We Can’t Sit By When Congress Turns Blind Eye To Police Brutality Epidemic

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Raymond Tensing–shot Dubose in the head in cold blood and concocted story

[Speaking Truth To Power]

Politics of Police Brutality, The Democratic Party and The 2016 Elections

The July 19 Ohio shooting death of Samuel Dubose, by Officer Raymond Tensing, is yet another example of the disregard police have for the lives of Black America.

Officer Tensing has been indicted on murder and voluntary manslaughter charges; but when will politicians demand “zero tolerance” for racist killer cops?

It should be self-evident America’s police forces have problems with institutional racism. So where are the panels and committee hearings, in Congress, to address the need for a serious restructuring of police—especially, as it relates to police profiling of African-Americans?

With the ubiquity of police outrages against African-Americans, one would think politicians would realize they have a responsibility to stop the tide of these terrible traumatic events that snuff out the lives of so many. Congress has been abysmally absent and has done nothing to give any hint they are even remotely concerned with the terrorism and bloodletting that afflicts African-Americans at the hands of police.

Will Congress wait until the hatred for police is at such a fever pitch—where the lives of police really become jeopardized in the streets—before it starts to act?

Unfortunately, if we can’t even get “progressive” Democrats to press the issue, how can we expect phony “law and order” politicians to speak out against this institutional evil? Recently, at the Net-Roots Nation conference, the lack of any honest articulation about police brutality—or, anything having to do with the desperate plight of Black America—was evident. Why is it that the topic of racial policing didn’t seem to be that important to these “progressives?”

The worst offender was presidential contender, and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley.

When challenged during the event by Black Lives Matter activists, and others, the Mr. O’Malley talked about the fact that his Irish ancestors immigrated, supposedly, like the descendants of African-Americans.

O’Malley’s clueless comments, equating his ancestor’s voluntary voyage to America, with the brutal kidnapping and forced migration and plantation enslavement of Africans to create massive wealth for this country is quite typical among a vast array of White Americans. He also made the statement that “all lives matter,” in a condescending manner—as if, somehow, White lives aren’t already valued and cherished in America.

Shouldn’t a supposed “progressive” democratic politicians know better than this?

As the former governor of Maryland we should rightly ask him: what the hell has he done for Black people in Maryland that should make any Black American care about his candidacy?

Can he show us any successful program to empower, or alleviate the plight of Blacks during his tenure as governor? Any what, if anything, did he do to make race relations, especially with Blacks and the police, better?

In light of the Baltimore urban rebellion that was launched by young teenage Blacks, in the wake of the brutal beating death of Freddie Gray, we should be asking this presidential pretender what were his policies with respect to the African-American community while he was governor?

He should tell us why there is so much poverty and urban neglect in Maryland. For all Governor O’Malley “progressive” talk, he has not shown any indication that he is even remotely interested in the problems plaguing Blacks.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders also dropped the ball, during the Net-Roots conference and squandered a golden opportunity, to make a serious impression among Black activists, who could help him win the democratic nomination. Obviously frustrated, after he was interrupted attempting to address the audience, Senator Sanders instead of listening somewhat flippantly talked about the fact he had fought for Civil Rights for decades. Senator Sanders’ political team should not be surprised why African-Americans have no idea who he is.

Senator Sanders is, perhaps, the most progressive legislative leader, in Congress, and his economic platform is just what regular Americans needs. He hits the right notes on the topics of income inequality and the wealth gap. And that is why it was so disappointing that even he seemed unsure of how to connect with African-Americans in tackling police brutality concerns.

If Senator Sanders is having a difficult time finding the right tone to speak on police brutality that alone is an indication of the dire straits we are in. It should also make us question how committed the Democratic Party is to Black America. How is it possible they can be so silent, when they’ll be expecting us to vote for Democrats during the 2016 Elections?

Will we continue to vote for Democrats without demanding concrete action to change things like racial policing and mass incarceration? Some African-Americans are mulling sitting out the vote.

The 2016 Election cycle is now starting to heat up. Republican candidates are now debating between themselves in an attempt to convince Republican voters and other Americans that they should be the next President of The United States. But it will be a minor miracle if any of these people even raises the topic of police brutality against African-Americans.

Indeed, it won’t be done because some Republicans represent a sick, segregated section of America that is the most rabid in their racial animosity to Black America. For these folks, the brutality and murder of African-Americans is rationalized by the claim that we are a “bestial” criminal class that needs to be kept in check. “Law and order” was always a phrase that meant keep those “darkies” in check.

We should expect no representation of our interests in any of the Republicans “debates,” which will be nothing more that popularity contests—and Obama bashing opportunities.

The sad thing though is that can we really expect much better from the Democrats?

Hillary Clinton has been the one Democrat, running for president that has responded in a timely manner to the atrocities we’ve witnessed with White police officers brutalizing and killing Black people. But Mrs. Clinton’s husband Bill is the most astute political guide anyone can have. We should not be so taken by her glowing words.

Black America must demand from Clinton, Sanders and anyone who enters the Democratic race—like Vice-President Joe Biden—to outline a clear program for addressing the agenda and issues of relevance to our people. Aren’t we tired of all the empty speeches? How much more of this are we expected to take?

Black America also needs to take a hard look at those emasculated “leaders” we have that wear the same skin as us. Over the last year, we witnessed outrage and killing after killing of African-Americans; terroristic cops that have been caught brutalizing and killing Black men and women. Yet, we still have impotent Black politicians lecturing—the wrong folks—about being “peaceful” and “positive.”

These shameless members of our people have no problem denouncing Black men, calling them “thugs” when our brothers react to the oppression of a racist criminal “justice” system.

Yet, they can’t seem to find any passion in their tongues to denounce the murders of Black people by men in uniform.  It’s time we target some of these wimpy, do-little Black politicians and give them their walking papers; vote them out.

Black politicians in Congress should be held accountable for not doing enough—in most cases, nothing—to stop the epidemic of police brutality against African-Americans.

We are nearly a year away for the 2016 Elections and Black America must send a message to the whole political establishment in Congress that we will not sit idly by while this racist criminal justice system continues to incarcerate and spill the blood of our people on the streets of America.

 

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