Lean close, Amnesty International has sent a team into the US for the
first time as the National Guard has been deployed to protect the police. All
the while, repressive
regimes around the world are rejoicing.
Things got violent again over the weekend, which honestly is expected
given the determination of the police to incite violence. Natasha
Culzac wrote for the Independent about Amnesty’s role in Ferguson. Amnesty
has said it will be observing police and protester activity while gathering testimonies
and training local activists “in methods of non-violent protest.” The executive
director of Amnesty International USA, Steven W. Hawkins said the “people of
Ferguson have the right to protest peacefully the lack of accountability for
Michael Brown’s shooting.” The Amnesty team consists of 13 people including
Jasmine Heiss who says the organization has limited access to post-curfew areas,
which says something about the lack of transparency and the cover-up in
Ferguson.
After declaring a state of emergency, Missouri Governor, Jay Nixon has
ordered the deployment of the National Guard to “protect life and property.”
But not the lives of black men. I just thought I’d fill in the subtext
here. According to Nixon, the military will “maintain peace and order.” See the
relationship disintegrated again after the curfew was issued, which by the way
is patronizing shit all while perpetuating the myth that black people are
violent. Way to go Gov. Nixon in what I’m pretty sure will be your last term in
office, someone isn’t getting reelected.
Media outlets are claiming that hours before the curfew, the police opened
fire into the crowds with tear gas and rubber bullets, which hit children and
members of the media. Seriously, who are these people? Pro-tip, don’t fire
on journalists unless your Egypt or Russia. Additionally, black journalists
are alleging they have been racially profiled and refused re-entry to the press
area while no white press had been.
Of course, there have been protests and vigils all over in support of
Michael Brown’s family, but another unarmed black man was shot in LA on August
11, and people were gathering outside of police headquarters to protest there
too.
There is only one more thing I want to talk about before I put this down
for a bit. Class and race are not the same. And yes, I know we all make white
people feel better by talking about this as a class issue or the racists cast
Black people as dangerous, but while class plays a factor, Brown was executed
because he was black. The National Guard was called because most protesters are
Black. Now, do I think a governor would call up the National Guard to suppress the
protesting of poor people, abso-fukcing-lutely. Do I think after justice for
Michael Brown is achieved we should expand this conversation, maybe find out if
police forced in affluent, white neighborhoods have tanks? Yes. We should, but
right now I want the police officer who murdered an unarmed Black man to stand
trial. That is the priority, and yeah, we might not get to the point where we
can have a large conversation about classism and how it is linked to racism.
Right now, the conversation needs to stay on the intersectionality of racism, structural
racism, and the murder of Black children. We can’t change the narrative to be
about class and risk throwing Black concerns overboard. Solidarity bitches,
look it up. This is one of those time you have to wait your turn, and I know
some of my white men readers have never been told that, but you get used to it.
John Oliver continuing to kick-ass.
