Double Standards: When a White Person Murders a Cop

A white man murdered Officer Michael Johnson of the San Jose Police Department over a month ago. For officer Michael Johnson, there will be no national funeral. Jet Blue won’t fly out any cop that wants to pay remembrance. There will be no massive parade. There will be no CNN live streams. There will be no police officers protesting during the event. And guess why?

America does not give a damn if a white person murders a cop. But when a Black person does, it’s the biggest problem in America.

It’s been over a month since the cop was killed. Where is the same national outcry deploring the actions of the cop killer like there was with the Black man who killed two cops in New York? Where is the same declaration of war like when a Black man killed two cops and the NYPD issued a statement saying that: "we are now a wartime police department and we will act accordingly"? Will there be the same "war" when a white person kills a cop? Of course not.

The difference here is the cop killer was white. It isn’t sensationalist. It isn’t what the media wants it to be. It isn’t going to be used to detract from peaceful protesters in the Black Lives Matter movement. There’s no political or ulterior motive for the mass discussion of it.

When a white person kills a cop, there’s a different response than when a Black person kills a cop. First, all white people are not responsible. White people have the privilege in which they don’t have to live up to the actions that a lone white cop killer makes. Secondly, the media won’t use it to deter from the real problem of institutionalized racism. And the white killer most likely will be framed as a good person who was recently “stressed out”.

However when a Black person kills a cop, every member of the race is expected to denounce the actions. For instance, victims of state sanctioned violence are expected to make a comment each time a cop has been killed. After the killing of the NYPD cops, both Michael Brown and Eric Garners family both publicly released statements denouncing the killings of the 2 NYPD officers. These killings had nothing to do with them, yet they still have to denounce killings of a cop that is apart of the same institution that killed their own family member.

Where are the cops denouncing the killings of unarmed Mike Brown and Eric Garner? Why aren’t families who have lost a cop to violence asked to denounce the extrajudicial killings of Mike Brown and Aiyana Jones?

 In America there’s a double standard. Black people are consistently forced to refute violence against police, even though Blacks are killed every 28 hours my racist cops, vigilantes, and security forces. When cops are killed, stop-asking families that are victims of state sanctioned violence to denounce the killings. End the double standard.  And stop re-traumatizing Black folks who are a victim of America’s state sanctioned violence.

Reclaiming "Nigga": Black Nationalist Ties With the Word "Nigga".

Reclaiming "Nigga": Black Nationalist Ties With the Word "Nigga"  

The word “nigger” is undoubtedly one of the most hateful words known to Black people. In an age in which every other word in hip-hop is “nigga”, it leads to the question, what is the meaning of the word “nigga”? Who can use the word “nigga”? And what is the difference between “nigger” vs. “nigga”?

When I heard the word “nigger” for the first time, it did not come out of a Black persons mouth, rather a white classmate in kindergarten. I didn’t know what I meant, however, I knew it was not being used in a positive connotation. I remember asking my mom on what the word meant, and she was in shock that a classmate would use the word at such a young age. The racism that I felt at a mostly white school in kindergarten was a lot. And it led to me changing schools. Even changing schools did not change the fact that I was called a “nigger”. Throughout junior high I still faced this form of discrimination because of my race. However, as I grew older, the word “nigger” had different meanings for myself. Once I went to a more integrated school, my Black peers would call me my “nigga” in a friendly manor. “Nigga” used by Black folks replaced the word harmful word “nigger” that was often used in derogatory ways by white people.

Once I became a high school student, the word “nigga” was more frequently used within Black friends of mine. We would call each other “nigga”. It was common day slang. However, the word still has pain in it. When I hear the word “nigga” at times I still remember the painful experiences of being called a “nigger” by non-Black folks. However, saying “nigga” is a way of reclaiming a word that has caused a lot of pain, and turned it into something more powerful. When I say “nigga” I am conscious of its past roots and pain, however, “nigga” is completely a different term than “nigger”. When “nigga” is used, it is reclaiming of a negative word and turning it into something that is positive. It is also a reminder of my ancestors and my past and current struggle.

When I was contemplating a synonym to replace the word “nigga” it would most likely be “bruh”. Bruh to me is a shortened slang for “brother”. When I say my “nigga’ in essence I am saying my brother. When I say you are “my nigga” I am saying you are my brother because of the linked-fate Black folk have with each other. The common experience that Black people have is something that binds us together. The common ancestry, and the common current and past struggle.

Unfortunately today the word “nigga” used by a lot of people across different identities. I’ve had multiple experiences of white people saying “nigga”, and with every time it has occurred I have been pissed off to the point of wanting to inflict violence. This is a result of the pain of being a 5 year old and being called a “nigger”. The pain of the word “nigger” being used towards me throughout my educational experience. The anger is also due to the fact that it is not someone from my culture using that word. However, when another Black person says “nigga” to me, it’s a completely different feeling.

Reclaiming the word nigga is a form of nationalism because it is able to “revitalize and transform the struggle against racial oppression”(XIV). When I say “nigga” it is reclaiming and transforming the narrative of the struggle and the pain the word “nigger” caused. When a Black person says “nigga” and it means “my brother”, it provides a different feeling than the racist connotations that come with the term “nigger”. This also demonstrates the nationalism within the word “nigga”. The fact that I do not get upset when a Black person says it, reveals that it is a word that has nationalist ties. The fact that I will never call a non-Black person “my nigga” also reveals the nationalism that is within the word. When a Black friend refers to me as a “nigga” I don’t feel any sense of anger or rage. Rather a connection that binds us together as Black people. This is the polar opposite of when a white person uses the word. The word “nigga” is a word that only Black people should and are allowed to say.

The word “nigga” undoubtedly has nationalist connotations. The word “nigga” when used by Black folk in common day and it often times means brother. Both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King would use “Negro” in their speeches and it was considered common day slang, so why is it problematic when Black folks today refer to each other “nigga” is used? I am not arguing that “nigga” is the first thing I identify as. I know that I am a king, and that I am an Afrikan. However, no matter how conscious I am in knowing that I am a king, I know that it will not stop me being pulled over the by the cops. It won’t stop me from a white teacher referring to me as Oscar Grant.  Being Black in America makes you a nigga because of the racialized institutions that oppress us everyday. The fact that I recognize that I am a nigga, is a way of survival and understanding of the land in which I live in. Since “nigga” is used as a synonym to brother, I am reclaiming the word in a positive way while still consciously knowing the struggle of my ancestors as Black people in America.

Shades of Black

Shades of Black

By: Blake Simons

@B_A_Simons 

Dark-skin

Brown-skin

Light-skin

We all are beautiful shades of Black

We all live lives of being Black in Amerikkka

We all share the blood of our ancestors struggle

We all are colored yet at times we struggle with one another

Dark is beautiful

As is light

Yet day-by-day some of us continue to fight

Since slavery light versus dark has been method of control

Conditioned to fight against each other and to scold

We must unite as Black people and organize our struggle

If we aren't at peace with each other slaveries chains continue to rebuttal

The white man taught us to hate each other

Let’s fight back by healing and loving one another.