LZ Granderson's "I Am Tired" article (full)

[Jermyn Davidson]

(CNN) -- I am tired.

Tired of our streets being peppered with dead, unarmed black people. Tired of listening to armed assailants describe how they feared for their lives. Tired of being told "this has nothing to do with race."



LZ Granderson

I am tired of having to march to have murderers arrested. Tired of worrying about my 17-year-old being gunned down by some random white guy who thinks his music is too loud. Tired of knowing the same could happen to me.


I am tired of seeing a hashtag in front of a victim's name on Twitter. Tired of seeing Al Sharpton speak on behalf of a family. Tired of waiting for verdicts and hoping for justice --as if hearing "guilty" can ease the anxiety of knowing a police officer shot and killed a 22-year-old black man while he was lying face down and with his hands behind his back.


I'm tired of the cynics who are quick to extend the benefit of the doubt to a gunman but hesitant to do the same for an unarmed teenage girl who had been shot in the face. I am tired of seeing images of police officers with snarling dogs threatening a crowd of black protesters and not knowing if it's from the 1960s or last week.


In the case of Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Missouri, it's the latter. Witnesses said he was shot multiple times from 35 feet away after his hands were raised. Again, he was unarmed.


I am tired of the U.S. Department of Justice having to closely watch local authorities. I am tired of local authorities advocating for Stop and Frisk one minute and dismissing the notion of racial profiling the next. I am tired of the charlatans who chase the bodies of innocent victims the way sleazy lawyers chase ambulances. I hate black looters at peaceful rallies the way I hate the KKK.


I don't want to get shot by a police officer.




I'm tired of unarmed dead black people being put on trial.


And I'm tired of thinking that each time one walks by.


I don't begrudge anyone who has the luxury of not knowing what that kind of siege feels like. I just hope they have the decency not to characterize the socioeconomic disparity along racial lines as a card to be played but rather recognize it as a looming element of our cultural fiber.


For example, from 1934 to 1962, the federal government backed $120 billion of home loans. Because of an appraisal system that deemed integrated communities financial risks, less than 2% of those loans went to minorities.


When you consider that home ownership has long been the prerequisite for the average American to acquire wealth, there is little wonder why white Americans have 22 times more wealth than blacks. That is not a card being played. That is math. And I'm tired of having to explain that.


Just as I'm tired of watching the video of Eric Garner being placed in a chokehold by NYPD, listening to him say "I can't breathe, I can't breathe" and then watching him die minutes later.




But I need to keep watching because apathy is a clever hunter. It cloaks itself with FBI statistics and slips into the system between runs to Starbucks. Then one day as you're sipping your grande decaf mocha, you see a headline about an unarmed black man being shot and killed by police and think nothing of it.


Or worse yet -- assume he did something to deserve it.


I'm tired of unarmed dead black people being put on trial. I'm tired of politicians visiting our churches for votes but skipping out on these funerals


I'm tired of hearing mothers and fathers weep for children who did not have to die.


But most of all I'm tired of the people who are not tired like me.

[KeptByTheWord]

I am tired of females dying because of domestic violence. I am tired of hearing about children dying because of abuse and neglect. I am tired of hearing about millions of babies being aborted every year. I am tired of hearing about the massacres of men, women and children in Syria. I am tired of hearing of Christians being forced to leave their homes or die, because they are Christian. I am tired of hearing about race being the issue. I am tired of hearing that low caste children in India, China, and other places around the world are working as child slaves to make the products that I enjoy every day.... yes, I am tired of hearing about it... so, because I am tired of hearing about it, maybe I need to do something about it!

That something involves giving of my time, my prayers, my $$ and whatever else I can do to help those who are hurting and in need... and instead of whining about how "tired" I am... it is time to do something.

[FlamingZword]

I am tired.

[n david]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

I am tired of females dying because of domestic violence. I am tired of hearing about children dying because of abuse and neglect. I am tired of hearing about millions of babies being aborted every year. I am tired of hearing about the massacres of men, women and children in Syria. I am tired of hearing of Christians being forced to leave their homes or die, because they are Christian. I am tired of hearing about race being the issue. I am tired of hearing that low caste children in India, China, and other places around the world are working as child slaves to make the products that I enjoy every day.... yes, I am tired of hearing about it... so, because I am tired of hearing about it, maybe I need to do something about it!

That something involves giving of my time, my prayers, my $$ and whatever else I can do to help those who are hurting and in need... and instead of whining about how "tired" I am... it is time to do something.

In regards to the police shooting, what can be done about it?

Al Sharpton would have us believe that the reason this happened is because there aren't enough blacks on the police force in Ferguson. I disagree. Affirmative action isn't going to resolve crime or improve relations between the police and black community. To the criminal a black cop is still a pig. And to even the law-abiding black citizen, a black cop still represents an organization of which they are distrustful. I'm white, and I don't even trust police most of the time. And I have a few cousins and other relatives in police forces around the midwest.

JD, others - what can be done?

[Jermyn Davidson]

One thing that can be done is for the Police Dept to address the concerns of the communities they serve BEFORE something like this happens.

Trust is something that takes time to build, but if you want an effective and properly functioning police force within a community of cooperative citizens, trust is paramount.

[Jermyn Davidson]

Another thing is body cameras-- mandatory body cameras to be worn by police officers as part of their uniform, while they are on duty. These cameras should not be turned off except when the officer is relieving himself.

[Jermyn Davidson]

I want to make a suggestion aimed at the population and not at police officers, but MOST issues and subsequent actions of the population at odds with the cops has a lack of trust at the core. I don't know what can be done about this-- and I am a former LEO!

Trust must be earned, especially in the toxic environment that cops have created in some of their cities and towns.

[n david]

Originally Posted by Jermyn Davidson

Another thing is body cameras-- mandatory body cameras to be worn by police officers as part of their uniform, while they are on duty. These cameras should not be turned off except when the officer is relieving himself.

There are some PDs around the country which have camera's on their uniform. Not sure how much it would cost, but it's a good a idea. It would definitely remove a lot of questions as to what happened. The current dashcams are inadequate since they only face forward and don't always capture the action happening to the sides or behind the car.

[n david]

Originally Posted by Jermyn Davidson

One thing that can be done is for the Police Dept to address the concerns of the communities they serve BEFORE something like this happens.

Trust is something that takes time to build, but if you want an effective and properly functioning police force within a community of cooperative citizens, trust is paramount.

Right. Trust AND respect.

[aegsm76]

JD - if you think that police brutality isn't happening against other groups - including whites, you are dreaming.
Not saying that all cops are bad, I believe 99% are ok, but our entire system of crime and punishment needs revised.