I recently read a story in ESPN The Magazine about Thabo
Safolosha’s arrest and subsequent trial. In case you don’t know the story here
is a quick recap. Safolosha was outside a club after a stabbing took place. A
police officer told him to leave, Safolosha talked back, so several police
officers arrested him, tackled him to the ground, and broke his leg. Safolosha
was offered a plea deal, but decided to go to trial. There the NYPD and DA did
everything they could to paint him in a bad picture and get him convicted of
various charges. They failed and the jury found him not guilty on all counts.
Although the NYPD would never admit it Safolosha was
targeted by the police for being black. The officers walked past lots of
bystanders and focused their attention of Safolosha. There is no legal reason
for this. The police let their prejudice and stereotypes control them and they unjustly
harmed another human being.
The story reminded me that, as a white man, I will never
know the fear of racial prejudice and targeting that Black Americans face from
the police every day. I can never truly comprehend what the feelings and
emotions are like. My friends, coworkers and neighbors of color are forced to
live in a reality very different from mine. This is wrong. They shouldn’t have
to fear for their safety and livelihood.
I hope the continued press coverage of events like Thabo
Safolosha’s does something to change our countries broken and dreadful police culture.
Hopefully people reading posts like this and stories like the one in ESPN are
willing to admit to themselves there is a problem. Just because white America doesn’t
see it, doesn’t mean prejudice isn’t alive and well in our country.
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