Musings on the State of Race in America

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In the past week and a half, we have seen various milestones pass us in the struggle for civil rights in America. Foremost of those events, was the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The majority of the things King stood up for in his illustrious but short career are still with us today. In the 50s and 60s, people were far more open in their racism and bigotry, and were more likely to express it openly (without fear of retribution). Today it seems as though those same attitudes were just suppressed and became part of society’s larger working. For example, people controlling mortgages for homes do not lend to minorities in certain areas and historically, black institutions have never been allowed to take on those functions in black communities to help their own people. The racism and bigotry we think of from the 50s and 60s has been there since America’s inception and has simply been institutionalized instead of treated. Therefore, the roughly 13% of the population that is African American is never going to get the fair shake the majority of society receives.

The second event was the airing of Hope & Fury, the very aptly named documentary by NBC News; “hope” being the optimism of the 60s and early 70s that things were going to change along with the Civil Rights Movement, and the “fury” comes from that in 50 years later although some things have changed, there is still an extremely long way to go before gaining racial equality in America. This documentary, through actual news footage, painted a very real picture of what 1955 was actually like. Although the police at the time were are an active part of the hate-filled mobs, they have taken a step back from blatant society supported assaults on blacks to a more inconspicuous attack on black society through “justified” killings of black men as their position as the police. Until there is a fundamental change in the mentality of the policing in America, nothing will change in the black community because the people who are doing the policing have no stake in that community and no incentive to see that community thrive.

I was distressed to find out that the day after the airing of Hope & Fury, that Linda brown, aged 75, passed away. She was the lead plaintiff in Brown v Board in 1954. Her entire life was defined by the Civil Rights Movement and the court case that changed America’s schools forever. I personally found it very tragically ironic that the day after Hope & Fury aired she would pass. Could it possibly be that she lived through the hope and ended up at the fury of realizing how little things had really changed in the scope of her lifetime? If we take the events discussed here, 50 years since the death of MLK, the Airing of Hope & Fury, and the one week anniversary of Linda Brown’s death, and juxtapose them over 50 years, are race relations better off 50 years later, or if you scratch the surface are they just as bad as 50 years ago?

Similar LCR content: Hope & Fury

The Framing of TUAlerts

by with No Comment EducationFeaturedGen Z

Over the course of the 2017-2018 school year, Temple University has experienced it’s fair share of tragedy. Add to that the general unease on university campuses world wide with the rise in gun violence and the stress on safety has never been more prevalent. On more than one occasion the topic of Temple Universities alert system was addressed in the classroom and at my place of work. I was surprised to hear multitudes of my peers reporting instances of bomb threats and evacuations on Temple’s campus that I had never heard about. Why was this information not being reported through the Temple University Alert system? Then a coworker of mine, who is also a Temple Student, brought up the fact that Temple tends to pick and choose what they believe to be important information, as far as student safety goes.

When I first came to Temple, almost four years ago, I remember hearing that there was a sort of “cutoff” where you left what I would call the “safe zone” and entered a “danger zone”. After years of living here I realized that this divide was yet another somewhat masked form of racism and classism exacerbated by the massive gentrification Temple reeked on North Philadelphia thus far. Interestingly enough when I went through the most recent TUAlerts I have received very few of the incidents reported happened on campus. On the contrary there are issues heavily reported just outside the bounds of campus.

Of course it is important to keep students aware of potential dangers around campus. However, it is manipulative and counter productive to pick and choose what is dangerous and what is not. A bomb threat on campus has the same potential danger (if not more so) than an armed robbery or shooting off campus. Not to mention that a slew of the incidents that Temple reports have nothing to do with Temple students. Temple is sneakily framing the greater Philadelphia areas it has not yet built on as the problem so to speak while any place Temple owned is safe and sound. The withholding of information in this case is what gives us incite into how Temple markets itself in conjunction to it’s North Philly neighbors.

Remember Flint? 4 Years Later They Still Have a Water Crisis

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Flint still doesn’t have clean running water… or at least water that doesn’t stink or burn when you take a shower. The government, of course, begs to differ.

This crisis made national news in 2014. The government knowingly subjected their residents to dangerous levels of lead in an attempt to save a dollar. Now tens of thousands of residents are sick and their medical resources are limited. According to the latest Census data, Flint has the highest poverty rate in the nation with 45% of their residents living below the poverty line. 58% of their children (or residents under the age of 18) are living below the poverty line, which is more than 3x the national average of 18%. Common sense would suggest that the most vulnerable need the most help? Yet, it’s the exact opposite.

Michigan (R) Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced that they will stop providing bottled water to Flint residents.
“We have worked diligently to restore the water quality and the scientific data now proves the water system is stable and the need for bottled water has ended.” – Gov. Rick Snyder

Churches and nonprofits have been tasked with handing out much of the water. They’re now bracing families and residents, who normally come by weekly for their water, that it’ll likely stop with no set plans or alternative options in place once it does. Synder states that the water system is now stable; but Flint residents, who are now being told it’s ok to bath and cook with this water, have heard that before. They tell a much different story.

“My water stinks. It still burns to take a shower… There’s no way they can say it’s safe. I think it’s really cruel what they’re doing to us as a city, as a whole. We’ve been struggling over four years almost. It’s just cold-hearted — now they’re taking our drinking water away from us.” – Flint resident Melissa Mays

Do you know someone in Flint, MI? We want to hear from them. Their story is important. Unfortunately, this crisis, which has been going on for 4 years, doesn’t get covered as much as it should… and that’s troubling, to say the least.

The Murder of Stephon Clark, Gun Control, and Law Enforcement

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedGen Z

The murder of Stephon Clark, an unarmed young man of only 22, in the privacy of his grandparents’s backyard is yet another example of how black people are and continue to be criminalized and unfairly profiled by police. The Sacramento police department were quick to suspend these officers but not without pay. Clark’s family sent for a private autopsy that concluded Clark was shot multiple times in his back and passed within 3-10 minutes after being wounded. The ambulance arrived after he was lying there for 6 minutes. The police had apparently mistaken his cellphone for a weapon. Clark is one of many young lives lost to gun violence this year alone.

In the wake of protests about gun control the issues of police brutality and racism are often diminished or even dismissed. We tend to view police as noble protectors but Tanisha Anderson, Alberta Spruill, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Rekia Boyd and so many other black lives have been taken at the hands of police. Many of these officers never face a trial. Philip Stinson, an associate professor of criminal justice at Bowling Green State University reports, “Between 2005 and April 2017, 80 officers had been arrested on murder or manslaughter charges for on-duty shootings. During that 12-year span, 35% were convicted, while the rest were pending or not convicted”. These statistics make it obvious that the police are treated differently than the average citizen in regard to the law.

I think that it is about time we take a closer look at law enforcement, how they are trained and the way they are treated under the law. They deserve to be put to trial like any other person who has been charged with homicide. Not only that but it is pertinent that these officers are being trained to protect people, not murder them. There are inherent stigmas and prejudices that make marginalized groups far more likely to be killed by law enforcement. The police should be aware of this knowledge long before they are handed a lethal weapon and taught to kill if faced with a perceived threat. With gun control becoming an increasingly salient topic in our society, I think we are far past the need for gun control within law enforcement institutions. There are other ways to handle a situation that do not involve firing 20 rounds at one person.

The police are fiercely protected in our society, but at the end of the day their job is to serve and protect us.  How many more people will die before law enforcement takes responsibility for this neglect and carnage? The murder of Stephon Clark cannot be forgotten. Now is the time for radical reform, not excuses.

Hope & Fury

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About two weeks ahead of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, NBC aired a powerful documentary, Hope & Fury, showcasing how far Black Americans have come and how far our country still has to go regarding race relations.

The documentary is an equally unnerving and enlightening account of the horrors committed against Black Americans and their strides toward equality. The documentary is a must-watch for everyone in the country as a reminder of the tenacity in the Black community in the face of vicious prejudice, racism, and murder encountered today, yesterday, and 60 years ago.

As much as we like to think we’re a post-racial society, we’re not. That fact is made clear every time a slur is hurled, a Confederate flag is flown, or unarmed Black man is shot. The notion that racism is a time-old problem of yesterday is inaccurate and borderline offensive to the experiences of today’s minorities and the work of Civil Rights leaders. John Lewis, featured in the documentary and current Democratic Congressman from Georgia, was a leader beaten during Bloody Sunday, and is still alive. Eight of nine students who formed the Little Rock nine are still alive. Although segregation laws and Jim Crow are no longer in existence and the Civil Rights movement made major strides in legislation towards equality, Black people are not equal and the fight will continue until they are.

Hope & Fury is a powerful reminder of how far Black Americans have left to go, of how pervasive racial hatred was and still is in this country, and the tenacity of defiance and hope that lives within the Black community. 

Similar LCR Content: Musings on the State of Race in America

A Notification of Death

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[This is part one of a three-part series on American gun violence.]

The screen on my phone illuminates with a notification. My eyes peer over to read the information and then I return to whatever activity I was performing. As I write this piece, I received notifications from The New York Times and ESPN. While this may seem to be mundane behavior in the 21st century; it’s not. It’s not mundane because often the words in the notifications inform me of death and my reaction to that information over time alarms me. Whether it’s a headline of another LeBron James stat line or a notification that seventeen have been gunned down in yet another mass shooting, I typically peer away and go about my business – I’m desensitized and that’s a major problem.

April 1999 was the spring before I was to enter high school and I remember, quite vividly, learning about the Columbine High School shooting from the evening news that night. I wasn’t allowed to have a cell phone then but I knew from the murmurings of the adults in the street on my way home that something bad had happened. I was in the eighth grade and I quietly wondered if I would have to fear for my safety in high school. However, at the time, it seemed like such a one-off incident and growing up in Brooklyn – Colorado could have been on Pluto for all I knew. So the initial fear subsided and I recall the outrage from adults which lead to discussions around the shooters music of choice, bullying, the shooters parental upbringing, but never a referendum on guns. 15 dead in an American High School.

It was my first day of work as a full-time working professional, ever, on April 16, 2007. I was living at home at the time and was so excited to share with my family all of the details of my first day of work at American Express. I wasn’t given a laptop that day so I wasn’t as connected to what was happening in the world for most of the day. However, I do remember people around the office murmuring about a school shooting at Virginia Tech. Focused on making a good first impression, the school shooting didn’t register until I retired to my room later that evening where I learned of the scale of what had taken place. Gun control again lead the national debate for a time but then faded into the background. 33 dead in an American University.

I was living in Sydney, Australia at the time of the Sandy Hook shootings in December 2012. I remember having to play the role of American Ambassador in providing answers to my perplexed Aussie friends who simply could not understand why mass shootings continue to occur in the States. It was in hearing myself answer their questions aloud that I realized how nonsensical it is to not have sensible gun control laws in place. Even as I explained the full context of the brilliance of the U.S. Constitution and the Second Amendment I was still unable to make sense of this American problem. On my first night back in America, I saw my friends giving a television interview on CNN; their daughter had been in one of the Sandy Hook classrooms. Miraculously, she was physically unharmed but many of her fellow students did not suffer the same fate. For many reasons, that shooting was the most traumatic for me personally. I believe in the sanctity of the joys of the childhood experience and I couldn’t sleep for many nights as I came to the belief that the frequency of gun deaths in one of the most wealthy and powerful nations in history had to be intentional. 28 dead in an American Elementary School.

Fast forward to the Parkland shooting last month and shockingly there were no murmurings in the street this time. Many people, myself included, received the notification on their phone and went about their day after learning that seventeen teenagers were gunned down in their high school. In the days that followed the remaining students, whose lives will never be the same, rose to the national spotlight with a defiant message to the nation: #NeverAgain. The politicians and the corporations that own them all responded with an all too familiar bluster around what actions they would take to change what has become status quo. 17 dead in an American High School… again. 

As much as we don’t want to admit it, this is who America is: A rabidly violent nation whose love affair with guns will cease at nothing or no one; not even elementary school children. It is, in fact, the “Wild Wild West” that the rest of the world portrays us to be because we allow this to happen time and time again. Sadly, while I praise the fervor of the Parkland students, and the Sandy Hook students before them, and the Virginia Tech students before them, and the Columbine students before them; I believe that they too will ultimately add their voices to a large chorus of people that want sensible gun control but will never see it. I hope I am wrong but #NeverAgain may just be yet another hashtag thrown in a mountainous heap of social justice hashtags that never sees any legitimate federal action. More dead in an American… doesn’t really matter now, we’re desensitized anyway.

Part Two: MLK 50 Forward: Bankrupt Justice

Despite Crazy News Cycle… We Should Remain Focused On Mueller

by with 2 Comments FeaturedPolitics

The media buzz around Meuller…

Two weeks ago as the President began to ratchet up his rhetoric against the Russia investigation, the press spent four days trying to drum up a narrative that Mueller was about to be fired, setting off a constitutional crisis. The basis was that the President was frustrated, attacking Mueller directly (which hadn’t happened before) and his past firing of Comey made it at least plausible that he might do something irrational. In supporting the narrative, CNN spent the weekend asking every GOP senator they could find whether they would support firing Mueller. As anyone could imagine, they were not supportive, and their solicited statements served to further whip up urgency that Mueller’s days were numbered. I truly don’t believe that anyone in the media thought that was really on the table; instead, a narrative to fill a slow news cycle on a Sunday.

Far more plausible is that the President ratcheted up his rhetoric because he had been promised by his lawyers the probe was going to wrap up soon. Against the President’s instincts, John Dowd had been promising him that compliance (not bravado) would carry the day. That’s not the President’s natural way, but he relented. The result was a probe that continued, and when his lawyers brought him the news that he was about to be asked to testify, he blew up at both his counsel (who he promptly dismissed), and without trust in their guidance, lashed out again in frustration. While that is petulant, childish and wholly unpresidential, that’s been no different from most of his tweets over the past year. It’s equally likely that a president who never seemed to collude with his Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, OMB chief or House and Senate leaders, also never took the time to collude with anyone on his staff talking to Russia (albeit more out of ADD than any principled stand), and is frustrated that his job is to put out a message, and yet Russia (and Stormy Daniels) have been the message over and over.

If the President didn’t understand with Comey, he understands now that the end of Mueller is the end of his administration. I can’t imagine any responsible person on either side of (or even 50 miles from) the aisle that wants any part of a president who actively colluded with an enemy nation to win his election. If that’s proven, all agree that he’s done. Further, if Mueller is fired before completing his work, the best possible outcome for the White House would be a re-start with a far more difficult prosecutor with far more reason to dig. The president firing Mueller is most likely the dream scenario for those starkly opposed to this president. Far more likely is that it drags on for another year, hangs shade over all of Washington for years to come, further pulls all of America toward the far right and far left, and we all spend the next 3 (to 7?) years reading what Jimmy Kimmel used to call “mean tweets.” These days that seemed like an antiquated characterization… These days, they’re just tweets.

Gun Control: Could It Be That Easy?

by with One Comment FeaturedPolitics

Let’s be honest, the NRA’s grip on today’s politics and the fervent insistence on unlimited gun ownership based on second amendment rights will prevent all guns from being confiscated. That said, it is possible to address gun violence, specifically in response to the exorbitant number of mass shootings our nation has had, without taking all guns from everyone (which we know wouldn’t happen anyway).

The tide seems to be turning in terms of responses and reactions to mass shootings, especially after the recent shooting carried out at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Valentine’s Day. This shooting is still being covered in the news over a month later, whereas previous mass shootings have disappeared from conversation in less than a week. Although nothing concrete and nationwide has been passed so far, the proposed “Federal Extreme Risk Protection Act” may be the closest to “common sense gun-control legislation” we will ever see.

The proposal would allow for those in close contact with individuals displaying concerning behavior or indicators that might suggest an impending violent outburst, to file a federal court petition, barring that individual from buying or possessing firearms. In an effort to not completely enrage second-amendment enthusiasts, individuals with a petition brought against them will have the opportunity to defend themselves and appeal the decision.

I am aware that the United States will never be one of those countries with zero guns. As much as it may reduce violent instances or be the right thing to do, it will not happen. But I do think “red flag” gun legislation is a reasonable medium that satisfies our need to do something and while continuing to allow the “responsible” gun enthusiasts to keep their arms. As much as the second amendment gives us the right, not every citizen can handle that right safely.

Guns Are Here To Stay

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Guns are here to stay in America as they are woven into the daily fabric of society. If you just look at sports in America, guns and shooting are a major part of the language and daily expressions of Americans: “he’s got a rifle of an arm,” “the outfielder threw a bullet to home,” “took off like a shot.”

The laws that we currently have are not being used to protect the public. As a product of NRA influence legislators are not using their vote to protect their constituents from mass murders or the NRA. Does this mean we cannot apply common sense regulation to guns? No, we certainly can and should be able to enforce common sense regulations then enforce all available laws to protect the public.

Now that the United States has a generation of young voters who have come of age in a time of war and constant violence, things will change. Living in fear at school, which should be a safe haven, will color their future decisions in life. America’s young people will affect change to the gun laws by voting and being more politically active than previous generations, solving the gun issue. They will not allow their children to live through what they survived as young people.

All guns will not be confiscated in the United States, the exception being the military-type assault weapons. Hunters will still hunt. People will be able to protect their homes and loved ones. But neither of these activities requires a semi-automatic killing machine.

Teachers & Guns? Maybe?

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Imagine taking your kids to school and not knowing it will be last time you see them. The routine of seeing your children walk into school was just like any other day. Hours go by and you hear the chatter of breaking news that there’s an active shooter at one of the elementary schools in your city. You begin to feel sad just thinking about the situation and the potential outcome. And then it hits you – this might be at your children’s school. As you check your phone you overhear the news mention and confirm that it is their school. You immediately are overwhelmed with fear of the safety of your kids. You try with all your might to keep your composure and think positive while you’re in route to the school. Upon arrival, you begin to look for the familiar faces of your little ones as the scene is completely frantic. You notice students are in groups being watched by teachers and other faculty, but you can’t find your kids… anywhere. Hours seem to pass by but in actuality, it’s only been a few minutes. You soon learn that one of your children is a victim of the senseless act caused by the gunman who entered their school and started randomly shooting less than an hour ago. Shortly thereafter, your child is unfortunately confirmed dead at the scene.

How could this happen? Could it have been prevented? Many may ask God why did he allow this to happen? How does one move on in life from this situation knowing they can’t take their child home? These are probably some of the many questions that families are dealing with when such a situation occurs, a situation that is becoming all too familiar in the United States. And why is that? Why can’t we trust our schools of all places to keep our kids safe from such tragedy and violence?

Is allowing teachers to carry a handgun the real answer to what’s happening in our schools? Who’s to say that teachers are responsible enough to handle their firearm in the presence of 20 or so children? On the other hand, what if a teacher could prevent multiple casualties if he or she was armed and had the mental composure and aptitude to respond effectively in the event of an active shooter entering the school or their classroom? There are several Pros and Cons when discussing whether or not a teacher should be allowed to carry a firearm in school, and should he or she be trusted to respond effectively.

Nothing can bring back these children whose lives were taken from their families in these senseless school shootings, but lessons can be and must be learned from these tragedies. I’m not sure arming teachers is the right move, but do nothing is not an option.