Stream of Consciousness Saturday.

Let’s Throw Him Under The Bus!

jacquelineobyikocha

There’s almost no week that passes without our eyes and ears exposed to horrific abuse of power by men in uniform. The repetitive killing going on in the US is really a huge cause for concern, that it makes me wonder when men who are meant to protect and serve have turned into outright judge, jury, and executioner. socsbadge2016-17

How people can watch another human murdered in cold blood and then find all manners of justification for it simply beats me. Extrajudicial killings are unethical and illegal!

America, we’ve got a problem and we can’t pretend that our house is not on fire while we are busy chasing bush rats. I’m almost afraid that the society has lost its head and is courting outright combustion if these things are not handled properly.

In my place, we say “that the bushfire that will ravage the town starts with a kindle of a single twig.” This bushfire is gathering momentum, to such an extent that it’s scary and a crime to be black in America. Why is it my business you might want to know? Well, it is my business because this is where I lived up until 2015 when we moved to the UAE and will go back when we are done here. It’s my business because I’m a member of the larger society and in a society when there’s a problem, we look for ways to fix it otherwise it becomes pervasive and that’s the point it has gotten to.

It’s a concern to hear people callously go on a smear campaign over the body of a soul that hasn’t even gone cold. They simply throw him or her under the bus because he or she doesn’t look like you. That’s not what humanity is all about. In no way do I condone crime but I will not condone injustice as well. If a man commits a crime, demobilize him and bring him to justice except if as an officer you are claiming that you can’t destabilize a man without shooting him dead, then you have no business in the uniform or possessing a firearm.

It’s my business because I’m a black woman with a husband and son’s and we are large framed in my house. My son who’s 14 is over 6ft 2 inches tall like his dad and he’s still growing. As a mother of black boys’ and a wife of a black man, I was terribly uncomfortable back in Houston anytime my husband was out of the house late in the evening. Until he got home, or until my boys were indoors from school it seemed as though I was holding my breath each day. I think I even over-parented them because I restricted them from running around unsupervised with other children in the area. I try hard not to make my life revolve around race, but there are societal pressures that force it in your face and no matter how egalitarian you try to be this is a reality. I’m angry, sad and worried. There has to be a better way to resolve conflicts.

Today’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt word is ‘bus.‘ We should use it as it is or use words that contain bus in them.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

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Published by jacquelineobyikocha

A wordsmith with a vivid imagination, an eager mind and a burning desire to carve out tales. As I journey with my muse to that land of all possibilities and self discovery, I hope my personal evolution will serve as a beacon of inspiration for anyone who chooses to stop by.

56 thoughts on “Let’s Throw Him Under The Bus!”

  2. Sad to say it has never been safe to be Black in America. My parents and grandparents grew up in times of Lynchings by the KKK now it is shootings or choke-holds by the police. Question is Who protects us from them? Answer Nobody. Those cops keep their jobs and even collect thousands of dollars in overtime pay. Whereas the widows, children and parents of the victims are vilified in the press, media and on social networks. In fact many Caribbean and African countries have declared a Travel Advisory against Black boys or men visiting the USA. It is better NOT to return here. Believe me if I could leave and take my brother with me I would. The Police and many white citizens see Black people not as people but as vermin to be exterminated, eliminated and wiped off the face of the earth. And if Trump becomes President things will be 1000 times worse for Black Americans.We are at the mercy of deranged armed so-called “peace-keepers.”

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    1. Deborah, I’m seriously worried about this and when I read some comments people make online about exterminating blacks, I feel so, so disheartened and sickened. I am totally grateful that I’m here right now. We just have to hold on to hope that things improve.

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  5. I appreciate that you have clarified a key issue moving toward solution: “If a man commits a crime, demobilize him and bring him to justice except if as an officer you are claiming that you can’t destabilize a man without shooting him dead, then you have no business in the uniform or possessing a firearm.” Police officers obviously need way more screening and training. I know there are bigger issues that need to be addressed, perhaps in our schools, but this would be a start. I hope you and your family stay safe. I pray for peace.

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      1. I try to keep up hope too but it is hard when you see the Trumps and Farages feed closed minded peoples fears. At least we can write and share now and hopefully make a difference!

      3. I feel the same. It is so scary for me how these people can bend their minds too. I am from Germany living in the UK. Some of my friends and coworkers voted for Brexit and when I told them how I was afraid of what it would mean for me they said: oh you don’t have to worry. You are no immigrant! Duh????! But yes: knowledge is power!

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  8. Great post. I pray that we all could live harmoniously together.
    “I was terribly uncomfortable back in Houston anytime my husband was out of the house late in the evening. Until he got home, or until my boys were indoors from school it seemed as though I was holding my breath each day.”
    Exactly how I feel whenever my children are out to college, especially for my girl who is wearing a scarf. Hatred against Muslims is still rampant, especially after Trump’s campaign.

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  9. It’s hard to find the right words, J. I remember the 1960’s, which was so hard to witness. I thought we had advanced. It seems, sadly, more divisive than ever. Heartbreaking. I don’t know what it will take to see things improve. But I hope and pray that we can get there. ❤️

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      1. I find it frightening because it feels as if the darkness is much deeper than Trump.

        I hope that that the American people understand that there is no longer any wriggle room for protest votes, false equivalencies, dogmatic stances and ideological purity.

        We must all vote.

        There’s no other way.

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  14. So sad to see such bigotry, violence and blatant discrimination. Under our skin we are all the same ! I know it sounds trite and overly simple, but I do believe that focusing on gratitude and Love – and sending those high energy vibrations out into the world – will help to tip the balance away from the fear and hate.

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    1. I wonder why your comments went to my spam box :/ We are all the same and it’s so silly to see such unnecessary discrimination. That’s small-minded and I agree with you that the simple positive energy will outweigh the negative ones.

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  15. I couldn’t agree with you more! It’s getting worse and worse here and the inconceivable thing is that people are actually cheering on Trump while he bullies and spews hatred. His son, also, has come out with statements that coincide with white supremacists. If Trump gets in, I think WW III is more than possible.

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  17. Darn it – my comment vanished because I hit the ‘Ctrl’ key while hitting ‘Enter!’ Grrrr…

    I’ll keep it short and sweet: Those who justify these unwarranted murders and blame the victims for their deaths are sick and evil beyond belief…words cannot convey the depths they exist in.

    As far as “ranting” goes, that’s just code for telling people to shut up about these things, using the petty “tone argument” – “I don’t like the way you’re saying something, so I’m going to invalidate what you say!”
    Sometimes, “ranting” is necessary!
    🙂

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  18. First of all, I’d say it was your business and my business and everybody’s business. Abuses of power and crimes against our common humanity are things we are all entitled to have opinions on no matter where we are from. We can all criticize anti-gay discrimination in Russia even if we are not Russian or gay. We can all criticize Chinese discrimination against followers of Falun Gong even if we are not Chinese or particularly religious.

    As for the spate of police shootings of black citizens in the United States, well the situation is clearly out of control. In this particular case, the police have been trying to throw up some doubt about whether or not Keith Lamont Scott was carrying a gun. Personally, I very much doubt it, but even if he was, he was legally entitled to. Eugene Robinson wrote a fantastic article. in the Washington Post the other day.

    Looking at the situation more generally, it is hard to escape the conclusion that racist assumptions are endemic many US police forces. If this were not the case, why would these murderous incidents keep on happening again and again and again?

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    1. It’s a hard conclusion to arrive at that the police who are meant to be peacekeepers are now the one’s that are at the forefront of perpetuating racial tensions. There’s really more to it than meets the eye and the sooner these issues are discussed the sooner we can find some resolution.

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  19. A powerful post, very well stated. With the exception of five years divided between the UK, France and Germany, I have lived my life in America and I have lived a very long time. One thing that I have observed as a constant is that no social movement, no meaningful change, positive or negative, takes place in this country unless there is a profit in it for someone. Beginning in the mid 1960’s there was a gradual (too gradual) shift toward making a place at the table for everyone. In the past decade that course seems to have been reversed. Ironically we have our first “post-racial” president and yet the divide is growing larger. And that’s without a Trump in the White House. Someone is making a profit from this trend and all of our voices in opposition, all of our angst, good works and peaceful protests will not make a whit of difference unless we can identify those folks and choke off their ambitions. Examine the situation dispassionately, see to whom the money is flowing and ask yourself, “do these folks really want this discord to end?”

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  20. As a start follow the lead of MLK, of Ghandi or Nelson Mandela. The folks making money by continuing this era of divisiveness are all in some sort of business. Identify them and boycott their businesses. Without regard to their race, creed or color, make it a social obligation to not patronize anyone who can be shown to make a profit off of racial discord. Additionally, call them out. Since Lyndon Johnson initiated the “War on Poverty” trillions have been spent, ostensibly to lift folks out of economic distress and end the cycle of generational poverty yet there are more poor people today, by percentage of population, than when he signed the legislation. That money didn’t just disappear into the ether, records had to have been kept. Find where it was actually spent, who has it now, and call those people out. We speak of reparations for a slavery that ended 151 years ago. What about reparations for the funds that were earmarked to help people in need and to give a hand up to millions of this nation’s underprivileged, funds that were ripped off just a generation ago?

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  21. I empathise with you dear Jacqueline. I have always felt “races” need to be thrown away and as long as we all belong to the race “human” that is all that is needed for the classification. Yet, we cannot control many of these horrifying actions other than voicing our concern and hoping for a better world.

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    1. We could stop rewarding anyone who uses negative and divisive rhetoric to continually re-identify the problems without following it with positive suggestions for improvement. We must say to the establishment, “we know what’s wrong, we’ve known for 150 years, so stop emphasizing the bad side and come up with something positive to actually change the situation.” .

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  22. Well said Jacqueline. My heart breaks everyday I open my phone and see another person murdered by the police. I don’t have a solution but pray and hope that things get better.

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  23. I agree, Jacqueline. Anyone, but especially law enforcement bypassing the judicial system is indeed atrocious. I thank God my family raised me to be color blind, to look into a person’s eyes (even though in some cultures doing so is an offense) and to respect all life. Too many people were not, but that can change. Americans can not stand idly by clicking their tongues and shaking their heads. We must continue to stand against abuses of power at every level, from Main Street, USA to the Media and Capitol Hill. Maybe I’m reactionary, I may be idealistic, but the way I see it the only ways to do that is to 1) stand united, 2) shout to those who have the authority to enact change, 3) keep shouting, and for crying out loud, 4) vote. Voting includes knowing who you’re voting for and not just showing up on polling day.

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    1. No one is born with disrespectful views. They are thought and some parents have failed in doing their jobs by raising hateful children. Thankfully your parents had the good mind to do differently. We must all keep crying out loud until the changes that we seek are addressed. It can be done.

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  24. Hate can be carried to any country. I saw blatant misuse of power and authority in the Middle East yet no one but I seemed to be affected by it. I urge you to look around you…see how the laborers and those of some foreign countries are treated. Look within and without in the country you are in. Do not believe everything you read yet you have the ability to see what is happening as I did my year in the Middle East.

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