editorial
Is it Safe to be Black in America?
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BRONX TIMES R 12 EPORTER, JUNE 5-11, 2020 BTR
Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson speaks about racism. Courtesy of Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson
BY JASON COHEN
This week was horrifying. A white
woman called the police on a black man
in Central Park and a white cop in Minneapolis,
Minnesota murdered a handcuffed
black man after kneeling on his
neck for three minutes.
There were riots in Minnesota and
New York City, journalists were arrested
and a president that called rioters
“thugs.” Earlier this month, cops body
slammed people of color in the East Village
and Brooklyn for not social distancing,
while nothing was done to white people
in the Upper East Side.
These incidents are nothing new.
There was the killing of Breonna Taylor
in Louisville, Kentucky a few weeks
ago when police entered her home on a no
knock warrant and shot her eight times
as she slept. The search also found nothing.
There is also the cold-blooded racist
murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia by
two white men.
All of these incidents should terrify
anyone.
Police are supposed to protect people,
not kill them. Did George Floyd deserve
to die over a forged check? I think not. On
Friday, one cop was arrested and three
more to go. Hopefully, justice will follow.
If I was black I would be scared of the
cops.
Well Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson
spoke with the Bronx Times and she has
seen enough.
“This is happening all across America,”
she exclaimed.
Gibson is emotionally drained. These
deaths this week and over the past month
have been excruciating for her to read
about. She said that it is really not safe to
be a black person in this country.
“No matter what position you have
in our community, you are always reminded
everyday that you are a woman
of color,” she commented. “This has been
one hell of a week.”
Whether it is Breonna Taylor, Mike
Brown or George Floyd, things must
change, she said.
Police need to treat people of color
like they would white people. Where was
the outrage when white people protested
against the lockdown in Michigan?
The councilwoman stressed most
cops are good, but it’s the bad ones who
ruin it. There needs to be police reform
and people should want to be cops for the
right reasons.
More importantly, black people
should not be afraid of cops.
“Those are my brothers and sisters
being killed by policemen,” she said.
According to Gibson, some people
are just racist and that’s how they were
raised. But cops need to treat people better.
They should not assume because a
person is black or brown they did something
wrong
“It is frustrating. We know that at
any time it could be us,” she said. “All
of these things are happening in white
America.”
She fully supports the NYPD, but wonders
what it will take for police to change
how they treat people of color. How many
more people have to die? Imagine if there
were no smartphones — many of these
incidents would go unreported.
The councilwoman feels if cops set
a better example then maybe more children
of color would want to join law enforcement.
“It’s going to get worse before it gets
better,” Gibson said.
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