On Aug. 14, a wonderful group of activists held a vigil at Marshall Park for Michael Brown and other victims of police brutalization. In this first episode of Class Is In Session — the monthly column come to video — I look into the unjust slayings of Brown and others who look like him.
The bottom line is that there is a systemic pattern of violence and brutalization of men of color, especially young black men. The pervasive image perpetuated of a black man as being predatory and dangerous has fed into a collective consciousness within our society. The image assist in the dehumanization of folks who fit within that demographic. When you see someone who’s less than human, then it’s easy to treat them inhumanely and disrespect them, and basically not see their value.
Check out the video.
Related Stories
Police and racism: The truth is in the numbers
This article appears in Aug 20-26, 2014.
Once we open our eyes (now), We will be able to overcome every obstacle. Man needs to stop thinking and doing evil and inject more love into the world. In order to change this we must first change ourselves. Statistics change minds and values well It changed mine.
@Ernest J.Smith You are so correct that sometimes we think that significant change has to happen on a larger scale that we forget we have the ability to produce change as individuals. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!
“A lot of STUFF is taking away our humanity.” That. Define that, change that, confront that. In every community. I’m interested to know how you see the role of representatives like Revs. Sharpton and Jackson–not to be confrontational, but because I value your opinion.
I loved the Article and the visual to go with the blog and the topic. But yes it does seem like Michael Brown is a sacrificial lamb because it now seems that a lot more people of all races creeds and colors are coming together of a unjust killing of a young black male. There is another topic, and that is the militarization of the local police departments and how we are in fear of the police more than we are in fear of terrorist. The only way to stop these two things from happening again is for all people to come together and talk about their flaws and how to fix them and for the police is for congress or whoever to change laws from them to stop attacking their own citizens.
@Marty Kindall Chester I am not so naive to not think that such leaders as Sharpton and Jackson have a self-serving agenda but I am also very much aware that unless folks of that stature do not bring attention to issues facing certain marginalized communities then those issues would barely make a blip in the mainstream press. What is encouraging is that with social media more young people are able to organize and protest on their own and hopefully yield a new generation of community leaders. Thank you as always for reading and sharing your insight!
@Daisean Mills It is interesting and unnerving how quickly an area can be reduced to a police state. It is also very disturbing that it is happening on American soil where we supposedly support freedom of speech and protest. I guess it depends on who is protesting and what they are protesting about that becomes the deciding factor. I hope that we will not just be reactionary but continue to continue the discussion on how we can monitor a culture that seems to more and more embrace militarization of local authorities. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts on this topic!
Your article and video is powerful; the wonderful voices of everyone interviewed. The beautiful faces of young learners cuts to the heart. You deconstruct to define what is going on without anger or pretense.
@Dianne Marcucci it is important to bring diverse voices to the discussion especially from marginalized communities. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts on this important topic!
You ask what can we do to stop targeted racial violence? I say that we need to vote. Vote in local and regional leaders that appoint police chiefs. Leaders that are sensitive to the needs of communities of color and will ensure police leadership will be held accountable for their’s and the actions of their employees.
@Tmarshall You are so correct that we are good to show up and rally and protest but we forget that we have to monitor both legislature at the national but especially the local levels. So many laws get pushed through with little resistance due to our absence. Look how many states now carry the stand your ground law almost right under our noses. Thank you for reading and sharing some very important opinions on this topic!
Awesome article and video! I strongly believe we have to change how others see us. We must have respect for ourselves before others can respect us. It still doesn’t justify what happened to this young man. Teach along with preach!
@Alease Michelle McCleningham you are right we have to respect ourselves but the image and stereotype of black men is so pervasive that regardless of how you carry yourself you can be victimized. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!
Great insight Charles. Propaganda creates stereotypes that allow ignorance to blossom in lesser minds. Unfortunately that media is too often controlled by private interest groups with their own agendas. We as thinking, feeling intelligent individuals need to stop buying in to the violence and polarization of our society. Everything these days is about creating division and polemic distrust. Whether it’s politics or the media, common sense and a compassionate minds are the ones that don’t receive the press coverage. I thought we had come at least a little ways from Medgar Evers…..I’m sorry to say it looks like racism has just changed her make-up and put on a police uniform.
@Thomas Benjamin you are very correct man that we do not have to passively consume the images and rhetoric that are generated through the media machine and yes polarize us because many are not willing to roll up their sleeves and look deeper than the surface. Thank you for reading and sharing some very insightful points on this topic!
I agree with the point you are making here, its clear there is a problem in our society when it comes to how we treat minorities. and like the one commenter said, I think we start with voting. paying more attention in our communities, and making sure the people in power have a strong stance against this kind of behavior. its not an easy fix, but that is a start. but I have to ask, you mention multiple times that the killing of Michael Brown was unjust, how do you know that for a fact? As we wait the for ALL the facts to come out about the situation, how do you already know that the cop was in the wrong? I don’t understand why people are so quick to jump to a side on this, why can’t we have patience and wait for all the information. as I said in another discussion on this, we as outsiders have the luxury of time to wait. I just feel bad for the family and friends who it must feel like eternity to as they wait for answers.
@Todd Houser You are right that we have to be more diligent in showing up at the polls and making sure folks who have the best interest of all members of out society are in positions of authority and decision making. And to your point of Michael Brown being killed unjustly well whenever you shoot an unarmed man who is running away from you then that is an excessive show of force and most definitely unjust. And again what has folks so upset is that this is a sad pattern of police showing excessive force in certain communities. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts on this topic!
how do you know for a fact that that is what happen? that’s only a report. and the autopsy has shown definitively that all bullets entered Brown from the front. you’re coming to this conclusion based on reports, not facts. there are also reports that it was justified, so that makes those reports true too right? just to be clear, I am in no way saying it was justified. I don’t know yet, there are reports that say it was, and reports that say it wasn’t. so I will wait on the facts before coming to a conclusion, as we all should. now as far as the overarching point of cops mistreating minorities, I agree wholeheartedly. and this situation should absolutely bring attention to that issue, however at this time we do not know that played a part in what happened here.
@Todd Houser it all depends on what sources you choose to process the information. Some reports are inconsistent with eye witness accounts of folks who were in the vicinity who say that Brown had turned to surrender after running from the scene. We also have to acknowledge that our personal filters will influence how we will ultimately will process the “facts”. Mine are unfortunately littered with historical negative experiences with law enforcement and as a beard wielding maverick you mat or may not have similar experiences yourself : ). Thank you for bringing up some very important points of discussion.
the sources the reports come from only change how the reports are given. our personal opinions absolutely influence how we process the information. neither of those things change the facts. facts are facts because they are true, no matter how you feel about them, or how they were reported. and at this moment, we don’t have all the facts. the eye witness reports, will they all line up together when those people have to sit down with officials and give statements? those are reports I want to hear, not just what they said when interviewed on TV. and as of right now, with what we know, it sure seems like this kid was murdered. the only point I’m trying to make, is we don’t know yet. we don’t have all the information, therefor it is impossible to know for sure what happened. in my opinion, jumping to conclusions does a serious disservice to both sides of the situation. just as you say you’re certain it was unjustified, there are others who say for certain it was justified, both sides having heard all the same reports. my only point being neither side knows for certain. we will have the facts soon, and then we will know for certain one way or the other. I don’t see what we gain by jumping to conclusions before that. but even if it does turn out this shooting was justified, the issue of cops mistreatment of minorities still needs to be addressed, which I know is the point you are making here. I just hope we as a country and society don’t forget about it as soon as this story is no longer the “it” story of day.
@Todd Houser You are right that nothing will be sure until all the facts are revealed but some folks are anxious because historically even when the facts are presented it seems justice is not dispensed. Case in point Trayvon Martin a young man who was stalked, accosted and ultimately killed within his gated community just walking home by an overzealous security guard who had been warned repeatedly to not intercept anyone.
For every Trayvon Martin or Michael Brown that gets national attention there are hordes of other youth who are in similar situations who do not make a blip onto the mainstream press. That also fuels the frustration of certain communities.
I also agree with you that it would be very unfortunate that Michael Brown would become the “it” story and we do not see any activism beyond that point.
Thank you again man for being aware and willing to have open discussion!
Trayvon Martin was justifiably killed by a man defending himself. That is not debatable. It is fact.
All signs point to Michael Brown being justifiably killed by a man defending himself. Facts: Michael Brown is on video robbing a store. An officer’s face was beaten. Shots were fired and entered in the front—-sign pointing to an aggressive assailant. Nothing is for sure—but Michael Brown as no innocent soul—it appears he was assaulting an officer and an officer has a right to defend his life.
African Americans need to ask themselves why do their youth continue to commit so many crimes that puts them in situations like the above, that is why they are losing their life. African Americans also need to ask why they kill so many of their own, which is a much bigger problem than some imagined police threat. There will always be bad apples in populations, cops included, but for the most part they do their jobs and only fire when their life is in danger. Young black males need to act responsibly, not commit crimes, and they will keep themselves out of any danger.
@truth Trayvon Martin was walking home in a gated community and was profiled and assaulted by an overzealous neighborhood watch person. His killer was trained not to approach anyone even if they were suspicious. Trayvon Martin was not a threat!
You are correct that the killing of young black males is not restricted to authority figures as the same images and propaganda plague members of that community who also unfortunately fall for the hype.
The sad truth “truth” is that for every Martin or Brown there are countless other young folks many of which are very innocent but fall prey to being victimized by the prevalent image of young men of color as predator or thug.
Thank you for sharing your views on this topic!
The facts are actually that Trayvon Martin confronted Zimmerman and assaulted him. Zimmerman killed Martin in self defense, that’s what the facts show. You make up things to fit an agenda when you post that type of drivel above and it’s why no one can take you and others like you seriously.
If young men of color don’t want to be viewed as predators or thugs, then the black community needs to start raising children in dual parent households and teach their youth to respect the law and quit committing such a high percent of the violent crimes in this country in comparison to the population numbers.
@Truth you are consistent I will give you that
It is critical to understand that what is right in a situation is not determinable solely by “facts;” purely descriptive accounts will never tell you what should be done. That 95% of securities frauds are perpetrated by white men may or may not be a fact. Let’s say it is–now what? Should we send white men to boot camps to teach them self-respect and discipline? Should we blame their parents for modeling selfish values? Knowing what “is” will never tell you whether it should or should not exist–this is a well-known fallacy. Moreover, facts are not “reason.” They do not arrange themselves neatly into persuasive arguments. That is what logic is for, and those who seek only facts will always assume, wrongly, that there is no difference between opinion and well-reasoned assertions. The complaint that we can’t judge until all the “facts” are in is, rather, a common strategy to infinitely defer the ethical and rational assessment of events, especially in matters of race.
Did civil rights activists do what they did only because a mass of data analysis told them that second-class citizenship was wrong? Statistics will alway serve as a potential refuge for the weak and cowardly, for those who fear passion and reason.
Finally, do you think those people who opposed civil rights for African Americans fifty years ago knew that history would so quickly expose them as yet another generation of perpetrators and supporters of racial violence? What makes you think that fifty years from now you will not be included as a member of this long list of national shame? It is a list populated by people famous, wealthy, educated, and religious, all of whom arrogantly appealed to the “facts” of racial difference as well.
This video blog is the best thing I’ve seen come out of CL in many years. I look forward to many more in the future.
@History Decides facts have their place but you are right that good reasoning can uncover basic truths when we look at the historical patterns of violence as it relates to marginalized communities. Thank you for viewing and sharing your opinions on this issue. Also thank you for the high praise!