My name is Brother Khalfani Malik Khaldun, Indiana political prisoner. Justifiable American homicide, illegal lynching and murder of Black youth and the value of life in the Black ghetto cities all across America, in the eyes of local police forces, are greatly diminished. On August 7, 1930, two Black teenage boys, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, were dragged from the county jail by a racist white mob and lynched in Marion, Indiana.
Here, remove the rope from the equation and replace it by the automatic weapons used by today’s police force, the Fraternal Order of Police and the criminal judges ruling over the outright murder of our Black male youth. Being ordained to carry a gun and display a badge has created an atmosphere that they have been granted a superior power to kill at will. When these police can take a life and not have to answer for it, we have a terrible injustice. They embrace it as their job t o kill off the bad seeds of the earth. Black life is not seen to be significant, so these trained killers continue on without end. Many of these killers have a history of beating their wives at home and dominating their households.
According to the dictionary, the term “justifiable homicide” means whatever is justified is excusable. It is excusable because it is justified by the principle of justice. The term homicide means the murder of a human being. Every lynching or killing of a Black man or woman was considered excusable; no matter what was done by the Europeans to set the Black man at naught, was deemed excusable. The killing of every Black man and woman or human being during the 300 years of chattel slavery—and even now 150 years from slavery—at the hands of the white police is generally considered excusable.
Many cases come to mind, Sean Bell’s murder in particular. He was shot over 50 times. How many bullets does it take to stop, arrest, and kill someone? Sean Bell never even displayed any kind of weapon. George Zimmerman displayed a desire to kill someone, the way he stalked Trayvon Martin, and did eventually kill him. They conducted a public trial for George Zimmerman, only to release him and gave his actions to be excusable and justifiable. This man claimed to be a member of a neighborhood watch program. He was not a paid, sworn in police officer, but that night, he murdered young Trayvon Martin, as if he was authorized to do so.
Zimmerman was told not to follow or pursue Trayvon by the police dispatcher. He continued to pursue him anyway, breaking the law as the super neighborhood watchdog. The not guilty verdict was met with rage by the masses. Demonstrations sprouted all around the country among Black, Brown and white individuals in San Francisco, New York, Sanford Florida, and even cities across seas such as London. The verdict clearly exposes that the deeply embedded institutional racism that was so prevalent in the late 1960s and 70s still remain intact. Trayvon Martin was the victim, yet he was put on trial, while Zimmerman, the killer of our young ghetto son, was portrayed as being beaten, which it was claimed, means his actions were excusable. That was cold blooded murder, not justifiable homicide.
Since the birth of this nation, Black people have been the subject of routine violence by the slave masters, law enforcement and everyday citizens. This violence has been systematically enabled by the criminal justice system, which has collectively denied Black people in America the legal protections given to those considered part of the privileged class and their property. From the deaths of Emmett Till to Sean Bell and even Trayvon Martin, history offers little incentive to expect justice for our Black youth and communities, including those of us who felt that if our country had the capacity to place a Black president in the White House, that justice would be issued for Trayvon Martin. Unfortunately, we were wrong. The verdict reminds us that the response of the Black president and a Black Attorney General does little to change the racial realities of Black people in America.
When tragic shootings occur in prominently affluent places such as Newtown, Connecticut, or Aurora or Colorado, the country expresses collective outrage, a sense that this shouldn’t be happening here, while at the same time a high level of violence in such cities as Detroit, Chicago, is seen as unfortunate but normal circumstances. That unfortunate law entitled “Stand Your Ground” should have been shot down. Passing it gave crazy minded people the power to kill somebody. We must, at some point, do what’s consciously necessary to stop Black-on-Black violence and violence against the innocent in any capacity that we can. Primarily, the murders done by the police carried out inside Black ghettos all across America is a systematic problem that can’t be ignored. As we move forward we cannot let young Trayvon Martin’s death go unanswered, or chalk it up as just another young Black kid dying. The numbers tell a tragic story. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention report, homicide remains the leading cause of death among young Black males between 10 and 24. What we must do is support our leaders and our organizations that represent our interests and the community.
We are all Trayvon Martin today, and we will never forget what happened to you. George Zimmerman will never sleep well at night. Rest in peace, young brother. In solidarity, Brother Khalfani Malik Khaldun, 874304, aka Leonard McQuaid, G cell house/24C, Pendleton Correctional Facility, 4490, Westward Formatory Road, Pendleton Indiana, 46064. Peace.
These commentaries are recorded by Noel Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
