Over the weekend, we sadly heard there was a 6 year old boy shot and killed here in San Francisco, a 7 year old girl was shot in killed in Chicago (pictured) , and 11 year boy was shot and killed in Washington DC (pictured), an 8 year old girl was shot and killed in Atlanta (pictured) and an 8 year old girl was killed in Hoover Alabama (pictured).
The 5 aforementioned killings are headline news everywhere.. Its been topped off with the Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms being shown giving a press conference saying ‘Enough is Enough’… We are loosing the movement because of inter-communal shootings..”
A few things we have to be aware of.. First lets be clear the shooting and killing of kids is absolutely horrific. Violence against kids is horrific and at every turn we need to step up and do what we can to stop it.
But one thing we should know the 5 Black kids were not the only kids who were shot and killed over this weekend.. There were 2 kids shot and killed in Avon, Indiana, 2 Kids were killed Columbia, Missouri, 2 Kids were killed in Macon, Georgia, 2 kids were killed in Delano, California …All in all there were 31 kids shot and killed over the July 4th week. Close to 60 were injured by gun violence.
The incidents for each of these shootings varied. They ranged from mothers or family members killing her kids to accidental shootings to lawless activities like drive bys . In some instance the kids were Black, in others the kids were Latino. In some instance they were white.
Again, what was shocking was to see the shear volume of kids that get shot and killed or injured damn near everyday to gun violence.. 4th of July weekend wasn’t an anomaly. Sadly its routine..Folks can see the high number of kids subjected to gun violence (HERE) There is more than 18 pages chronicling this tragedy for 2020 alone…Kids being killed or injured by Gun Violence is routinely occurring American problem.
Pointing out these statistics is not in anyway meant to justify, deflect, excuse or dismiss the horrors that took place over the weekend.. We should all be outraged. We should all be alarmed. We should all make strong commitments to do whatever we can to protect our children.. We should all be working to change the political and social landscape that fosters violent behavior.
But its also important for us to ask and see why some killings were widely reported and others were not and how and why these stories were ultimately framed by media outlets.
It seems like the death of Black kids in certain cities became political fodder for those who wanted to push forth a particular narrative. In most of the news reports, these killings were mentioned in the same breath as police Defunding protests and Black Lives Matter.
On TV shows like Good Morning America/ ABC News, it was suggested in one report that the kids who were killed happened because of police departments being defunding. That was a boldface lie and media manipulation to the fullest. Why? because while there has been a lot of talk and push to defund police departments, there has been no immediate reduction of police personnel. In fact because it was a holiday weekend, more police were out and about. Why were they not more effective in preventing crime is the question we should be asking?
The report also implies that the same people doing the shooting are the same ones protesting and demanding an end to police terrorism. Again, that’s another example of deliberate media distortion. We all know those who killed kids are not out en masse leading Black lives Matter protests.
The overall message being delivered is certain communities deserve to have abusive police because of intra-communal violence. That’s a notion that needs to be soundly dismissed. We don’t pay taxes to employ reckless individuals who have disregard for life and wreck havoc on our community.
We do pay taxes and employ police who should not in any way shape or form exude those unacceptable traits, but sadly in far too many incidents they are reckless. Because of the experience many have had with police, they are often not a first, second or third option to call when trouble brews. It is their disregard for Black and Brown life where they are rarely held accountable that has contributed to many of the challenges faced by many communities..
All in all. We should be clear. Most folks in our Black communities want an end to intra-communal violence. How we get there may vary. Some may wanna march and hold vigils, but its clear to most there will have to be long term solutions put in place where hearts and minds are touched and ultimately transformed. Over the years in various cities, from Chicago to Oakland folks seeking change and an end to violence have created organizations that go out and try to mentor young people, heal those suffering from trauma and educate people on how to find other ways to express anger and resolve conflicts. Many want to invest time and energy on the educational front and make anti-violence and deescalation as part of day to day school lessons.
Last I checked, those who turn up in our communities are not lobbying legislators at our respective state capitols demanding they pass laws that would not hold them accountable. If anything we seen politicians take hard edge stances that underscore their willingness to be tough on crime..
People also want an end to Police terror…And last I checked, it was police unions all over the country, all up in the state capitols smashing down on state lawmakers insisting that they abstain from putting in place any sort of laws that would hold them criminal accountable or even financially accountable (Qualified Immunity) for their transgressions. They have become major obstacles to peace efforts.
Again, the bottom line. here is lets put an end to violence in our community and also lets be aware of the agendas being pushed when certain narratives are being presented to the public by corporate media while others are hidden…
written by Davey D
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