There is a little bit of tension in the air today
in Oakland!
My fair city,
the town by the Bay.
Let's just say that in 2003, when the Raiders won the playoffs, we rioted, and then when they lost the Superbowl, we rioted again. Who thinks that Oakland won't live up to its reputation when the verdict drops for a white cop who shot and killed a young black man as he laid unarmed and face to the ground before hundreds of witnesses and dozens of video cameras?
I'm not planning to riot myself, hell no. (Oh and guess what? The same is true of the majority of this city's population. It's only a small percentage that opt for less-than-civil protest, it's just that they're the only ones that get noticed, apparently.) But I am so over these folks criticizing the outrage from the comfort of their sofa in a world safe enough from police corruption and brutality that they only have to face the issue when it is captured by multiple cameras and plastered all over youtube.
I won't even start on the people who are siding with Johannes Mehserle (the cop who killed Oscar Grant, a young man with a steady, legitimate job and a family to support.) If they can't see what was recorded plain as day from eleventeen different angles simultaneously, they are a lost cause and I suggest their neighborhoods as alternate locations for rioting and looting. Sorry, but nothing justifies shooting an unarmed man in the back, and cops are supposed to be the ones upholding the law.
So, of course, it follows that violence is not an answer to any of our problems. A lot of people have expressed dismay over the rioting in response to this shooting, saying there are more productive ways to send a message out. And they are right. Still, you know what? I don't think it's right for people to respond by destroying their own neighborhoods, punishing fellow members of the communities already the most deeply wounded by the incident, but at the same time...on a certain level, I feel them folks. I think what their critics don't see is that this is beyond sending out a message. Those many videos were supposed to do that, but nobody who didn't already know seems to have heard it. The people who are affected feel powerless to change the problem, and those who do have the power don't seem to care because it doesn't affect them. And so now there is just rage.
The words of a young woman protesting in downtown Oakland immediately following the shooting a year and a half ago now still stand out in my mind: "We live in fear every day. Tonight, we are gonna make them feel that fear."
Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better. And major changes, upheavals of the establishment, are always accompanied by unrest. What happened to Oscar Grant was wrong, and he is but one out of a litany. It's time this be ended, and the powers that be start listening to the anger, instead of simply hearing it. I'm just sayin...
I hella heart Oakland, and I don't want to see it torn apart by its own people, not by rioters nor cops.
in Oakland!
My fair city,
the town by the Bay.
Let's just say that in 2003, when the Raiders won the playoffs, we rioted, and then when they lost the Superbowl, we rioted again. Who thinks that Oakland won't live up to its reputation when the verdict drops for a white cop who shot and killed a young black man as he laid unarmed and face to the ground before hundreds of witnesses and dozens of video cameras?
I'm not planning to riot myself, hell no. (Oh and guess what? The same is true of the majority of this city's population. It's only a small percentage that opt for less-than-civil protest, it's just that they're the only ones that get noticed, apparently.) But I am so over these folks criticizing the outrage from the comfort of their sofa in a world safe enough from police corruption and brutality that they only have to face the issue when it is captured by multiple cameras and plastered all over youtube.
I won't even start on the people who are siding with Johannes Mehserle (the cop who killed Oscar Grant, a young man with a steady, legitimate job and a family to support.) If they can't see what was recorded plain as day from eleventeen different angles simultaneously, they are a lost cause and I suggest their neighborhoods as alternate locations for rioting and looting. Sorry, but nothing justifies shooting an unarmed man in the back, and cops are supposed to be the ones upholding the law.
So, of course, it follows that violence is not an answer to any of our problems. A lot of people have expressed dismay over the rioting in response to this shooting, saying there are more productive ways to send a message out. And they are right. Still, you know what? I don't think it's right for people to respond by destroying their own neighborhoods, punishing fellow members of the communities already the most deeply wounded by the incident, but at the same time...on a certain level, I feel them folks. I think what their critics don't see is that this is beyond sending out a message. Those many videos were supposed to do that, but nobody who didn't already know seems to have heard it. The people who are affected feel powerless to change the problem, and those who do have the power don't seem to care because it doesn't affect them. And so now there is just rage.
The words of a young woman protesting in downtown Oakland immediately following the shooting a year and a half ago now still stand out in my mind: "We live in fear every day. Tonight, we are gonna make them feel that fear."
Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better. And major changes, upheavals of the establishment, are always accompanied by unrest. What happened to Oscar Grant was wrong, and he is but one out of a litany. It's time this be ended, and the powers that be start listening to the anger, instead of simply hearing it. I'm just sayin...
I hella heart Oakland, and I don't want to see it torn apart by its own people, not by rioters nor cops.
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
i am very sorry to hear of the issues in your area. The intersection of racism and institutional power is never good. I understand your dilemma, however, I often struggle with my mostly pacifist self and the anger i feel at people who abuse their power, especially police. I volunteer at mens' prisons and run a pagan group (with three other women) and we deal with the asshat-ness of the gaurds all the time; I have to suck it up, or the warden will just not let us in, but they often abuse their power. it makes be sick when I hear about men getting raped by guards and there is nothing we can do, or it is just worse for our guys. It is very difficult to feel powerless to help the situation.
The spreeding poverty and joblessness in America is causing more and more desperation and violence. i strongly beleive that if everyone could meet their needs- enough food, clean water, approporiate shelter, hygiene and healthcare,something to feel proud about, entertainment - that people would not choose violence, unfortunately this is not the situation . Too many people live in poverty.
I also strongly believe in karma and reincarnation - this police officer will get his. Sometimes, though, that offers little comfort now.
how are you doing with all this? Do you feel safe where you are now? Do you have a place to go if you don't?
thinking peaceful thoughts for you
crystos