Race Matters ~ The Murder of Tyree Nichols & The overpolicing & Unjustifiable Slaying of Black Bodies
“We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of Black people,other people of color, all people inside the United States.”
~The Black Panther Party Ten Point Program and Platform #7.
To claim that I was shocked, subsequent to watching the video of Tyre Nichols literally being beaten to death by 5 Memphis police,would be misleading. 5 Black Men, who were part of a now defunct, anti -violence unit, ironically named ” The Scorpion Unit” were the perpetrators ,this time. I am not shocked, because such beatings occur on a regular basis,in places like where I reside. A razor wire plantation is where I currently live. In fact, by now, the majority of folks in society ,fathom the existing racial bias, which pervades Prisons & Police departments. Not only, was Tyre Nichols beaten to death, but it was an act of police violence perpetrated by 5 Black pigs. Much noise has been made regarding the fact that Black pigs killed an unarmed Black man. As though ,being the same race would somehow eradicate the existing and systemic racial bias in police departments. When it comes to police violence, race does indeed matter and often times it’s the determining factor in if one gets to live or die.
As we’ve seen too many times, race does matter-but perhaps not the way you think. What matters is the race of the victim who is being assaulted, harassed, falsely arrested, and\or murdered. The race of the violent pigs has no significance, whatsoever. It certainly isn’t relevant to whether racial bias is employed during the violence.
Due to the history linked with violence being visited upon Black bodies, when we see a video similar to George Floyd’s, Eric Garner’s, Tamir Rice’s ,Tyre Nichols ‘ and countless other murders of Black people. We are not only, watching a video of people being systematically murdered by those who took an oath to “protect and serve,”. We are revisiting the history of violence to Black bodies in this country. A Country, which has been fascinated with imposing violence on Black bodies since 1619. A classic case, of history repeating itself.
To some Black people, specifically of the lumpen proletariat class, who reside in communities plagued with crime and violence. Black police may be viewed as their protector and they’d prefer to have Black police over white police in their communities. Seeing Black police embrace the very same police violence,which has been systematically imposed on Black people and aligning themselves with a police subculture that demands loyalty to even the most heinous police conduct is beyond mind boggling. It is unfathomable, especially since modern day policing can be traced back to slave patrols . Abuses within the criminal injustice system continue to result in over policing, unjustifiable murders,& the mass incarceration of Black people.
Returning to my earlier point, about how race is a determining factor in how police, police. It is a far, far, far fetched notion,even utterly impossible to think ,for a second that these 5 Black pigs or police of any race for that matter would beat a white unarmed person to death under
similar or even less circumstances. “Rogue police,” or so called “bad apples” are always quick to be blamed when in fact the system functions as intended. Violence on Black bodies is as Amerikan as Apple pie. There is no “fix” to this. The only fix would be dismantling the entire system. Otherwise, it’s only a matter of time before people become outraged as yet another video of police violence surfaces. We will return back to the street, protesting, yelling no justice no… You know the rest by now.
Dare to Struggle,
Dare to Win !
All Power to the People !
Comrade Pitt.
Minister of labor-Revolutionary Intercommunal Black panther party.
Instagram@Pittpanther_art
Peter Kamau Mukuria 5194931
JCI
P.o Box 534
Jessup,MD
24279
![Prison Radio is sharing an abbreviated version of a press release covering recent racist incidents at SCI Rockview in PA and the organizing to demand accountability. We are reaching out to people incarcerated at Rockview as well as recently transferred folks, inviting them to call, in hopes of hearing commentaries from them.
Benner Township, PA.-
On November 24th, 2023, imprisoned people at SCI Rockview found two nooses hanging in the CO’s office, displayed visibly for many prisoners to see. When the prisoners asked the staff why the nooses were hung, they were told it was a joke.
By December 4th, prisoners filed a grievance to document what they saw, noting that the hanging of the nooses was “unethical, racially motivated, hateful, [a] deliberate debasement of black inmates" and “unsafe for inmates, staff, [and] the whole prison in general.” In the grievance, they demanded that Sgt. Mosser and CO Richard be fired and investigated for a hate crime, and for CO Kirchner to get therapy. Captain Andrews, the head of security, denied the grievance.
The sergeant and COs are still working in the prison to this day, with no repercussions...
As of March 10th, prisoners have reached out to Pennsylvania officials at the Dept. of Corrections in a letter campaign, sending 100 copies of the grievance. Copies of the letter also were mailed to Governor Shapiro, Senator Fetterman, Senator Street, and various advocacy groups. The demands for relief in the original grievance have now become the platform of demands for this campaign. About 20 of the 100 letters were withheld by the prison.
Activists on the outside are joining forces with prisoners to elevate their demands, flooding the phone lines of DOC offices, assisting with outreach to media, and circulating the stories of prisoners who have found unity in opposition to the facility's virulent institutional racism.
In any other workplace, hanging a noose would be grounds for immediate termination. However, Nicki Paul, the superintendent's assistant and "grievance coordinator" informed the public that they self-investigated their staff and found they did nothing wrong.
Read the full article at i
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