Waiting

We have been waiting.  It was August 9th when an unarmed brown teenager was shot to death in the street, and we have been waiting.

Waiting for justice.

Waiting for it to make sense.

Waiting for it all to end.

It was rumored that a decision on indictment was coming soon from the grand jury. Now this does not seem likely.

Grand Jury Ferguson

Barricades have been erected outside of where the jury is deliberating.  The Governor has baited folks to riot with more militarization of the police (because that worked so well before), and emotions are high everywhere.

Cut to Bill Cosby drama.

What is similar in both these cases is constant victim blaming. In interviews with the alleged victims of Cosby you hear Don Lemon asking a woman who was forced to give Cosby fellatio whether she “used her teeth“. Because, I suppose  only if she tried to bite his penis off is she worthy of being a victim? Its funny, when someone is shot we do not ask the person who is bleeding, “well how fast did you try to run away?”

In the Mike Brown case he is being victim blamed from beyond the grave. All over social media and the mainstream news media we are seeing these questions. “Why did he run?” “Why did he struggle with officer Wilson?” I suppose when someone points a gun at you, only if you stand completely still in the middle of the street are you then worthy of being a victim…

Even so, by several eye witness accounts, Brown did stand still and throw up his hands, but even that is not enough to have earned victim status.

Seems these minorities, female rape victims and the parade of young black men suffer from the same illness and are guilty of the same crime. They are not white men.  When ever a white kid shoots up a school, actually kills people, they are a victim of society. “If only he had mental help” etc. When Mike Brown is shot in the street, its because he is a “thug.”  The facts tell a different story however. If anyone could in fact use a mental illness excuse for their horrific behavior, it would certainly be minority populations as they receive FAR less treatment:

Remember James Holmes? He shot up a movie theatre because of a Batman Movie…

His trial will be coming up soon. We will see if his insanity defense works.  I am not suggesting minorities play crazy. This is hyperbole. I want justice. I want women and blacks to stop being targets of misogyny and racism.

I am waiting for the day when this will be the case. While we wait together, what shall we do? Keep talking to each other. Be there for someone who is raging about all this. Lets stop blaming the wounded and murdered, and start listening.

Whatever happens on Monday, if you are in St. Louis here are some resources:

In the waiting for justice, if we listen we can maybe understand each other and come to answers. If we keep attacking the victimized, we only uphold the systems that allow their pain and suffering.