August 29, 2015 - admin
Volume 40, Issue 6: Dangerous Times
Well into the middle of the second decade of the 21st Century, I wonder if we are living in a time warp. As I write, Israel is once again involved in a ground war in Gaza resulting in the death of thousands on the ground, though increasingly the Israelis are using a page out of the US wars in the Middle East using force from a distance to “pinpoint” their assault, essentially bomb indiscriminately. Looking at images, I am reminded of Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebenon and the resistance of Arafat in Beirut. Over thirty years and little has changed.
Closer to home, Michael Brown is shot dead on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri by a police officer, apparently while his hands were raised. Perhaps eye witness accounts may be somewhat contradictory, perhaps there was more provocation leading up to the event. But what seems to be undeniable is that Michael Brown was unarmed, at a distance from the police officer, and apparently in a surrendering posture. We recently were made aware of the dangers of simply being a young Black male with the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida two years ago (by a police wannabe). What makes this shooting of Michael Brown (and I was about to write, this latest shooting until I realized several young Black men have since been shot by the police under questionable circumstances) such a galvanizing event is how frequently this happens, and how this community has reacted1 in general protest. This reaction is reminiscent of the community’s reaction to the Rodney King beatings by police in 1982, once more anger fueled by long simmering hurt boils over. Another time warp.
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