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….
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