudes towards one another. Black people have to recognize that all police officers aren’t the enemy and the police need to be trained to not view every black person they encounter as a criminal or a threat. I often relate the story to friends about the number of times I’ve been pulled over for speeding and how I respond when asked what sometimes appear to be silly questions on the part of the officer. My favorite is when I’ve given the officer my license and registration as requested and he comes back and ask if it’s my carJ Although I consider it a silly question, I always simply answer yes with a slight smile. Several years ago I was headed to an appointment late in the afternoon in what some would consider not the best neighborhood. I was wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase when a patrol car pulled up and the officer asked if I lived in the area. When I responded no, he asked what I was in the neighborhood for and if he could see my ID? Without asking why or any other questions, I placed my briefcase on the ground and pulled out my driver’s license; once he saw my ID, he handed it back to me and explained that I was in an area where there had been some drug traffic, he then thanked me and drove off. I could have tried to play 20 questions with the officer but I realized that he’s just trying to do his job. I think that sometimes we’re so offended that we’re stopped by the police, we lose sight of the fact that they have a job to do. It’s annoying I know, but I just choose to see it as part of the world that I live in. The only requirement that I have of the police is that they treat me with respect as I make it a point to show them the respect that their job demands.
- Finally, I had a Caucasian friend tell me once that he was confused about what black people want or expect in America. This is a very easy question for me so let me share some of my answer with you. First of all we want the exact same things that every other American wants as an American citizen.
- I want to be treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. That doesn’t mean that I want special treatment, it means that I want you to treat me the same way that you want to be treated.
- I want my grandsons to be able to walk down the street without being stopped and harassed for no reason. I don’t want them suspended or thrown out of school for something that a student of a different race wouldn’t receive the same punishment for.
- I want you to recognize that my ancestors helped build this country into what it is today. Recognize that I, all of my brothers and thousands upon thousands of other black men served in the US military to protect this country and your rights. Fair treatment isn’t your gift to us, we earned it.
- Just as I recognize that only a small percentage of white people are racist idiots, I want you to recognize that only a small percentage of black people are thugs who you need to be afraid of. And while I know that when you see me you can’t tell if I’m a thug, please remember that when I see you, I can’t tell if you’re a racist idiot, but I promise to treat you with dignity and respect unless you give me reason to do otherwise, so please do the same for me!
- I simply want to live in peace and harmony in my country. I am an American just like you, so I want all of the protections provided by our precious constitution, nothing more, and absolutely nothing less.
This is not, nor was it intended to be all encompassing but it is probably a good starting point. The most important thing that you can show another human being is love and respect. While it’s nice to be loved by all that may be asking too much, so I’ll take respect and in return I will show you the same. If we all just extend that small courtesy to one another our country will be a 100 percent better place for all of us to live.
I’m Just Sayin!