Tribe Voices: Black Lives Matter
This is an entry from a member of our Awomi Naturals tribe Community. The content of this entry is a reflection of the thoughts and feelings of the author. We as a community support the voice & expression of our tribe and continue to support spaces for them to be seen & heard.
George Floyd.
George Floyd was the tipping point, the straw that broke the negroes back.
George Floyd was another black human being murdered at the hands of the police.
George Floyd got me out of my bed on Saturday afternoon to march on Staten Island.
The protest started at the murder scene of Eric Garner, the father of a boy I went to high school with, right down the street from the high school I attended, the high school his son attended, right in from the beauty supply store I’m sure his wife went to and ended and on School Rd. Several black members of Staten Island sat down in the middle of the street after being barricaded by the police in an effort to prevent them from reaching the original goal of shutting down the Verrazano Bridge and marching on the expressway. Peacefully, voices were heard and stories were told and unity was shown. There were children, adults, whites, blacks, Hispanics but there was also fear. Fear that the vulnerability shown through this peaceful protest would only result in the diminishing of the very simple message trying to be spread throughout Staten Island:
“Treat US (Blacks) Like Human Beings. Until there is justice, peace will be disrupted.”
After everyone cleared out, I (joined by a few friends because it ain’t safe out here alone), hung back and spoke to the police officers on duty. I initiated the conversation by posing a very plain question in hopes of receiving a very plain answer” How do you feel about this?” I asked a group of officers :
Them: “ What do you mean? About this specifically or ..”
Me: About this,
Them: How do you feel about this
Me: Well that’s apparent, I’m here right?
Another officer: Well we really aren’t allowed to give our opinions of things of this nature?
Me: well are you allowed to give your opinions to your colleagues about the murders they commit?
Them: Well which situation are you talking about?
Me: pick one *laughs*
Them: well all cops aren’t bad, like any company you have a few bad apples
Me: well it been more than a few, and you like Chris Rock said “ A pilot company can’t have pilots with landing success rates at 50 %” Your job is too important of the success rate to be a toss-up. How are we supposed to know the good from the bad, especially when the good never speak out against the bad
Them: We aren’t allowed to speak on public affairs from personal opinion, we aren’t even allowed to speak directly to our higher-ups.
You’re here right? How would I know that you were good if the crowd was doing bad things
Me: You wouldn’t but it’s your job to find out. You get paid to be good, I do it for free.
We went on like this for a few minutes, they were open to conversation and willing to understand and a Lieutenant stepped in saying “this is a great conversation, we need more of these, so much could be avoided if we just got know each other, take me for example, blonde hair blue eyes, average white guy. I grew up in Red Hook….Illmatic is my favorite album.”
That’s when I knew I spent the last 30 minutes wasting my breath.
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