Rekia Boyd

An errant bullet fired by a Chicago cop ended Rekia’s life-RIP REKIA BOYD

Laquan McDonald

Only after he had pumped 16 bullets into Laquan did the Chicago cop stop shooting-RIP LAQUAN MCDONALD

Walter Scott

A brake light that was not working-nothing else-cause a South Carolina cop to shoot Mr. Scott to death-RIP WALTER SCOTT

Alton Sterling

He wanted to earn money by selling CDs but Baton Rogue cops saw fit to shoot him to death RIP ALTON STERLING

Dontre Hanmiltonb

Two Milwaukee cops determined he did nothing wrong, but a third one shot him 14 times. RIP Dontre Hamilton

 

Whether it’s newly minted activists or veterans of the Civil Rights Movement (CRM), the slaughter of Black folks by police officers across the country means everyone is traversing unchartered territory. The wholesale killings are causing the rough-and-tumble brother who nothing has phased before to shed tears. Mothers and wives are squeezing sons’ hands and making that goodbye hug last a little longer because  today’s reality can translate into that sendoff being literally the goodbye-forever. Neither knows if a cop with a bad attitude, hairpin trigger and disdain for Black people will be the last thing they see.

The conundrum Black folks are facing is there is no clear cut  solutions. There is no plan of action that will get these renegade cops off our streets .

Marches have been a protest staple for the last two years since the slaughter of Michael Brown by former Ferguson, Mo. Police Officer Darren Wilson.  Marches and demonstrations have proven to be an effective cog in the wheel since the CRM but marches by themselves don’t bring about the necessary resolutions. Millennial activists have breathed new life into that strategy and brought necessary media and public attention to countless issues.

Some from the CRM days have joined the young protesters but far more are on the sidelines either observing or committing not to be involved. Some protests have taken on an economic impairment focus-looking to negatively impact key retailers’ receipts-even though the merchants played no role in the killings or other incidents. The rationale is if top merchants begin to complain about dwindling profits, city hall will listen and ultimately move to improve policing in that community. Again more old timers are waiting and assessing whether they will get involved than those who are participating.

In the meantime, another cop realizes nothing happened to his brothers in blue when they took a Black life, so bam, bam, bam he pulls the trigger, reloads in some instances. In the worst case for that cop he resigns, pension in hand, and never sees the inside of a cell. These outcomes are clarion call to action-for all of us, just like the song Glory described

It takes the wisdom of the elders and young people’s energy
Welcome to the story we call victory

Now it is time for the millennials and the folks who have lived through some battles to sit down together, meet in a private place and start figuring out how to end the massacres. Only the participants, not media or the curious need to know anything until the planning is done and implementation started. The prevailing sentiment should  be how to make such a collaboration work rather than who will get credit for it, especially if it does work.

Technology and social media will be as important as proven strategies and word-of-mouth. Phone banking can yield results just like texting. Everyone need not get in a cop’s face, but many certainly need to meet individually with lieutenants, captains, and commanders.

Until the ages united and present a united front our days across the country will continue to be riddled with cops still whistling while they work, killing Black folks and living happily ever after.

Two-year chart of killings by police officers

Two-year chart of killings by police officers