“We’re not killing you; you’re killing yourselves" - A Black Officer's Response to the recent anti-police protests

Okay. It's Christmas morning where I am. And I am looking at this thread in awe.

When people see blacks protesting against the police in the U.S regarding cases like Mike Brown and Trayvon Martin, the common Reddit response is that if blacks stop committing crimes, all this will go away. This same talking point has been prevalent since the earlier days of the U.S. You know, in 1966 after the abolition of Jim Crowe, the annual gallup polls repoprted that more than 80 percent of whites felt that there was no longer a problem of racism in America.

We are here almost 40 years later and we know how fucking laughable. There has been no point in American history where blacks have not been trying to protest the harsh treatment they have received from the police. Even after desegregation, things did not just magically fall into place. America did not just reach the point on the spectrum where the disbanded KKK members who fled to the police forces in the early 1900's suddenly got phased out. These institutions and practisces and preconceptions have been there for more than 2 centuries and if in 2014 Americans still think it's blacks making noise because they just feel like it then there is no amount of body cam that will change attitudes.

There is a reason blacks are incessantly weary of police. From driving in cars they can afford and being pulled over for being in cars deemed "too nice" down to the kind of music they listen to, the way they dress, look and talk and even their goddamn names. How many times have redditors called ebonics gibberish? or blamed Rap music for glorifying crime yet would be the first to call anything psycopathic and violent as "totally metal".

There is a reason the OP used his/her alt account to post this article with the title of "black man scolds black community". Nothing "moderates" and bigots love more than seeing one of those they despise "being one of the good ones and saying what needs to be said".

/r/news Thread Link - nytimes.com