He Could Have Been My Father
I turned on CNN's Headline news this morning after spending hours bent over a computer writing a paper for tomorrow morning's class, Theories of Peace.I hadn't watched the news all day, so I felt the need to catch up on thw world's events. Has relief help arrived in Pakistan yet? Have they lifted the terrorist warnings in NYC yet? All of these stories were on the list of headlines, but there was one that broke me.
"Police Beating of 64 year old Black man in New Orleans."
No! Not another police beating... Not in New Orleans.
Then I watched.
* A horse mounted cop positioning himself between the cameraman and the arrest.
* The horse moves forward revealing three officers pressing an elderly Black gentleman against a concete wall.
* On officer punches the back of the Black man's head, causing his head to hit the concrete wall with each blow.
* The cameraman circles around to reveal three uniformed police officers and one unidentified man pushing this old man to the ground.
* They beat him while on the ground.
* They grab his left arm and wrap it around his neck, pulling it over his right shoulder.
* They pull the man up to sitting position. You see him struggling to breathe.
At that point, something in me snaps. That man could be my father.
The old Black man's name is Mr. Davis. According to CNN.com, Davis is a 64 year old retired teacher who was in New Orleans last Saturday checking on his two properties damaged in the flood. Apparently, he approached a police officer to ask if he knew information on the curfew. He hadn't had a drop to drink that night. A police mounted officer approached and said something derrogatory to Davis, to which he replied, "That's unprofessional." Davis followed the first officer across the street, when suddenly he felt the blow from an officer who hit him from behind.
Click this link to see the video. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/07/katrina.cadillacs.ap/index.html
All I could think after seeing this report was, "He could have been my father." My father was a teacher and high school principal. He's articulate and self-controlled. Yet, what's to prevent this madness from happening to him? If it can happen to a sober retired teacher asking a cop for relevant information, then who's safe?
The report ran several times in the course of 10 minutes. Finally they showed a new image. Davis was lieing on his stomach in a pool of his own blood. Police officers are still kicking him to keep him from turn over on his back.
I think again. "He could have been my father."
Mr. Davis is Black. The police officers were White. CNN is asking if "race played a role in this." The police chief (a Black man) says he has no evidence to support such a claim.
Davis was charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest.
What do you think?
And what response to you think is warranted from the public?
I'll be honest. I'm ready to march in the streets.
First, a prayer...
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Oh, Lamb of God who takes away he sins of the world, bring your peace.
Amen.
posted by Lisa Sharon Harper @ 2:19 AM
1 Comments:
Lisa - thank you for the juxtaposition of righteous outrage and plea for mercy and peace.
In my own way I too have been struggling with how to grapple with this story, especially as more and more information comes to light and we see how one-sided it truly was. Luckily they want a quick action/trial/hearing/whatever on it so things will be called into account so that we can see if you are right...
I think this continued anarchy should/could warrant some marching in the streets. There was an interesting article today in the NY Times about how some are now worried about this poverty brought to light for many by the hurricane might be forgotten soon...and or exacerbated.
I linked it on my blog. Anyway, thank you for your writings.
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