Good morning African America and the rest of y’all. Thank
you for stopping by; I’m grateful you’ve decided to spend a bit on your long
weekend with me.
Was struggling with what to say this morning; y’all know how
I feel about “holidays” like this one and I know you’ve heard the “What the
heck are we celebrating rant” too many times to want to hear it again. So off I
go surfing for news and distraction, and after reading about a 2-year-old shot
at point blank range, catching up on the Dr. Ersula Ore travesty and requesting
updates on the police shooting of yet another young black man, I re-realized
how desperately we need an action plan to free us from the dangers of an
increasingly emboldened police state. I don’t know if what I’ve got qualifies
as a plan; I’ll let y’all decide that. But this morning, instead of rehashing
what we all already know about the hypocrisies in/of the land of rabid greed
and the cellblock of the slave, I’d like to offer a few simple steps we can
take to help protect and free ourselves from the increasing dangers of life in
a police state. By the way, if your brown, poor or in any way victimized by the
bastardization of to protect and serve, these steps will work for you too.
1
. Strive to not be alone in public places
including your workplace and grocery store. Having a witness/witnesses may
prevent an otherwise inclined officer from becoming belligerent and/or
aggressive.
2
At the first hint of impending law enforcement
contact, activate the spycam app on your cell phone ~if you don’t have a spycam
app, get one ~ and enter 911 on your keypad. Keep your phone(s) clearly in hand
until the encounter is over and the danger has passed.
3.
Know the law and respond according to it. When
law enforcement gives a direct order without establishing cause for that order,
ask if you are under arrest. If yes, comply. If no, ask am I free to go. If
yes, immediately walk away toward a populated area. If no, repeat the first
question. If the officer becomes belligerent, call 911 so the continuing
conversation is indisputable, ask the officer to have his/her supervisor
respond to the scene and repeat question one. Stay calm, plan a safe retreat
and stand your legal ground. Worth repeating ~ this works best if traveling in
groups of two or more.
Sidebar: I don’t like guns. I don’t own a gun and I am not
advocating that anyone purchase a gun. However, I know that many of you are both
gun owners and appalled by the intimidation/fear tactics right to carry
organizations are spreading across the country and the increased danger
inflicted on marginalized and ethnic communities by these actions. If you are a
legal gun owner who is fed up hate wrapped in the 2nd Amendment,
might I suggest that you are ideally positioned to stop the insanity. How? Take
a Jacksonian approach (George not Andrew) and join their ranks; march with
them, meet with them and make it clear you feel the same way about protecting
your family, community and property as they do. There is little danger of
arrest or violence because any negative action on their part proves your and
millions of other American’s point. A sustained infiltration of this type would
end the public displays of intimidation post-haste. So, if it sounds good to
you, gather 15 or 20 of your closest gun owner friends and work off the bbq and
beer with a good long march.
Happy Independence Day y’all!
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