GOP should see this image daily–Cold blooded execution of Walter Scott
[Speaking Truth To Power]
For over a year Congress has ignored the problem of institutional racism within America’s police departments.
The Republican Party has now tipped their hand in showing how they will tackle this very serious issue: they will ignore it and blame those fighting for change—like the Black Lives Matter Movement activists, as “anti-police” malcontents.
Should we be surprised by this, since America has never been able to honestly deal with its racist proclivities?
After a year of silence, we now see the strategy of politicians—especially, Republicans—in regards to addressing racist policing: tell lies about some supposed rising climate of threats to the lives of police.
Republicans are now saying those fighting against the pandemic of prejudice in America’s police departments are just haters of police.
Every Black person in America, minus those who’ve sold us out for their own personal prestige, should be outraged by this baseless nonsense.
Polls make it abundantly clear that Black America has a radically different view of the police than White America because they are treated differently; abusively.
Those numbers, of White Americans, maybe shifting slightly in light of all the outrageous and embarrassing videos we have witnessed where cops are seen bullying, or, killing Black people.
Why do Whites think Black America see the police in such a negative light—compared to them?
Perhaps, they believe the racist lies told by police and their policy-makers: that Black people have a high propensity for criminality.
This would not at all be odd for White America to believe, because an essential part of the country’s racial hardwiring is to characterize Blacks as bestial, criminal sub-humans. This tendency represents nothing more than the need to demonize Blacks, who have been most victimized by White pathology—therefore, excusing the abhorrent behavior of institutional racism. This is how many White cops and others seek to justify their crimes against Blacks.
Now some are talking about a rising crime wave and making the argument that this is why we need to let the police “do their job,” which is code for “so what if some innocent Blacks are killed”?
This is now being articulated by Republicans running for president. Even Governor Chris Christie had the audacity to attack New York Mayor Bill de Blasio for supposedly encouraging crime in New York.
This from a man whose administration has three people charged with orchestrating the closing of lanes on the George Washington Bridge—allegedly, as political payback for a mayor who refused to endorse Governor Christie.
Congress has been negligently silent about what it intends to do in addressing the urgent need for change in police departments. Republicans are exposing their true colors, as they are now trying to defame Black Lives Matter activists, by making absurd claims that they are threatening the lives of police. This dishonest attempt to change the narrative so they can sweep under the rug the racist practices of police can’t be tolerated.
This tactic is typical of Republicans who are the architects of the racist political ploy known as the “Southern Strategy,” which has been practiced for decades by Republicans to gain political prominence—by using the votes of White racists to ascend to national power.
Given this, why would we expect any honesty from Republicans on such a topic, where institutional racism is the central problem? For a long time, Republicans have nurtured racism because it has been beneficial to their objectives.
For nearly eight years, Republicans have fought President Barack Obama on everything. Republican politicians no doubt would fight any Democrat White or Black. However, because President Obama is Black, they know they can “take the gloves off” and fight him in the dirtiest manner and have no compunction, at all, about what measures they use to do it.
This is because they expect no blowback in doing so—and know Republican voters will cheer them on while they are descending in the mud.
Sadly, even White “progressives” and “liberals” have not found their voice in denouncing the racist attacks on President Obama. Moreover, they seem to make no connection between the attacks on the president and the racist attacks on Black people by police. If we can’t get most White “progressives” to speak out frankly about racism, what do we expect from racist rednecks?
Institutional racism, as we see in police departments, is a consequence of centuries of White supremacy, of which most White Americans have agreed to by popular consensus. Racial prejudice is not just the province of those who identify as conservative, or Republicans. Remember, Malcom X warned us, about the racism of those who identify as “liberals.”
We can, and must, condemn race-baiting Republicans—but we should not fool ourselves into thinking that White “progressive” Democrats are automatic allies. Why are many also silent in attacking racist policing? If Black people were really targeting police officers—like the liars in the Republican Party are suggesting—do you think Democrats, just like these amoral Republicans, wouldn’t be clamoring to make speeches, to score political points, about protecting the lives of police?
Although Republicans have remained silent as we witness repeated incidents of racist policing, including the execution of Scott as he ran for his life, we now hear them advocating the idea of charging cop killers under hate crime statutes. Somehow, when racist White killer-cops are maiming and murdering Black people they say nothing and those shouldn’t be hate crimes; the talking head apologists in media try to undercut the role of racism within the police. In fact, ask yourself this: why don’t we ever see a sustained focus on the impact of racism on the country in American media?
Right now, for example, the media, for weeks, have been looking at every angle in the story about Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal e-mail server when she was Secretary of State. News shows have been speculating about things like whether she did something illegal, or, was she trying to hide damaging information. MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, on a daily basis, along with those on his round-table, can be seen pontificating about this story—which most of America doesn’t seem to care about.
Yet, while they can devote all this time on that story, it is clear they don’t want to seriously deal with the topic of police racism—or, any form of racism period. But this shouldn’t surprise us because the so-called mainstream media aren’t immune to institutional racism either. This is why Black America must become serious about really support Black media, since it is clear White media will never honestly represent Black reality.
In this fight against police racism, Blacks and Latinos must overcome and create real change in the way our communities are policed by a vicious White supremacist system—largely, by ourselves. Some Whites will support us. But most of White America will not lift a finger to reverse the racist dynamic that is like a cancer to our self-determination.
This means we can’t expect even those labeled as “progressives” and Democrats to serve our interests. Two of the Democrats running for president are just as responsible for state of policing—and Black mass incarceration—as any phony, race-baiting “law and order” Republican. The time has come for us to declare political war on all those who stand in the way of our progress as a people.
This means we must start denouncing and punishing those who do nothing to fight the institutional racism that is crippling our people — be they White, Black, or liberal “progressives.”
