I Can’t Breathe
America’s Greatest Sin Never Acknowledged, “RACISM”
We Still Can’t Breathe 2020
Written By; Pastor Shon L. Davis
Living in a Country that call’s itself the land of the Free, evidently was not referring to people that look like Me. They even put it in a Declaration of Independence under unalienable Rights. That I have the right to “Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness”. But they forgot to mention, that only pertained to Whites.
Caged in by a system, where there is just no Winning, truly stamped from the Beginning, even though it was them that was Sinning.
Your crying out God why don’t they see Us, Its clear they don’t want to be Us, while pleading for them to free Us, We are left with only Just Us.
And you ask why We Can’t Breathe.
While black mothers are left to Grieve, With no Reprieve of the wrong that was done. Legally Executed, morally Substituted, protected from being Prosecuted,
Left with the words of no Indictment or a trial for your Enlightenment, White Privilege and Systemic Racism-Two subjects with no Admittal, only to end it all with an Acquittal. Can You Please let Up A Little…, So We Can Breathe.
You’ve taken the air out of our Space, when you deny that it was because of our Race. While you throw labels in our Face and make false reports to leave no Trace.
While you Dehumanize, then Criminalize, using modern day slavery to Institutionalize.
Through the prisons you’ve Privatized, on the backs of black and brown you have Capitalized and you’ve proved that it works, now other systems can follow your lead and discriminately Marginalize.
And you wonder why We Can’t Breathe.
How many more have to Die, how long are you going to choose to Deny
That in your eyes our lives really don’t Matter, you want a second civil war with the hopes that we will Scatter.
But this march won’t End, until True Equity and Inclusion Begins, Until America itself is Reform and ANTI-RACISM becomes the New Norm.
Remember, All Lives MATTER, when BLACK lives MATTER
Please Let Us Breathe!
When KAP Took A Knee, No One Died!
Colin Kaepernick a NFL Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. In 2016 Kap took a Knee during the National Anthem to raise awareness around the issues of police brutality and racial inequality in America.
Derek Chauvin a former police officer for the Minniappolis Police Department, took a knee in 2020 and murdered George Floyd a African American Black Man.
“NOW CAN WE FINALLY BREATHE”
Ahmaud Arbery - 25yrs old
Breonna Taylor - 26yrs old
Tamir Rice - 12yrs old
Michael Brown - 18yrs old
What Does Police Reform Look Like To Me
At the age of 12 years old I was framed and falsly charged by white police officers who simply did not feel that there was any value in my life. Therefore, they felt justified in attempting to place me in the correctional system at a young age, while following a systematic plan that once a child is introduced to the correctional system, it would be followed by consecutive criminal acts that would eventually take another black man off the streets for the rest of his life. As me and two of my friends were being transported to the Juvenile Youth Authorities. The officers pulled over in the pitch darkness of the night and took us out of the back seat while still handcuffed. Placed us on our knees, pointed their guns at our heads and stated I quote; “You Niggers may not be criminals now, But eventually you will be, so we can just take care of you right now and your family will never find you”.
After 5 weeks of being falsly imprisoned simply because of the color of our skin. The judge released us for lack of evidence and with a statement of “No Prejudice On Behalf Of The Court”. Where there is no Equity, there is no Value. Its as simple as throwing out the trash.
True Reform can only begin to take place when there is a TransForm of the Heart that allows police to think first like human beings and second as cops.
The mission of policing is supposed to be “To Protect and To Serve”. To be a trusted Guardian and not a Warrior that the community must fear.
Therefore, as a young man that has been victimized by racist cops and a racist system. I have begun my healing by advocating for bridging the gap between Law Enforcement and Communities of Color.
“Not Everything That Is Faced Can Be Changed, But Nothing Can Be Changed Until It Is Faced”. (James Baldwin)
Martin Luther King Jr.
“Riot Is The Language Of The Unheard”
When people don’t feel that their voices are being heard and that their issues matter. It Invoks a non-verbal form of communication.
In 1991 Latash Harlins a 15 year old black girl was shot and killed by a Korean merchant over alledgedly trying to steal a bottle of orange juice. The community of Los Angeles was in rage. But that rage was suppressed by the request of trusting the system and allow the law to give us justice. The Korean woman was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter that carried a recommendation of 16 years in prison. The Judge then stated that the defendant was not fit for prison. So she sentenced her to 5 years probation, community service and a $500 restitution fine for funeral expenses.
Then in March of 1991 the video of multiple LAPD police officers beating an African American man by the name of Rodney King was made public for the world to see.
This kind of police brutality was very common within the black and brown communities of Los Angeles, but never really caught on camera. Though the injustice of Latasha Harlins case was still brewing. The rage was again placed on hold to allow the judicial system to give us Justice. Only for the 4 officers to be found not guilty for the use of excessive force against an unarmed black man. Even though the evidence was clearly displayed in black and white of police showing no regard for a black man’s life and continued to beat him with their batons.
This is a clear example of systemic racism or racism embeded within the system, that prevents the system from acknowledging its wrong doing, when the wrong doing is executed upon black and brown people.
Therefore, the rage that had been suppressed in an emotional capsule waiting for justice to finally come, became a bomb waiting to go off. In 1992 that bomb was lit in the form of another Riot,
“The Language Of The Unheard”
Lil Baby,
“It’s Bigger Then Black & White”
Join
Jesus is the answer
