What's It Going To Take: Philando Castile and Why I'm Mad As Hell

Against my better judgment, I watched the video of Philando Castile's last minutes on this earth. I thought about not watching it, but I figured if Diamond Reynolds and her four year old daughter could live through it, and show courage and conviction throughout this horrible, life changing ordeal, then I could at least view the video.

It’s ten minutes of heart wrenching fury. The video begins with Philando’s murderer (he shot him at point blank range , with no regard for his life, and the lives of his passengers, so that is how I will refer to him; he doesn’t deserve any acknowledgement beyond that). 

The murderer flashes his lights for Philando to pull over. Only mere seconds pass, and Philando pulls over in compliance to the shoulder of the road. His murderer walks up to the car, hands slightly resting on his holstered weapon (This shows me he is already prepared to use it). He tells Philando that he pulled him over for a non-working brake light, although we clearly see two working lights in the video. (Although prior to exiting his car, you can hear him radioing his superiors that Philando fits the description of a robbery suspect due to his  “wide setting” nose (Most black people have big noses, it is too dark to tell that when you are behind someone (#rollseyes). He asks for Philando’s registration and driver’s license. Philando hands him his registration, while letting him know that he has a weapon because he is a concealed carrier. The murderer says don’t touch it or pull it out. Philando says okay. He reaches in his pocket for his license (which his murderer asked for). The murderer begins screaming, fires seven rounds in mere seconds (five hit Philando).

 After the shooting, his murder trains his weapon on him for three solid minutes, no attempts at CPR. He has a partner who takes Philando’s girlfriend’s daughter away (Mind you he is standing there on the passenger’s side the entire time. Never afraid enough to draw his weapon. The only time he even moves, is when the murderer begins shooting to keep from getting hit). Think about it! He is at the car as well, but is never afraid of anyone, until his partner begins discharging his weapon. So the officer being afraid is total bullshit! It takes another two minutes before CPR is started! That is five minutes after receiving five potentially life threatening shots to receive medical aid. When they remove him from the car, Philando is dragged out by his arm (Remember a few of the rounds actually hit him in the arms, and bleeding out from those injuries led to his death).

Meanwhile, his murderer is yelling expletives; Diamond Reynolds, Philando’s girlfriend and passenger, after her life being possibly ended, is placed in handcuffs. She is calm, resilient, not a threat; yet, she is placed in handcuffs like a common criminal. Her daughter, four years old, a mere baby, is watching all of this, as they sit in the back of a police car together; the man who they both love, lying on a pavement bleeding out. (Diamond is taken to the police station, questioned relentlessly for hours, separated from her child, her phone. She found out about his death, almost 12 hours later).

The jury of 10 whites, 2 blacks, watched that same video; yet, acquitted Philando’s murderer of all charges. I am beyond angry. What makes me even more angry is the stunning silence of my fellow white friends. You can get upset and post about a wounded or missing animal, you can post about a blond haired, blue eyed child missing, some of you’ll are still mad at Michael Vick after all these years, even though he has served his time and paid restitution, but when it comes to black lives, you are silent.

 You love our music, our bodies, you delight in our comedy, but when we die, you are silent.  When cops are murdered (most are murdered by white men by the way), you post all kinds of blue lives matter rhetoric, always posting about your love of cops, but when they are in the wrong, and yes, they are human and can be wrong, you are silent.

I have friends who are cops. And you know what? I don’t know one who has denounced what Philando’s murderer did. Not a judgment, not slander, but truth, as I speak with them often. Yes, there are good cops, but when you allow your fellow brothers to do wrong, and don’t call them out or denounce them, you are culpable. Silence is compliance! 

When you as a white culture are silent, what you show us as your fellow black Americans that our culture (music, slang, comedy, anything that entertains you) are more important than us. Because I guarantee you, if white people were getting murdered at these rates with no consequence or punishment, things would change. I guarantee if more black people started getting concealed weapons permits, shooting back, retaliating with some street justice, things would change.

I don’t have all the answers. In fact, I don’t have any at this point, but what I do know, your silence is deafening. It shows where your heart is, especially when you have been so vocal on some many other issues and causes that are far less important.

I shouldn’t have to live in fear of the police. I shouldn’t have to leave in fear, each time I leave my home, not knowing if I or my family members will return safely.

So what is going to take?

Until next time….

Bill Maher Is A Racist, Sexist, Islamophobe, and You Will Deal!

On Friday's edition of Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill interviewed Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse.

During the interview, Sasse suggested that Maher visit Nebraska and work in the fields, to which Maher replied, “I’m a house  nigger.” Sasse nervously laughed, and the audience clapped loud enough to cause friction burns to their hands.

Before we go any further let me share something with white people: the word nigger is never okay in any context. It is sad that in 2017 that I have to explain this to anyone over three, but let me spoon feed you the point. I don’t care how many hip hop songs contain the words, or black people using it as a term of endearment towards each other, how much black penis and/or vagina that you have had, how many black friends that you have acquired, how many black neighborhoods you have lived in, how many black women have been your nanny, how many black people you have consumed alcohol or weed with, how many black friends told you that it was okay, or they are not bothered by it, or how much money you donated to Obama’s campaigns and/or how many times you voted for him; don’t use it!

But the larger issue is that for far too long racists like Bill Maher have been given too much leniency, and the bar has been set too low for what is considered racism. We have relegated racists to people who use “nigger” directed towards black people (as long as they call themselves one or tell a joke with the word, it’s okay (no the fuck it is not), or to card carrying members of the KKK, or to someone being a Republican (yes, the majority of your asses are racist as fuck). The bar is much higher than that, or at least it should be!

But even more problematic is the fact that Bill Maher has a long history of racial strife. It started with his Islamophobia. If you have watched his show at any point over the last five years, at least once, and sometimes twice a week, he does a segment where he viciously demonizes the Islamic religion. Even Ben Affleck (king of douchebaggery) called him out on his Islamophobia, and you noticed Ben has not graced his show since, because God forbid you don’t allow a white man in Amerikkka to spew hatred towards a marginalized group.

But we said Islamophobia was okay. We said it was okay, when mainstream media and citizens alike, never called him out, instead they nervously laughed, the audience clapped, and Bill went on spewing his hateful rhetoric.

Wayne Brady, four years ago, told you’ll that Bill was a racist prick. Four years ago, Bill Maher took it upon himself, as a white man, who has never been black or had the black experience, to tell other blacks that they weren’t black enough, and in his commentary he mentioned Wayne Brady. Wayne Brady responded that when he saw Bill Maher, he was going to beat his ass since his stereotypical image of black men was that they had to be violent and tough in order to be considered black enough. That is the most racist shit in the world, but you’ll still gave Bill a pass.

Karrine Steffans who is known to most mainstream society as Superhead. She has a history of sleeping with famous men and writing tell all books. She said, and I quote, “Bill Maher will never date white or intelligent women. He wants women that he can tell how big their booties are, to shut up if they challenge him, and allow him to live out his fetish of having a black woman. I wanted more than that.” Now because Steffans sleeps around and writes about it, people discredited her, called her all kinds of derogatory names. But let me place this in perspective for you, out of all her tell all books (I have read three), not one man has sued her for libel or defamation of character, nor have any of them stated that she lied about her experiences with them, including Bill Maher. So if she says he only fetishizes black women, which is a form of racism, I am more likely to believe her than you, since she actually swapped spit and other body fluids with the guy.

Here are two black people who told you that Bill Maher is a racist, and you are acting like water is not wet, or you have to eat a whole cow to know it’s beef! Are you that intellectually obtuse?

White people do better. Examine yourselves, and stop doing the bare minimum when it comes to race relations. Above all stop telling black people how to deal with race. Because I guarantee you if Maher made a Holocaust joke, you would have him off HBO in a New York minute. So don’t look the other way, or tell black people what should be funny or should bother them about someone else’s inflammatory language and behavior.

Black people you do better too. Stop being so concerned with the white gaze, having white friends, and acquiring things that you allow people to disrespect you. Maybe the word nigger doesn’t bother you, but I know plenty of your fellow black brothers and sisters who are offended by it, so check your white friends and colleagues and stop caping for white people who wouldn’t spit on you if you were on fire. One of the most disheartening things yesterday was to see Eric Michael Dyson talking about Bill Maher being his friend and admonishing other black people for calling him out on his racist behavior. He is a powerful voice in the black community, rather than taking Maher to task, he was admonishing other black people about being too hard on Maher. What kind of leadership is that?

Bill Maher should suffer the same type of consequences as Kathy Griffin did, but I bet he won’t because white male privilege is real, and women and minorities don’t get that same forgiving grace when they mess up.

Until next time…..