First of all, I have to say that I hate playing the race card. But I was thinking the same thing millions of African-Americans were thinking at 11:08 p.m. on Wednesday night.
Another black man has just become a victim of the law.
For the longest time, African-Americans and the judicial system were at odds. Sean Bell's 2007 shooting, Amadou Diallo's 1999 shooting, and the 1991 Rodney King beating in Los Angeles were all examples. In all three cases, the victims' families got the short end of the stick as the policemen involved got off nearly scot free.
The prosecutors did not have the reliable evidence needed to sentence Troy Davis to death. Seven of the nine witnesses recanted their testimonies. One of the witness was illiterate, which means that there is no way he could have been able to understand the police statements he signed at the time of the murder.
Perhaps what draws even more attention to the perceived racism is the Casey Anthony trial last summer. Americans pointed their fingers at Anthony for the death of her daughter. But reasonably enough, the 22-year-old was found not guilty because of the lack of evidence.
So once again, members of the black community found another reason to be outraged. Davis is supposedly another entry in the growing list of injustices America committed against the impoverished minority.
But, did the nation really take notice of Davis' execution? Will his wrongful death inspire change?
No, and I can't say we (and by "we" I mean African-Americans) care enough to incite change.
I rarely hear any of my friends, co-workers, extended Facebook family, or any one I'm associated with talk about racial injustices. We are all well aware of them, but we accept these flaws as a norm in society.
Hell, we even joke about them frequently.
Yet, the second a tragedy like this happens everyone gets up in arms and nothing is done.
Instead, we get on Facebook, post some Martin Luther King, Jr. quote or complaint for our status updates and then carry on with our college careers.
Within a few days, our next conversation would be about how hard life is because of that quiz next week.
It is this sort of apathy that continues to allow social injustice to continue to occur. We're too content with the schism between African-Americans and the law, the racial stereotypes, and imminent threat of poverty.
And then we get shocked when the next tragedy happens.
It's a cycle.
A friend of mine gave some advice in response to the backlash from the execution.
He said that if we want things to change, we must break something.
Take a break from your usual business and take action. If we're really angry we should be petitioning or even protesting in the streets, as it is our legal right to do so. The luxury of social networking should not be confused with literally taking action.
Another thing that must be broken is our educational expectations. Don't become reliant on others for education. Educate yourselves. If you're going to pretend to be passionate about something, at least be knowledgeable about it. Davis' fate was beyond President Obama's control, so why place the blame on him?
I'm not saying to be some sort of violent radical. But don't cry for change if you're not inciting it. The men in power aren't going to change society, so that shift must come from us.
Email: brian.josephs@ubspectrum.com
