Blacks in America

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Remark: we organize a forum which you can access from the MENU or here ; we hope to hear what you would do to solve this nagging problem.

In light of the stream of murders committed by both law enforcement officers on unarmed black civilians and deranged or overzealous individuals on police officers, it is appropriate and timely to start a column to discuss the treatment of minority in general, blacks in particular by law enforcement officers and the Justice System.

Although everyone’s participation in the discussion is welcomed, we are most interested with individuals who have a genuine interest to helping solve this plague which seems to have ravaged the country. To preserve civility, eliminate irrelevancy into the discussion, we will filter and remove comments which have no relevancy or are geared to prevent progress. Contrarian viewpoints are welcomed; in other words, your ideas, your comments – if relevant to the topic – will be accepted in the forum even if it contradicts the premise of the discussion. The main objectives of the forum are to 1) keep the conversation about race relations alive 2) seek for a solution into this thorny issue 3) develop an understanding of and for one another 4) contribute to the myriads of proposed solutions by other groups.

For decades now, politicians of all stripes have only been “paying lip service” in regards to the issue of blacks being discriminated against, brutalized, civil rights violated, singled out and murdered by police officers without anyone being held accountable. The latest such example was the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore, Maryland where six police officers stopped, arrested UNLAWFULLY (meaning they have no reason to) a black man who ended up with a severe broken spinal cord and later died; if you guess that not one of the policer officers was held accountable, you must be psychic. And every time a similar tragedy happens (translation: a black individual is gunned down, executed or brutalized by the police), there is always one solution proposed by all: to begin a discussion about race, police brutality and so on which never happens until well the next tragedy and of course the same prescription will be proposed.

Be very suspicious of any Black who claims not to have been discriminated against in America; Obama has been in the past and even as president of the United States; so have Oprah, Eddie Murphy and scores of famous black individuals. The likelihood for any Black in America NOT to have been discriminated against is as frequent as pigs flying the friendly sky. Unless you are a black individual (and your skin color reflects that) or you’ve witnessed a flying pig, you cannot possibly understand how tiring and frightening it is for any Black to live under this type of predicament. Any black individual would tell you that every time s/he sets foot outside the door of his/her home (and sometime even inside), s/he becomes a target for the police on the streets, for bias and discrimination at the work place and for bias and prejudice everywhere.

After the execution of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, one young boy interviewed regarding police interaction with Blacks summed it up this way: if I am being chased by someone who is trying to harm me and I see a police officer, I would be more afraid of the police officer than the assailant. This is not hyperbole for any young black living in America. It is within this grim background that the discussion will take place.

Warning: If you have nothing to contribute to the discussion, it’s okay; just to follow the discussion is another means of contribution and participation. We are most interested in thoughtful comments however critical they may be but we prefer criticism with solution. If you are White and hate everything black, your participation is not needed and is in fact unwelcomed; if you are Black and hate Whites, your participation is not needed either.

The forum is not a place to curse or insult others; it’s not a place to show how little education one may have; it’s not a place to promote lack of civility. We’re only interested in individuals who genuinely want to solve the race issue in America; civility is necessary and highly desirable. You can share a story to make a point, a video, a picture, etc. We are looking for the voice of reason.

On our end, we will make every effort to shut the door on anyone who is not interested in a more civil society. Our goal is not to get rid of White Supremacists or anyone who shares their ideals. We hope that our discussions will help marginalize them and make America a great country for everyone.

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