As you are all well aware, there have been multiple shootings in various cities across the nation. In the past week or two, it's been cop shootings following the deaths of many black individuals.
Being an African American, I hope no one will accuse me of being racist or uneducated when I say that it pays to look at the whole picture. For instance, the videos of Alton Sterling that are circulating the internet don't really give a clear picture who was in the right or who was in the wrong. There are conflicting accounts as to if he was holding a gun or not. My point is that we shouldn't rush to conclusions and assume police brutality because the man shot was black and the man who shot him wore blue.
Now, should we be outraged when it is indeed police brutality and/or when unnecessary force is used, YES! This doesn't mean, however, we as Americans/African Americans/black people should start yelling at the cops, killing them and being disrespectful. Both sides need to be able to respect the other before assuming things based on skin color or uniform. Just like not every black person is the same, not every cop is the same.
No matter who dies via gun shot(s) makes me sad. However, not all shootings are unjust. If the perpetrator is holding a gun or something that looks like a gun, I'm not surprised when the cop or other person takes a shot. Running away or taking your sweet old time putting your hands above your head isn't exactly telling the police that you are innocent. The more idiots that do these things or try to get away with breaking the law, the more likely police are going to go into altercations with our race ready to use deadly force. The more idiots in blue that kick black Americans or shoot those who are on the ground, we will view cops as people to fight.
This video makes me so sad because it's people like this who try to taunt and make everything the policeman's fault. They think every policeman is like the idiots who have been proven to be corrupt and racist. Not every cop is like that!
Just remember 9 times our of 10, we don't know the whole story. Who's to blame for that? The media. Not African Americans. Not cops. Let's unite against the real enemy here in this instance.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Monday, May 23, 2016
Cops vs. the Public
In the Blue Bloods episode, Blowback, the PC makes this comment at the weekly Sunday dinner table, "Somewhere along the line, the trust between cops and the public broke down. But until both sides take steps to restore that trust, neither side is going to be safe."
The whole episode saddened me because of the truth behind not only his words, but also the use of force used by police and the reactions of the public toward them. Even though I didn't grow up in a violent neighborhood, I still feel the anger when a cop shoots what seems to be an unarmed perpetrator. Many times we never know the truth because the truth died with the person who fell onto the pavement. Sometimes we see what we want to see, instead of the whole picture.
In the incident with Perez, while he did have his hands up, a knife was still in his hand after being told to put it down several times. Not only that, but he walked towards the officer who had the gun out. While I think that killing the guy might have been excessive, in the moment there's no telling whether or not if I were in the officer's position that I would have had time to lower my gun in order to hit the perpetrator in the knee or somewhere else non-fatal. There's also no telling that the guy with the knife wouldn't have suddenly lunged at me. So, shooting the guy just might have been the best answer before finding out what could have happened if waited.
There's always more than one side to a story. I don't like the fact that we are distancing ourselves from cops. The way I was raised was to respect the office, the badge and the authority that these cops have. So when I hear the news about a cop shooting, I don't automatically get mad at either side. I research to see if I can find the whole story. Unfortunately, every news source has an agenda and it isn't always fair. We all know we can't trust the media on anything, so why base an opinion on them?
Side note: When you run from a cop, what do you expect to happen? If you're innocent, stay where you are. If you're not, then yeah I wouldn't stick around. Nothing good ever comes from running from cops. Ever! So why do it?
In conclusion, I wish I had a solution for this broken trust. It used to be that parents told their kids if you're ever in trouble, look for a cop. Now it's stay away from them. I do see that there are some cops that are corrupt and have their own agendas. Some of them see all blacks as a person of interest and treat them as such even before asking them, "Where were you between 10pm and 1am?" However, I don't believe we should mistrust all of them based on those idiots. Same as not seeing all people with dark skin as people to look out for. It's not fair either way. The hashtags #blacklivesmatter and #backtheblue don't help matters. We should just all stand behind #alllivesmatter and not be one or the other.
The trust indeed is broken and it's up to all of us cops and public alike to mend it. If we don't, like Frank Reagan the PC said, "...neither side is safe."
The whole episode saddened me because of the truth behind not only his words, but also the use of force used by police and the reactions of the public toward them. Even though I didn't grow up in a violent neighborhood, I still feel the anger when a cop shoots what seems to be an unarmed perpetrator. Many times we never know the truth because the truth died with the person who fell onto the pavement. Sometimes we see what we want to see, instead of the whole picture.
In the incident with Perez, while he did have his hands up, a knife was still in his hand after being told to put it down several times. Not only that, but he walked towards the officer who had the gun out. While I think that killing the guy might have been excessive, in the moment there's no telling whether or not if I were in the officer's position that I would have had time to lower my gun in order to hit the perpetrator in the knee or somewhere else non-fatal. There's also no telling that the guy with the knife wouldn't have suddenly lunged at me. So, shooting the guy just might have been the best answer before finding out what could have happened if waited.
There's always more than one side to a story. I don't like the fact that we are distancing ourselves from cops. The way I was raised was to respect the office, the badge and the authority that these cops have. So when I hear the news about a cop shooting, I don't automatically get mad at either side. I research to see if I can find the whole story. Unfortunately, every news source has an agenda and it isn't always fair. We all know we can't trust the media on anything, so why base an opinion on them?
Side note: When you run from a cop, what do you expect to happen? If you're innocent, stay where you are. If you're not, then yeah I wouldn't stick around. Nothing good ever comes from running from cops. Ever! So why do it?
In conclusion, I wish I had a solution for this broken trust. It used to be that parents told their kids if you're ever in trouble, look for a cop. Now it's stay away from them. I do see that there are some cops that are corrupt and have their own agendas. Some of them see all blacks as a person of interest and treat them as such even before asking them, "Where were you between 10pm and 1am?" However, I don't believe we should mistrust all of them based on those idiots. Same as not seeing all people with dark skin as people to look out for. It's not fair either way. The hashtags #blacklivesmatter and #backtheblue don't help matters. We should just all stand behind #alllivesmatter and not be one or the other.
The trust indeed is broken and it's up to all of us cops and public alike to mend it. If we don't, like Frank Reagan the PC said, "...neither side is safe."
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Supergirl FINALE
Like all finales, Supergirl ended with a thousand questions. Of course, that's exactly what the producers want. As a writer, I do love writing cliffhangers and filling my readers with suspense, but as a viewer/reader....not so much. Especially when it's the end of the book or season and you have to WAIT for what seems like an eternity to find out what comes next.
Aside from that, in this episode J'onn J'onzz tells Lucy that her father is only trying to do what it best. The scene is when General Lane wants to keep the Martian in handcuffs even though in the previous episode he helped save National City. Lucy felt that that wasn't right, as do I. How Lucy stood up to her dad about his choices made me smile. Sometimes it can be hard to stand our ground as adults especially when our parents feel differently about a decision.
When we are young, parents have a right to say no and we should obey them lest there be consequences later. As we grow older and we find our place in this world, while we should listen to our parents' advice we also must be able to stand on our own two feet. Sometimes that means we must do what we feel is right despite our parents choice.
All of this reminded me about how I feel about my parent's choices in how they raised me and the school system they put me through. I can honestly say in their own world regardless of how I felt or difficult circumstances I went through, they thought they were doing what was best. I wish things were different. There are people I wished I had never met and pain I never experienced, but the past is the past and there's nothing I can do about it except move on.
Most of this episode is about ending Myriad once and for all by giving the people of Earth hope that they can overcome this. We each need to have hope that whatever pain we are experiencing, we will get through it. I'm reminded of the song by Chris Tomlin, We Will Rise. Whether you believe in God the Father or not, there's more to life than what you see and those around you, especially family, are important. Hope keeps us from utter despair. Hope drives our hopelessness, which is exactly what happened to the people of National City and will happen to us.
I hope you've enjoyed this show as much as I have. If you haven't watched it, all episodes are available on cbs.com. Can't wait till season 2!
Aside from that, in this episode J'onn J'onzz tells Lucy that her father is only trying to do what it best. The scene is when General Lane wants to keep the Martian in handcuffs even though in the previous episode he helped save National City. Lucy felt that that wasn't right, as do I. How Lucy stood up to her dad about his choices made me smile. Sometimes it can be hard to stand our ground as adults especially when our parents feel differently about a decision.
When we are young, parents have a right to say no and we should obey them lest there be consequences later. As we grow older and we find our place in this world, while we should listen to our parents' advice we also must be able to stand on our own two feet. Sometimes that means we must do what we feel is right despite our parents choice.
All of this reminded me about how I feel about my parent's choices in how they raised me and the school system they put me through. I can honestly say in their own world regardless of how I felt or difficult circumstances I went through, they thought they were doing what was best. I wish things were different. There are people I wished I had never met and pain I never experienced, but the past is the past and there's nothing I can do about it except move on.
Most of this episode is about ending Myriad once and for all by giving the people of Earth hope that they can overcome this. We each need to have hope that whatever pain we are experiencing, we will get through it. I'm reminded of the song by Chris Tomlin, We Will Rise. Whether you believe in God the Father or not, there's more to life than what you see and those around you, especially family, are important. Hope keeps us from utter despair. Hope drives our hopelessness, which is exactly what happened to the people of National City and will happen to us.
I hope you've enjoyed this show as much as I have. If you haven't watched it, all episodes are available on cbs.com. Can't wait till season 2!
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Hope > Fear
Cat Grant should run for president. I'm dead serious, she's a much better candidate than the ones in the 2016 election. Aside from my opinion on this, last night on Supergirl, Cat Grant said some profound words I hope I will always remember and take heed.
"We can't let fear drive our actions."
There are quite a few things I could name that I'm afraid of. One at the top of the list are bees. Followed by pitch darkness, empty houses and the future. My career is important to me and I don't ever want to give up on my dreams whether professional or personal. Sometimes fear cripples me to the point of not going after something I want. When I submit a story I feel proud of and/or shows raw emotion, I get that sick feeling in my stomach. I toss and turn over whether or not I should send that piece in. I end up doing it every time because I know that if published, I will be one step closer to my goal.
Fear is a common enemy we all have to fight everyday and no matter what, we can't let it clobber us. We have to push past the things we are afraid of and think positive.
If your attempt fails, try again. Don't let it stop you from trying.
:D
"Hope is stronger than fear." - Supergirl
"We can't let fear drive our actions."
There are quite a few things I could name that I'm afraid of. One at the top of the list are bees. Followed by pitch darkness, empty houses and the future. My career is important to me and I don't ever want to give up on my dreams whether professional or personal. Sometimes fear cripples me to the point of not going after something I want. When I submit a story I feel proud of and/or shows raw emotion, I get that sick feeling in my stomach. I toss and turn over whether or not I should send that piece in. I end up doing it every time because I know that if published, I will be one step closer to my goal.
Fear is a common enemy we all have to fight everyday and no matter what, we can't let it clobber us. We have to push past the things we are afraid of and think positive.
If your attempt fails, try again. Don't let it stop you from trying.
:D
"Hope is stronger than fear." - Supergirl
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Action
I was watching a show called, Rosewood, last week and came across this piece of gold.
"A simple act can have the ramifications beyond one's comprehension."
This brought all sorts of memories, some good and some bad. For instance, when I decided to learn American Sign Language it bought so many opportunities I never knew existed. I made new friends and gained mentors I hope will always be in my life. At Ithaca College, I was able to become the Director of a sign language choir. Afterwards, I worked with an entrepreneur who's Deaf and needed someone who could help with her business's website and tutor a family. I also have had chances to sign songs with individuals at church. I love how my decision to learn this unique language has changed my life for the better in ways I can't describe.
On the flip side, making a judgment call that ended up being futile is something I wish I could go back and change. There was a time when I tried to have an intervention with a good friend of mine and unfortunately, I had trouble keeping calm. She and I don't talk like we used to and our friendship is slim to none at this point. I never knew we'd be at this point, not speaking. I remember the good times and the days when I could lean on her for support. Even if God grants me a chance for a do-over, I don't know if anything will have truly changed because I feel that she needed to hear what I said.
In both instances, a simple act did more than I imagined. We will always have regrets and many of us say we want to live a life without that but as a human being it's inevitable that we will make mistakes. The key is to grow from them and NOT repeat them.
Since my last attempt at a serious conversation/intervention with a friend I've been able to get a handle on my emotions, but often at the cost of my not being able to fully express what I feel I need. It's a work in progress like most things in life.
"A simple act can have the ramifications beyond one's comprehension."
This brought all sorts of memories, some good and some bad. For instance, when I decided to learn American Sign Language it bought so many opportunities I never knew existed. I made new friends and gained mentors I hope will always be in my life. At Ithaca College, I was able to become the Director of a sign language choir. Afterwards, I worked with an entrepreneur who's Deaf and needed someone who could help with her business's website and tutor a family. I also have had chances to sign songs with individuals at church. I love how my decision to learn this unique language has changed my life for the better in ways I can't describe.
On the flip side, making a judgment call that ended up being futile is something I wish I could go back and change. There was a time when I tried to have an intervention with a good friend of mine and unfortunately, I had trouble keeping calm. She and I don't talk like we used to and our friendship is slim to none at this point. I never knew we'd be at this point, not speaking. I remember the good times and the days when I could lean on her for support. Even if God grants me a chance for a do-over, I don't know if anything will have truly changed because I feel that she needed to hear what I said.
In both instances, a simple act did more than I imagined. We will always have regrets and many of us say we want to live a life without that but as a human being it's inevitable that we will make mistakes. The key is to grow from them and NOT repeat them.
Since my last attempt at a serious conversation/intervention with a friend I've been able to get a handle on my emotions, but often at the cost of my not being able to fully express what I feel I need. It's a work in progress like most things in life.
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