by B. R. GOWANI
Philando Castile apparently loses consciousness partway through the video. Police have confirmed that he died in hospital as a result of the gunshot wounds PHOTO/Daily Mail
Alton Sterling was shot dead when officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II slammed him to the floor. They have been put on administrative leave as the Department of Justice stepped in to lead the investigation PHOTO/Daily Mail
Nicole Johnson accused ‘white people’ of ‘killing us off’ and ‘hiding behind that blue suit’ on Facebook just a day before her brother Micah shot four officers dead in Dallas before being killed. Foreshadowing the violence that was to come, she added: ‘I for one think these cops need to get a taste of the life we now fear.’ Nicole also later defended her brother, saying ‘those that knew him know this wasn’t like him’, before deleting her profile. PHOTO/Daily Mail
“We were gheraoed by every Age,
No one ever came to our rescue!
Then, one day, we gheraoed them,
And every tyrant shouted his rage.
No reason to worry:
We shall rise soon despite the pain.
And every city which is now dark
Will see the light once again.”
Revolutionary Pakistani poet Habib Jalib*
police kills a person
goes on an administrative leave
sometimes paid, sometimes not
police murdered 569 people in 2016
you don’t hear much about them
population ratio wise, more blacks are killed
then one day 5 white policemen are killed by a black
and every racist howled his wrath
the flags flew at half mast
current and a former presidents attends memorial service
eulogies and tributes were paid
all policemen and policewomen are not bad
but why so much difference in mourning?
well, because, police is the domestic military
military kicks asses internationally
police kicks asses domestically
white is the ruling system
white is the violent power
white is the news media
they have all the power
they have all the guts
and so the racist system continues
black President of the white majority country
couldn’t talk about racism too much
otherwise he too would be shot to death
like Philando Castile and Alton Sterling
Obama was diplomatic
then he resorted to God –
(every helpless person’s only weapon)
“But then I am reminded of what the Lord tells Ezekiel:
I will give you a new heart, the Lord says,
and put a new spirit in you.
I will remove from you your heart of stone
and give you a heart of flesh.”
followed by more nonsense:
“We also glory in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character;
and character, hope.”
how much suffering is enough?
millions of black slaves died
the first slaves arrived in the colonies in 1619
slavery and lynching ended
but racism is still there
then the guns are there
and police have extensive power
it’s the people with money and power
who’re in need of “heart of flesh”
(who knows
some pharmaceutical corporation might grab this idea
and start doing research on it
of course, with government money
and may come up with such a heart
and make a lot of profit)
unless racism ends
unless everyone has economic rights
nothing will change
all the speeches and gestures are pure bullshit
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com
*(English translation by Tariq Ali in An Indian Dynasty: The Story of the Nehru-Gandhi Family (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1985), pp. 180-81). The poem was written for Indian workers who indulged in “gherao” or “encircle and besiege”, that is, not letting the owners and managers out of factories and offices unless they agreed in writing to workers’ demands.)