Michael Slager and Dylann Roof: Twin Sides of America’s Racism

2016-12-21 09

Eyes of evil. Slager — a most despicable human being who deserves fate similar to Roof’s

[Speaking Truth To Power]

Mass murderer Dylann Roof was convicted for gunning down nine Black parishioners inside the historic Mother Emanuel Church in North Charleston, South Carolina—atrocities he perpetrated he said because his objective was to start a “race war.”

But while Roof has been convicted, another cold-blooded murderer, Michael Slager, a police officer, is walking around free in the Charleston area, after escaping real justice in a trial that was marred by the bigotry of a single defendant—and, the less than zealous prosecution of the state’s prosecutor.

Giving the damning video evidence in Slager’s trial, can any serious person really believe he is anything more than a sadistic cold-blooded murderer trying to escape punishment for his crime by hiding behind a police badge?

Instead of atoning somehow for his abominable crime the man actually wants to be acquitted and to continue as a taxpayer supported killer in uniform.

Last Thursday, Dylann Roof was convicted in a couple hours of 33 counts of federal hate crime charges. Unlike in Slager’s case, the federal government preceded first with their case against Roof—before the upcoming state trial. Given the incestuous relationships between local prosecutors and police, we should wonder why the same strategy was not employed in the case of Slager.

Much has been stated about Roof’s racist rants in his manifesto and on his website. Yet very little attention has been paid to the fact that his primary target at the Mother Emanuel was pastor and state Senator Clementa Pinckney. Roof specifically asked for Pinckney—who, in the aftermath of Slager’s murder of Walter Scott, pushed for legislation to introduce police body-cameras and spoke out forcefully about the negative publicity North Charleston was facing because of Scott’s murder.

Roof made sure he killed Senator Pinckney—because he was well aware of Pinckney’s political activities, as it related to Slager. Indeed, Roof probably thought he was doing Slager a favor by killing Senator Pinckney; and, truth be told, there is probably a great many White South Carolinians who probably felt that Senator Pinckney was just another troublemaker smearing the police.

Walter Scott and Senator Pinckney were killed by two twin representatives of American racism named Dylann Roof and Michael Slager. The only difference is Roof is much more honest in his racism—and isn’t hiding behind the supposed legitimacy of being a White American police officer. Slager and Dylann Roof both embody White American racism.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we must seriously ponder this: are Dylan Roof’s feelings toward Black people really truly demonstrably different from Slager’s—or, any number of other murderers of Black people, who are better able to kill and escape justice because they wear police badges?

Often, when some cop has just killed an innocent Black person, we’re told in so many different ways, about the fearsome criminality of Black people that petrified the police officer in question, who then unloaded their weapon to protect the presumed threat to their life.

We’re often told criminality is a central reality in the Black community. Even worse, police and their political apologists slyly insinuate the twisted notion that we are genetically criminal people—unlike, them.

Doesn’t Roof’s twisted view of Black people fit the very profile many police have of Black people too?

Since this is indeed the case, why are Roof’s atrocities any worse than those committed by a cold-blooded killer cop, like Slager?
Roof will likely be given a death sentence or life-in-prison sentence. But if he had become a cop he very well would’ve been able to engage in killing Black people and getting away with it. Many cops, as evidenced by cases throughout the land, not just “bad apples”—are involved in such killings. Slager was weaned out of the same racist environment like Dylan Roof. Isn’t this why they both exhibited such utter disregard for Black life?

How many Dylan Roof types do we have now hiding behind police uniforms?

Those who think this is an irrational idea should consider this: since October, 2006 the FBI has been warning of KKK, and other White supremacist groups, infiltration of American police departments.

In fact, in a 2006 report, the FBI ascertained that the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department had organized a neo-Nazi group within the department—and the FBI found these same officers had “habitually terrorized” Black Americans. U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr., said these cops were guilty of engaging “in systematic acts of shooting, killing, brutality, terrorism, house-trashing and other acts of lawlessness and wanton abuse of power.”

In Chicago, former Detective John Burge reportedly had powerful ties to the KKK. Detective Burge is infamous in Chicago for brutalizing and torturing untold numbers of Black Chicagoans since the 1970’s. Detective Burge torturing skills were apparently so good that he was tapped to use those techniques at the Guantanamo Bay military facility.

In Cleveland, where 12 year-old Tamir Rice was murdered, White power graffiti was said to be ubiquitous in the police locker room. In 2001, Sgt. Greg Palm and Deputy David Gay were fired after it was revealed they were members of the local Klan in Texas.

There have also been several stories of officers being fired after they were exposed wearing Klan regalia, including: Deputy Chief David Borst and Patrolman George Hunnewell from the Fruitland Park Police, in Florida, in 2015; and Louisiana Detective Raymond Mott who was pictured giving a Nazi salute at a Klan rally.

These are a few of the stories we know about cops who are members of racist groups. But, what about those Klan cops who are flying under the radar because they have adopted more of the low-key “ghost skins” approach? “Ghost skins” is a term used for Klan members who the FBI says “blend into society and covertly advance white supremacist causes.”

An FBI report warned “the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is notable among White supremacist groups for historically having found support in many local communities, which often translate into ties to local law enforcement.”

During Jim Crow segregation, many southern sheriffs and deputies were known Klan members. It should be noted that: reportedly, other police officers with known racist affiliations are said to be currently on the force—even though certain officials are aware of this.

Many hypocritical professional politicians, especially certain Republicans, will castigate Dylann Roof. But Roof was reared from the same stinking swamp that created racist police—like Slager and all the other prejudiced trigger-happy police who unjustly end the lives of generations of Black Americans. Why are there no denunciations of those who use the police uniforms to murder and maim?

Is no one to be held accountable for the police murders of Black people in America?

This question is even more important now that Donald Trump—who announced he is the new “law and order” president—will be about to walk into the White House with his White supremacist “alt-right” friends. No doubt, that is why police officers are now lobbying this incoming administration to repeal the racial profiling laws. Black America must prepare itself for a state of siege from an entrenched corrupt cop culture.

If Slager escapes justice for murdering Walter Scott it will be an even more odious miscarriage of justice than any of the other outrages we’ve seen in recent years.

Murder must be called murder even when the perpetrator is a White police officer who took the life of a Black person.

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