Article by:
Dr. Gerald Curry
In this article I’m asking a very simple question, “How much is enough?” After watching the family in Phoenix, Arizona be verbally and physically accosted for their four-year-old picking up a toy doll at a Dollar Tree Store, I was flooded with emotions. Feelings of sadness, fear, frustration, anger all immediately raced through my mind. I am sick and tired of seeing police officers overreact and harass our people for the smallest of assumed criminal activity. I realize sometimes police officers must be on the offensive because of officer safety and ensuring that the broader community is protected. You see I’m approaching this conversation from an informed perspective, because I wore a badge and carried a gun for almost thirty years. I’m not some clanging cymbal making noise just to hear myself talk, but I carefully approach this subject from an insider’s view. I’m that guy who was sworn to protect and serve!
So again, I ask, how much is enough? We stand on the shoulders of people who did not have individual rights but fought like hell to ensure the next generation did. From 1882 to 1968, 4,743 African-American were lynched in this country, which became one of the foundational platforms to create the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). We’ve gone down this road before, so when are we going to not allow public authorities from treating us like this? When I look around society, I do not see other groups of people putting up with this type of treatment, so why are we?
Over the years we have protested by making our voices heard, and for a season it seems to work. We’ve made tremendous progress during the Civil Rights Era, and I compliment the many gallant iconic soldiers who paved the way for us. Over the past few decades we are reminded of the Abner Louima case in New York, and the beating Rodney King endured. Recently, we can tell the stories of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Laquan McDonald, Sandra Bland, and even little Tamir Rice, who was playing in a park with a toy gun. There are thousands more victims who have suffered from the hands of police officers. I’m shouting, “How much is enough?!!!!!!!!” How many people must die, because we refused to make an active difference in our communities, because we’re sitting on the sidelines?
I want us to own our future, by taking control of our today. I’m not suggesting we toss out the playbook of old, but reform and revamp it to accommodate the changes required for us to move forward. We need a radical national covenant that confirms our pledge of owning (homes and businesses) in our communities, electing public officials (this includes police officers) that truly have our best interest at heart, reinvesting in our communities that create jobs for our people with the goal of thriving and not just surviving, taking care of our elders by mandating a safe environment for them to live, and improving our educational systems that rewards teachers at every level. We have an obligation to vote in every election, and not shirk this responsibility because of this period of insanity. We can change our current situation by controlling our future, by acquiring new information.
Get your house in order by taking control of yourself. Start today by improving your professional network, enroll in a class that elevates your statue, if you’re not investing, then start saving your money and begin investing today. Do one big thing every single day that improves your future. Your future depends on you making smarter moves, that leads to your success and productivity. We do not have to allow anymore unfortunate discourses by police officers or any other public official. I’m dropping the mic on this one. Enough is enough!
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The views and opinions expressed in this ‘Opinion-Editorial’ are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Urban Directory, LLC.