There is a phrase that has become part of the lexicon of Silicon Valley. It is the "tipping point."
Something is occurring right before our eyes and ears with respect to law enforcement -- specifically the police, nationwide -- and the African-American community.
It is no longer sufficient to remind everyone, including African-Americans, that police are there to protect all of us, irrespective of race, nationality or station in life. Protecting citizens and maintaining peace and law and order is necessary for everyone, right? Then why has there now developed a wave of distrust and absence of confidence in the integrity of the police in our community?
For more than a year there have been consecutive nationwide incidents between the police and African-Americans. The common denominator of such incidents has been the exercise of lethal force by police, as the first option, in seeking to effect an arrest.
Additionally, in all instances where there were other officers present who witnessed the use of force used against an African-American, NONE of these officers saw or heard events differently than the shooting officer. To them, the dead suspect had a deadly weapon, or, had threatened to use it against the arresting officer or officers who killed "the suspect."
The shooting of Laquan Mcdonald 16 times by a police officer in Chicago 13 months ago and the efforts by the Mayor, Police Chief and State's Attorney of Chicago to prevent disclosure of the events surrounding the death of Mr. Macdonald constituted "the "tipping point." A "point" where everything else which had previously occurred came together, qualitatively changing forever the amount of trust, if any, the majority of African-Americans has in their local police, their Chief of police and Mayor Rahm Emmanuel
Mayor Emmanuel was the Chief of Staff for President during his first term in the White House. He negotiated with the healthcare Industry about the provisions coverage of the Affordable Care Act, i.e., "Obamacare."
The conduct of the Chief of Police, the State's Attorney and the Mayor is so reprehensible they should be asked to immediately resign. Their conduct in their "handling "of the McDonald case is so egregious and beyond the pale of morality and civic decency. They are no longer fit to serve in their positions of "public trust" which regrettably they currently occupy.
Those persons in the media, politics and civil leadership who doubt or deprecate those who remind us that Black Lives Matter should equally hold their heads in shame.
Just how much more patience and belief do you expect young African-Americans to continue to have in the police in their communities, of their local politil leadership when they see that they can he shot and killed with impunity, and someone in the media or national stature will still say, what are "THOSE people" protesting about now?
Fortunately for them, in the words of the celebrated author Alice Walker, THEY and their active street demonstration commitment is social justice tells me that they know they know "THEY "are the ones that they have been waiting for."