Category Archives: Miscellaneous

#SayHisName: John Crawford III

Posted on by Leave a comment
John Crawford III

John Crawford III was shopping at a Walmart when he picked up an unpackaged BB gun. He proceeded to shop, while talking on his cellphone. A shopper saw him and called the police, claiming that Crawford was pointing a gun at people. The police arrived, came around the corner behind Crawford and shot him twice – once in the torso, and once in the arm. Crawford died at the hospital.

The police claimed Crawford did not respond to verbal commands to put down the gun. Video surveillance, however, showed that they did no such thing. The witness who had called the police backpedaled on his claims, stating that Crawford wasn’t actually aiming it at anyone, but he was “waving it around.” Again, the cameras show Crawford doing nothing more than talking on his cellphone. Neither the witness, nor the police, faced any charges.

For those of you keeping track, here is the list of things people of color aren’t allowed to do without being shot by the police:

  • Talk on the phone in Walmart.
  • Have a mental illness
  • Seek shelter from the rain in their own home

This is why they march. This is why they kneel. 

#SayHisName #BlackLivesMatter

#SayHISName: KIWANE ALBERT CARRINGTON

Posted on by Leave a comment
Kiwane Carrington

Kiwane was living with his aunt after the death of his mother. On October 9th, 2009, the after school program he was a part of was cancelled for the day. He and a friend went to his house instead, where he realized he didn’t have his house key. It was raining, so he and his friend went to the backyard to try and find shelter until it stopped or his aunt came home.

A neighbor saw them and called the police, reporting a burglary in progress. An officer arrived and told the boys to get down on the ground in the mud. Another officer arrived shortly after and – despite having no reason to believe the boys were armed – had his pistol pulled. He claimed he shot on accident, but the bullet fired went through Kiwane’s elbow and into his heart. He died less than a hour later.

The shooting was dismissed as an accident and the officer no longer works for the police, but this is why they march. This is why they kneel. 

#SayHisName #BlackLivesMatter

#SayHISName : George Junius Stinney, Jr.

Posted on by Leave a comment
George Stinney mugshot.jpg
George Junius Stinney, Jr.

Something common I hear, is that the #BlackLivesMatter is a “new” thing. “Police brutality didn’t exist until phones started coming with cameras.”

Tell that to Stinney’s family. Some of you might be familiar with this case, but for those of you who aren’t: In 1944, Stinney was accused and convicted of murdering two young white girls. One was 7, the other 11. According to the medical examiner, the older of the two died due to blunt force trauma to the head, and showed signs of possible sexual assault. Stinney reportedly confessed to the crime, but the only form of a written confession was a series of notes by the investigating deputy. Stinney claimed that he was starved and bribed with food to confess to the crime. He had no decent legal support, was tried with an all white jury, and convicted of 1st degree murder within 10 minutes. He was sentenced to death by electric chair later that same year. 

When they went to execute Stinney, they had to give him a bible to sit on. The mask they fit over his head was also so large on him, that it fell off during the execution. 

He was 14. He remains the youngest person in American history to be sentenced to death and executed. It wasn’t just the cops that failed him, it was the legal system at the time. Ever read “To Kill a Mockingbird”? That was this, but worse – in a lot of ways – because the person in this case was just a kid. It’s also worse because – while this may be a “commonly known” case to many – every single person I know personally – when asked – said that the name sounded familiar, but they didn’t know who he was. 

His conviction was overturned in 2014 – 70 years after his death. As far as I know of, the family received no compensation for the gross injustice committed against them. George was a child and while the police didn’t pull the lever on the electric chair, themselves, they were just as much responsible for his death as the person who did. Police brutality existed before phones came out with cameras. The only difference is now they can’t hide it as well.

This is why they march. This is why they kneel. 

#SayHisName #BlackLivesMatter

#SayHerName : Michelle Cusseaux

Posted on by Leave a comment
Board recommends demotion for PPD sergeant who shot woman wielding ...
MICHELLE CUSSEAUX

Michelle Cusseaux was a 50 year old woman living in Phoenix, Arizona. In August of 2014, police were called to take her to a mental health facility. The officers arrived and Ms. Cusseaux refused to go with them. According to the police spokesperson, “as police were opening the security door to her unit, Cusseaux was opening her front door with a claw hammer raised above her head,” (Woodfill, 2014). They were within arm’s reach, and one of the officers felt “threatened,” so he fired a single shot into her chest. She was rushed to a hospital where she died. The officer was demoted as a result – not because of any “criminal wrongdoing” – but because his actions “violated department policy” (Staff, 2016).

There will be arguments here – “He felt threatened” , “She had a weapon” – but it comes down to this: he had options, and out of the (at least) two people who were in the situation, it was only that one officer who felt “threatened” enough to open fire. Furthermore, there are conflicting reports here. A book excerpt I found, detailing police violence against “black women and women of color,” says that when the police arrived, Ms. Cusseaux was fixing her door – which is why she had a hammer – and that Ms. Cusseaux and her mother had both informed the officers that there was no weapon in the house (Ritchie, 2017). She spoke to them through the door, informing them that she didn’t trust them and that she felt like they would shoot her. Instead of backing off or trying to gain her trust, or even ask for additional help from someone trained in such matters, the officer in charge ordered the other to pick the lock and entered the home without permission. He later said that it was the look on her face that made him open fire. Her mother questioned that, asking what he saw, “A Black woman? A lesbian? He said it was just a look on her face. What look would you have on your face if the police broke into your house? Could that have been the look of fear? I would have been in fear for my life too, especially if I already felt like they were going to kill me” (Ritchie, 2017).

With this context, it becomes more than obvious that the officer in charge was either poorly trained or of the wrong temperament to be handling any sort of mental health pick ups. The fact that he was only demoted makes it painfully obvious that the people over him aren’t any better trained than him.

Next month will be the six year anniversary of Michelle Cusseaux’s death.

This is why they march.

#SayHerName | #BlackLivesMatter

Sources:

Ritchie, A. (2017). Invisible No More. Excerpt here: https://lithub.com/mental-illness-is-not-a-capital-crime/

Woodfill, D.S. (August 14, 2014). Retrieved from: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/08/14/phoenix-officer-involved-shooting-mental-health-abrk/14085607/

Staff Writers. (April 14, 2016). Retrieved from: https://www.azfamily.com/board-upholds-demotion-of-phoenix-sergeant-in-shooting-death-of-michelle-cusseaux/article_094453ef-cb42-54f4-9c9d-1ae83db64136.html

How we doing out there?

Posted on by Leave a comment

So. I’ve had a post sitting, waiting, for the past two weeks, explaining (and apologizing for) the lack of writing logs. I had them on pause while I was back in classes, because, honestly? I just didn’t have the spoons to write with. Now…oof. 

I live in Texas. The schools in our district are shut down and we’re not sure when they’ll reopen. For now, the kiddos are doing online courses. The eldest kiddo has had their first online assignment, but most of their classes won’t start/open until Monday. They were very unhappy with the idea of online schooling until it sunk in that they could do it in their pajamas. Now, they’re like “YES!” There’s still some grumbling because they miss their friends and boyfriend, but I think the prospect of spending all day in comfy clothes is helping to soften the blow a bit. The youngest is in full denial mode. He misses his friends, and he doesn’t want to spend all day staring at a computer screen when it’s not playing games. 

One of my roommates is a distributor, so he’ll be working through this crisis. The other’s workplace has gone to “no contact” operations. She keeps the doors locked, and all business is done online or through drop-offs. She’s also the one who got herself a trip to the ER last week, leaving with a possible (probable) flu diagnosis. That was scary, in itself, because the weekend before, we went to a couple shops and then out to eat at IHOP. The doc said she didn’t have enough symptoms to warrant a COVID test though, and the symptoms she did have weren’t in line with the virus, anyway. Still a scary moment. My cousin posted on Facebook last night that he’s sick. He’s feeling better today, but he’ll be tested on Monday. He lives in Japan, and apparently tests aren’t as hard to come by there, I guess? My sister has imposed some strict quarantine rules for her house. She just turned 50, is asthmatic, and is our mom’s caretaker, as it were. Mom is 71 and diabetic. She’s otherwise fine, health concern-wise, as far as I know of, but sis isn’t taking any chances, and I don’t blame her one bit.

My university has postponed the commencement ceremony until this whole mess is over. My job hunting is at a standstill now, until businesses start opening again. I supposedly still have a job at 7Eleven, but I haven’t even been paid from the last time I worked, so…yeah. I’m not falling for that again. We’re hunkered down and not going out if we can avoid it, but other than that, not much has changed for us. I guess we’re all lucky in the fact that most of us are introverts, and the one extrovert we have is the one driving around to all these stores. He gets all his people time out there, so he’s alright.

I know a lot of people are stressed lately, and I hope for a pleasant end to this soon…for everyone’s sake.

« Older Entries