Tonight a part of me changed. I saw what we all saw and had seen for years happen over and over again: The systemic lynching of an individual by a powerful force set up to protect people like him. I saw the same oppression that America fought to liberate itself from during the Revolutionary War, the same oppression we root against on television, the same oppression the Panthers fought against in Oakland. Tonight that force prevailed again and with its victory solidified the “illusion of inclusion” that Dr. Johnson spoke of in Hidden Colors. In a larger sense the same vulnerability we faced in the 70’s exists and is even more pronounced.
Michael Brown’s murder and the murder of countless others is unsettling mainly because we face an opposition that is unwilling to accept the humanity we all possess, a humanity that becomes lost in the sea of media reports and character assassination. Police brutality is not some invisible crime that affects some of us, rather a very real and constant threat that disproportionately affects people of color. The egregious nature of the crime which include the six shots fired at him only are magnified by the complete disregard that was shown with his death when he was left to rot in the streets. Indeed we are denied our dignity even in death by an adversary who views us a nuisance and scourge rather than a citizen. Our anger started with his murder but it culminated in the numerous attempts by media and officers to portray the dead as somehow deserving of his fate, as if any of us is able to determine whether one deserves death.I confidently say no verdict by 12 can override the feeling that someone’s life was lost in a situation where it could have been spared.
As angry as I was yet again I knew then and there that no longer could I bemoan the ills of the system without reflecting on how it could be changed and fixed. Admittedly I tend to see problems as simple fixes at times, a trapping of my mind, but undoubtedly one that has its strengths. For instance as an educator I immediately thought of the need for educating the masses on a number of issues interrelated to the topic followed by a strong push for education courses on basic law protocols and procedures. Even more progressively I thought of the need for more judges and lawyers as well as officers who were products of the communities they serve. The last thing I thought of was violence. I am a firm believer that everyone has a role in effecting change and that they all must do what is natural and for me that is to educate the masses. I’m reminded of Fred Hampton’s comments on education being the first component for any revolution frequently and it is here where I believe we must start. I dont profess to have all of the answers to the problems we face as a nation and people, but I know we must start by informing ourselves and others of just what we have faced and how we overcame it. 
Wright World 