If It's Gotten This Bad, What Else Could Go Wrong?

     This new smokescreen issue of “Civility” is nothing but a new way of saying, “Please, be quiet while we get away with human rights violations and murder.”  Standing quietly by and only voting twice a year while interment camps are being built and children are being murdered by the police is no longer an option.  Filling the streets and letting these bastards know that we are coming for them has to become part of the process.

     At this point, silence is complicity and further normalizes abhorrent behavior.  Turning a blind eye to the destruction of due process while coming up with lame excuses to go along with it is failing the generations that will come after us.  The common cry of “Keep your politics out of my apathy” needs to be countered with “Your apathy caused my politics.”

     Given the rich history of racism and police brutality in Western Pennsylvania, the murder of Antwon Rose, Jr. is not surprising.  Tragic and heart breaking, yes, but not surprising.

     The growing list of victims going back to the death of Jonny Gammage and up to the beating of Jordan Miles is inexcusable.  I've seen a kid in handcuffs have his head bounced off of the hood of a car for reasons that were certainly unclear.

     And as for racism in Western PA, there was a study done a few years ago on which part of the country Googled racist terms or searched for hate groups the most.  The tri-state area, with Ohio and West Virginia, came in first place.  Way to go everybody.  We can add that to our Super Bowl rings and Stanley Cups.

     It was only a matter of time before a local police department added another unarmed black man to the nationwide list of victims.  Charges were filed earlier today (6/27/2018) against the officer but the outcome of trials of this sort are all too predictable.  How dare we think that authority should be held accountable to the same standards that we are and face the consequences of its abuses?

     I can tell just by looking at some of the cops on local forces that they were washed up high school football players that only signed on because they needed a job.  The way they carry themselves does not exude a desire to serve their community or some sort of greater good.

     I have noticed the most commonly shared dumb white opinion of the incident is “Why did the kid run?”  Well, why didn't the supposedly trained police officer do some actual police work to find out who Antwon was and show up at his mother's house to ask him a few questions instead of opening fire?

     With the increasing amounts of people marching in the streets and protesting for a multitude of reasons, I have heard on more than one occasion that we should all get over it and stop disrupting everyone else's lives.  This usually comes from a person that venerates the “Greatest Generation” and glorifies growing up in the 1950s.  If you go by the white washed version of history, the “Greatest Generation” fought World War II to defeat the global rise of fascism.  All the while treating German POWs better than the black soldiers that they fought alongside of.  Most of these people fail to realize that fascism and the erosion of our rights is a slow burn that spreads like a cancer.  If you don't snuff out the early signs of it, by the time it becomes apparent, it's already too late.

     The local yinzers seem to be running out of patience with the protests that have been popping up all over the area.  They seem to be worried that they're going to be five minutes late for work.  Maybe they should try being a little less afraid of their bosses and realize that they aren't as important as they think they are.

     The streets of Pittsburgh are frequently blocked with snow in the winter, construction in the summer or an accident that was caused by some idiot texting while driving.  I don't mind road closures due to civic and moral outrage.  I've got an iPod plugged into my car that has approximately 50,000 solid jams on it so I'll be okay.  Compared to being shot three times or having my child stolen from me, sitting in traffic for a few extra minutes is not that big of a deal.  Perspective.

     I'll see you in the streets.