The Right To Remain Safe
In Oakland, California, a daughter has lost her father, parents have lost their son, a girlfriend has lost her lover and many have lost a friend. On New Years Eve 2008, Oscar Grant was beaten by police officers and then shot at point blank range in the middle of a crowded train station. Grant had been involved in a fight with another passenger of the train. Even though Grant was restrained and completely unarmed, the officer opened fire on the young man.
Police brutality is a rotten, stinking issue plaguing our society, tainting the pursuit of justice and freedom in America. Oscar Grant was not just a victim of police brutality – he was the victim of an execution. This has caused an uproar of anger, pain and sorrow in the communities of the Bay Area. Some of that anger has fueled the violent protests, reminiscent of the 1992 LA Riots, the have broken out as a response to Grant’s murder.
Grant is not alone -- for too long, minorities have been victims of police brutality and racial profiling. In the minds of many, this alters the perception of police from protectors to oppressors, leading to widespread fear of those who are meant to protect. Therefore, it is up to the community to keep them in check in a lawful manner. A nationwide organization, CopWatch, is doing just that. Today’s action is a short biography of the organization, which attempts to keep police officers accountable by monitoring their activities and effectively calling them out in cases of misconduct and unsubstantiated assault.
It is up to us to put an end to police brutality by keeping police officers accountable for their actions. By doing so, we build a sense of community strength, morality and faith for a better tomorrow.
Today’s Artist: Saul Williams
Saul Williams is a modern renaissance man. He’s a poet, actor, writer and musician, who blends politically-tinged poetry effortlessly with a hip-hop mentality.
In today’s video, Saul Williams covers U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, using wonderful artistic imagery that evokes a visceral reaction. Saul takes the Irish protest song, which is about the murder of civil rights activists by armed forces, and adapts it to scenes in modern day LA. The result is a penetrating evaluation of police brutality in the modern world.
I was just having a discussion about this with one of my friends. He was arrested for an outstanding traffic violation, and once bail was posted he was let out the next day. When he got out he had a ton of bruises and clear marks of where the cops man handled him. There is no way to even bring it up in court because there is no proof, and of course the law is going to stand behind the police.
Cop watch is a damn good idea! i dont know how many times ive been asked to see my id or be searched when im not even doing anything. Alot of cops try to used scare tactics, and in the end they pay off because people give in because they are afraid of the law and dont know their rights.
police brutality seem to be mainly towards minors and celebrities. they do it to minors because policemen feel they have authority to do anything to do, and they do it to celebrities because they can make money from the bail amount…
this issue is annoyin because the focus of police officers are on small things rather on more epic matters