Ferguson not so "grand" jury renders it's expected racist decision - reaps the expected reaction

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

Well, this has been an eventful four days - Marion Barry, friend and former Mayor of DC passes; Lincoln University finally kicks ersatz president Robert Jennings to the curb, and is in the throes of regrouping and recouping from his despotic two years; and the people of Ferguson hear the expected bad news: the not-so-grand jury renders the racist verdict in favor of ersatz police officer Darren Wilson, who because of a license to kill, thought he could shoot an unarmed teenager, Michael Brown, in the back and get a way with it scott-free - and he pretty much did.

VICTIM MICHAEL BROWN

After much "deliberation," more bordering on procrastination, the jury viewed stacked and altered evidence that had probably been tampered with in so many ways by the time it got to them that it looked as if Darren Wilson was some sort of "angel" and Mike Brown and evil spirit.  

MURDERER DARREN WILSON

Distortion after distortion, lie after lie, paid expert after paid expert testified in front of the predominantly white grand jury, selected from a predominantly Black community, and the inevitable decision was handed down.  With the make up of the jury stacked 9 to 3 in the favor of whiteness, there was no other way it was going to come down.  With the fact that Ferguson is 67% Black, it is obviously deliberate that they kept the jury predominantly white in order to make sure that the decision turned out exactly the way they wanted it to - Wilson's acquittal. 

Now, did anyone expect it to be otherwise?  At what point?  How long has Ferguson been predominantly Black with a white superstructure?  How many times have they elected the same people over and over again to positions of authority over the Black community?  

But my bigger question is this:  just who thought that the reaction of the people of Ferguson, MO, was going to be peaceful?  Who thought people were just going to have a cumbaya moment and go home and shake their heads and say, "the rule of law has spoken?"  

Though he said it, I don't think even President Obama though it either.  I am sure, given the reaction that took place in August, he, the National Action Network, NAACP, and other organizations knew in their heart of hearts that the people of Ferguson weren't going to peacefully abide by this travesty.

As Malcolm X used to say, "suffer peacefully."  No! the Novacaine of TV shows, and all the efforts to assuage the people differently went totally by the wayside the moment the foot dragging, disrespectful, racist and racially stacked grand (grunge) jury handed down its decision.  The governor of the state of Missouri (a state which fought on the side of the Confederacy) had already warned that he was going to bring out the National Guard - and that was because he knew a week in advance that they were going to make the racist decision they made.

It was also why President Obama, who called for calm, appeared to be somewhat subdued - one person said he gave the most boring speech ever - really?  He could see the handwriting on the wall - the grand jury in their racist composition had spoken.  (That did not indicate that he was powerless, but that there are some other things coming down the pike which he can't reveal at the present time). 

Frankly, I don't approve of looting or pillaging unless you're doing it in the enemy's territory - since they're the cause of the problem to begin with.  So unless they're on Darren Wilson's front lawn, I see no reason to burn down businesses in the community.  But that's obvious just my little old opinion - one which does not have currency in Ferguson.

In point of fact, other opinions and orders to maintain peaceful demonstrations likewise had no currency in Ferguson - people who gathered for peaceful demonstration, were clearly in the minority; and the not so silent majority eventually showed up and expressed their extreme displeasure in the outcome.  It was clear that they were not listening.  They would have been perfectly content to come out and demonstrate peacefully, had the racist jurors returned an indictment verdict. It would mean that Ferguson was making progress, and making an effort to correct an egregious wrong.  But when they showed total disregard for the life of Michael Brown and the residents of Ferguson - a suburb of St. Louis - then all bets were off - the people who really do carry the day for Ferguson came out in droves and made it clear that it wasn't going to swallow that line of guff.

And, in case you didn't notice - the protesters from throughout the US came out en masse to express their displeasure at the verdict: California, Philadelphia, New York, DC, Maryland, Connecticut, and throughout the US, people showed up on the steps of their courthouses and city halls to stand in solidarity with the people of Ferguson.  

A NATIONAL BOYCOTT OF ALL MERCHANTS ACROSS THE US IS BEING CALLED FOR GOOD FRIDAY,  and to ensue throughout the Christmas Holidays.

As Black people of consciounsess, I urge you to stand together on this effort and make sure that the white powerstructures that routinely, and silently, finance these racist communities don't get a dime of your hard earned money - whether it's on Black Friday, or beyond - in fact it should be renamed BUY BLACK FRIDAY - so that you spend money with Black owned businesses - or not at all.

Having been involved in civil rights since the age of 10, I can say that I've seen some mean spirited behaviors and communities in my life time; but Ferguson makes them look like paradise.  If we don't start walking our talk, standing together, and turning to each other for the interaction, empowerment and support we need, we will be no further than when we started out 50 years ago.  We will continue to be target practice for bored police officers trying to get notches on their gun barrel; we will become the lifelong tenants of the prison military complex; we will make funeral directors rich; and we will still have the highest numbers of families with absentee fathers - due to death, drugs, and incarceration.

It must stop here and now - and Ferguson is a signal that we have a lot to do if we want to make it happen in our own lifetimes.

My prayers are with the family of Michael Brown, the people of Ferguson; Black people everywhere as we begin to do a long overdue reality check and deal with what it is that we really must do to end this long history of violence perpetrated upon us.  

VICTIM'S PARENTS: LESLEY McSPADDEN & MICHAEL BROWN, SR

 
Since we didn't do it in the election booth, which is where we should have been, it appears that we need to come up with some alternative measures that reside in us and in or own communities.  

It is apparent that those who did not go to the election booths, are now the same ones rioting in the streets.  It could have been a much simpler solution had we taken the time and the responsibility to vote when we should have.  These actions, reactionary to the core, are the aftermaths of our not pulling together in the first place to ensure that we had the political muscle to go along with our rights.  

So here we are, reverting to actions that took place in the bad old days of the sixties in the 21st century.  With all the technology and social media we have at our disposal, this is where we are.  We've got to do better, immediately, if not sooner.  

We now have to find ways despite of and because of the incumbent racist superstructure we allowed to remain in place (that has actually expanded because we didn't do our part) and the new ones who will be ushered into congress in January, that will use all their nefarious ways to nullify President Obama, further oppress Black people, and destroy any progress we may have made over the past 50 years.

And don't think that they're not getting their "jollies" off of this - they can't wait until they have the reigns tightly in their hands and around our necks.  We've given them the impetus to start martial law everywhere, and increase the jail and prison cell populations with even more Black men and women - a piece of real estate that they are heavily vested in.  

Ferguson was just the beginning.  And since we can't protest every day - we could, but it's not feasible - we had better come up with some bold, long term, comprehensive strategies that we can impart to Black people, have them buy into it, and inculcate it in a way that we are bullet proof, both physically and collectively.  It's going to take more than politics, elected officials, ministers, to make this happen - we need our educators, community leaders, and rank and file members of the community, along with our artists, celebrities to begin now developing our own personal, comprehensive paradigm shift - Black empowerment and autonomy writ large.  


NOW THAT YOU KNOW - WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
I'm praying for all of us. 
Stay Blessed & 
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson
www.gloriadulanwilson.blogspot.com/ECLECTICALLY BLACK NEWS


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