Last night, I wrote a "rebuttal" in response to Dissonant William Smith's "I'm sick of...". This morning, I woke up to a response to what I posted called "Rebuttal to a "Rebuttal"".
Instead of using the textbook definition of a rebuttal, I responded by rewriting each point originally made from a different perspective. Mr. Smith, to my surprise, responded back with a point-by-point rebuttal of his own. In the interest of Webster's Dictionary accuracy of a response, this will not be a rebuttal. This opinion piece will address the key issues brought up by Mr. Smith in his rebuttal and attempt to rationalized and actualize the points brought up in my original post.
I believe my first point is among the most important ones. When I read your piece, I heard the frustrations of a person who was, at this juncture of history, fed up with his occupation. It was the lament of an officer thrust into a long-term demonstration with no foreseeable ending. I would empathize with that struggle were it not for something that you mentioned in your original post:
The uniform you wear can be removed.
No one can tell you are an officer without a uniform and a badge, and you remove it for safety reasons. I, as well as others, cannot do the same with my skin. Your persecution begins and ends with a button up shirt, pants, and a shiny piece of metal. Ours, while not ever-present, is unending. One black man is killed by a security guard, police officer, or vigilante every 28 hours. There are still places in America and in the world I cannot go because I am black, and there still locations in Saint Louis where I cannot peacefully protest the value of my life without getting accosted or into an altercation.
The issue you describe about the dangers and horrors you face are likely based on personal anecdotes and can encompass the feelings of any police officer of the United States. The issues I described were based on the anecdotes and feelings from not only myself but many others black people in the United States. You stated you do not know me, and use that as a measurement of not judging my character based on the words that I chose. It is not a luxury, however, that extends across the entire internet. It is not a luxury that was extended to protesters by Cardinals fans, Rams fans, a decidedly vocal symphony patron, and countless other police supporters. These are only the ones that I know about and can list. You speak of vetting people on my friends list better. You do not know, however, that the ones most vocal against the protests in Ferguson were co-workers that I know. That people randomly came onto my social media to shout me down for even mentioning the failed race relations and tumultuous relationship between police and the African-American community. How could you possibly know? In addition, this also means you could not possibly know my history with police officers, past experiences, and micro-transgressions that I have face from the long arm of the law. No, I am not a criminal, but being black and young in Saint Louis county is enough to get you stopped and questioned. We also do not educate the youth on the law and how to interact with them. LEO's often exploit this to gain leverage in a situation and harass black people, especially males.
You bring up case law in several situations as well. Graham v. Connor. Terry v. Ohio. Invoking the fifth Amendment. You ask for citations and references as if your original post wasn't opinion-laden and hyperbolic in the first place. This is the basis of our misunderstandings, as it okay for you to speak purely from the heart without clarification, research, or source data but my opinion requires thorough research and case studies to be validated. My case work was done in the streets among those protestors fearful of their loved ones being next to be killed. My source data is the rash of killings of unarmed people in the news across the country, most of which were black. Oscar Grant. Ezell Ford. Trayvon Martin. Eric Garner. John Crawford. Dante Parker. Kimani Gray. Sean Bell. Mike Brown. So many more go unnamed. Case law, legal protections, due process, or constitutional rights did not help these men keep their lives. It happens so often, black men think there is a war being waged against them.
Ultimately, your response is indicative of why conversations between races about racism always end unresolved. The unwillingness to step outside yourself and see things from the opposing point of view cripples the ability to amicably resolve any animosity between white people and black people. You don't see me in chains, you can't see people burning crosses in my yard. So while you can rationally say that racism isn't over, you cannot willingly acknowledge that it exists to such a capacity that it adversely affects my life from where I can comfortably live, shop, and work to how much I earn in a lifetime, how often I am arrested, and the visual impressions I give off in public. Black people suffer in a society built by them but not for them, and because of that factor we are outcasts in our own birthplace. It's not something I expect you to acknowledge, let alone understand, because the ingrained programming of privilege in white people (especially males) leads them to believe that we are all equal. To sum it up in a better way: The opportunity is more equal to all than the playing field ever was or ever will be. If you need an example, then look at the responses to the Ferguson riots in the media and social commentary, then look at the reactions to Keene State's pumpkin riots, West Virginia University's riots, or the World Series riots in San Fransisco. Think about the reactions and the reasons for each. Know that it is only the tip of a huge iceberg.
In closing, I'll talk about the civil rights movement in the 1960's. Alongside MLK's non-violent struggles for equality are the violent ones that you do not always hear about in your history books. Malcolm X, for one, preached justice by "any means necessary". The Black Panthers were not above the need for violence to bring about positive change. Social change is a messy business; revolutions are even dirtier at times. The language of riots and civil unrest is, as MLK said, "the language of the unheard". The youth in Ferguson are still not being heard by others. Some have opened their ears to the current transgressions they have had to endure, a path paved by all the actions taken in Ferguson including the vandalism, arson, and bottle throwing. I don't agree with the tactics, but it comes from the anger of being written off, misunderstood, and unheard. Opening your ears to a perspective other than yours, more than the disagreement of the most egregious statements, more than shunning the most insulting phrases lobbed at black people, and more than agreeing on the most basic of humanizing statements, is needed to ever reach a resolution on how this nation should move forward with black people in it instead of in the back seat.
Change is coming, Mr. Wilson. We all get to choose the side we will be on. History may not remember which side you choose, but I will.