THE NEGATIVE PICTURES THE MEDIA PAINTS OF OUR BLACK PEOPLE IS STILL NOT JUSTIFICATION FOR INJUSTICE

It seems a constant repeated pattern happens when our own are killed by others. The media, judicial system and society digs up negative propaganda on us, turning our beloved people and victims into vigilantes and assailants and using it as a justification for the injustice or as others say to further “complicate” whether it was right or wrong. They try to paint this picture as if anybody walking in America is walking with a “Jesus-like” slate of morals and ethics.  And for those who wish for us to be such, those images are enough for them to be joyful of the tragedy inflicted upon our people.

In light of developments from the Michael Brown tragedy we find ourselves on the same course that we found ourselves during the George Zimmerman trial. After police and media reports telling the world how these kids were vigilante monsters and criminals, the attention goes from why did the life had to be taken to whether it was justifiable. The media and police department are both working to display a societal convincing that the actions that took place were not only justified but begins to ask society: are we mourning a victim of police injustice or a suspect of societal justice.

First and foremost we should not have to say whether killing an unarmed teen is right or wrong, we should not have to say whether Mike Brown deserved to live, we should not have to defend the actions of the community in response to the Ferguson Police dept. and its use of military equipment, we should not have to say why we are mad at the police report, the media and social media focus now on Mike Brown instead of officer Darren Wilson actions. But unfortunately we do have to say all this because others will never understand or care to understand if we don’t.

One of the worst instances about this situation is the police reports statements focus NOT on the murder of Michael Brown but on the store that was robbed. The police report was focused on whether Michael Brown stole items from a store, not on why officer Wilson fired shots, and whether officer Wilson had any interaction with Michael Brown about the robbery. What’s more troubling is the release of the officer’s name only after they can present the robbery information, in hopes of allowing officer Wilson to look more like hero than a villain. We’ve seen these same tactics used in the Trayvon Martin tragedy in which the assailant George Zimmerman posed the idea he was chasing this teen because he looked like he didn’t belong and was up to no good, having media outlets show Trayvon martin as a ruthless drug-using kid without mentioning the entirety of who he was academically and athletically and how it ended in a death of a black teen (and we’ve seen how society reacted to his story by releasing him back to the public). This media delusion on society of negative images of the black community helps institute future injustices of black people as deranged suspects at birth, not by character but by color. Hypothetically if Michael Brown did steal items from a store, stealing is not a crime punishable by death. Often you will find people plucking grapes off a vine in the store, you will have a hard time convincing anyone they deserve the death penalty for such offenses even though technically its theft. It’s troubling that society has a hard time deciding whether officer Darren Wilson was right or wrong, as if to say: a black persons life is less than that of a cigar (maybe their waiting to hear the brand of cigars smh). As much as we are told in the black community when tragedy strikes us, whether at the hands of our own or others, to allow due process to work its course and to rely on the justice system, but how does one rely on due process here? How was death the reasonable verdict?

We must not lose sight or focus on the issues that are before us. Michael Brown did not deserve to be executed, regardless of robbery or not. We must not let the media influence our decision because of the negative propaganda that they wish to display African-Americans as a destructive race. Media has shifted this turmoil from mourning of Michael Brown by everyone to questioning Michael Brown and whether he did an action that is unrelated to his murder. And yes, the theft is unrelated to the murder because Michael Brown and his friend were not question about the theft but questioned about walking in the street. We must not lose focus that the Ferguson police chief has handled the murder and the citizens of Ferguson atrociously. We must not let media outlets use an unconfirmed robbery as the reason Michael Brown is dead or as the reason he should’ve died and that Officer Wilson should walk free.

Whether Michael Brown did or did not partake in a crime, being gunned down is not justification for a crime.  Michael Brown was still a person, a man, a black teen; not an animal going to slaughter. Those who swear to hold the standard of the law have now taken the law into their own hands and we must not let injustices occur. Just because they wear a badge does not exclude anyone from following the law. Michael Brown was due his day in court not his day in a casket.