All they saw was black when they looked into the car and all the negative stereotypes that go along with being black. They didn't see a brother, son, college student,or baby being held in his mama's arms. They didn't see a child with a name-DJ Henry. They saw black, maybe gang banger, maybe drug dealer, maybe fugitive, maybe cop killer.
As a result of only seeing black they shot him, and killed him. They shot him and killed him for being a black man in a town with white policemen. I don't know this family but, I know I have a son who has the same skin color as DJ Henry, and he too will go to college, maybe play football, maybe their paths would have crossed as mentor/ student. Regardless, this young man's life is over because of a policeman who only saw black.
http://www.boston.com/...
This story has touched families all across the country, from Mass (my home state) to California who recently mourned the death of Oscar Grant. At what point in our country will we say enough is enough. Black men are being killed by gun violence in every city, hamlet, town, and suburb all over this country.
At what point will we say to the police force- NO MORE. No more lives will be taken, or destroyed because you cannot get your act together to properly hire and train your police force.
DJ Henry was a young black man doing all the right things, he was kind, and family oriented and going to college. He didn't fit into that box that people like to put black men- you know the box I am talking about. Yet, it wasn't enough for him to be ok, it wasn't enough for the police to say "let's not shoot this kid."
Was he even human to them? Did they even see a human being in that car?
An entire community in MA is mourning the loss of one of their family members today. As written by one of the comments in the Boston Globe, "the police basically shot Ritchie Cunningham." This was a child, who was gunned down in cold blood by police because all they saw was black and not human.