Americans are “see sick”

When I was a child, I recall a Winnie the Pooh cartoon where one of the characters said ‘“I’m see sick, sick of seeing too much”. I believe the t was either Rabbit or Tigger, but. I am not certain. I have tried many times in vain over the last decade to find the episode with this discourse. To date I have not been able to locate it. “See sick” I believe is an appropriate term for how many Americans of all races are feeling right now. We are sick and tired of seeing this never ending cycle of violence play out on video’s and the news. We are weary in our souls and wish it all would end. We desire the hatred, racism, police brutality, looting and burning to stop.

In spite of all the outpouring of love from around the world, regarding George Floyd’s death, there is still much intolerance in this nation. Black men are continuing to be killed by police officers when they are not a threat. I and other African Americans are weary of our white friends seemingly not understanding and asking why the young men resist arrest. If you are not a person of color, you don’t have to live in fear of dying just because of how you were born. You did not grow up being told to avoid certain neighborhoods or to never get arrested because it could be the end of your life. The reason these black men argue, resist, fight, and run, is because they know they are likely to die. Their anxiety level is so great that the fight or flight syndrome kicks in. They are terrified of being taken from their families and are unable to simply comply as others would. As the list of names grows, these men desperately don’t want to be the next statistic.

The bigger question that should be asked, is why do police officers shoot to kill black males, even when they don’t have just cause? Instead of things getting better in this nation they continue to escolate. Rather than police officers talking down the African American suspects or assuring them they will not be murdered , they shoot to kill. Whatever happened to a warning shot or shooting a suspect in the leg? How about calling for backup and apprehending suspects without choking them to death? Some white police officers are over aggressive and many black males are overly defensive and fearful for their lives. The disparity in how black and white men are dealt with by law enforcement has a harsh disparity.

Last year a local white male murdered his mother in law and wife. He was classified as armed and dangerous. There was a manhunt for close to two weeks before he was apprehended without incident. I have written in other article that I have seen on television programs that every precaution is taken to bring in Caucasian suspects alive. I have seen many dangerous criminals taken into custody when they are white. It seems when black men sneeze they must lose their life. In Atlanta recently a black man, Rayshard Brooke’s was asleep in his vehicle at a Wendy’s drive through. He became so fearful that when apprehended he took the police officer’s taser.

I know many are saying his actions were wrong but put yourself in his shoes. He was probably thinking he would be the next George Floyd and reacted out of fear. Even so law enforcement are not the judge and jury. They don’t have the right to take the life of anyone who is not putting their own lives in danger. The response to this was to set Wendy’s on fire. Neither the owners, managers, nor employees of this establishment had anything to do with what happened to, Brooks, yet they are paying the price. A video has surfaced showing a white woman started the fire. Many have expressed the consensus that she was planted by the government to make it look like blacks are burning down everything.It makes me wonder how many other fires were set in this manner.

I along with other people of color am weary from a lifetime of hearing the whispered stories of black men murdered by law enforcement. My Facebook news feed indicates that many white Americans are tired as well, and just want it all to go away. The difference is that blacks are concerned about who will be shot next and many whites are focusing on the rioits only. With everything that has been taking place, from the time the McMichael’s shot Ahmaud Aubrey until now, why are police officers not being told to operate with sensitivity? Rashard Brooks was frightened and running for his life. He was not a threat to the police officer yet he died anyway. He was startled awake after falling asleep and may have been disoriented. Imagine waking up to police officers in your face, The officers then tampered with the crime scene by picking up their shell casings. How are people of color supposed to trust the police when they are not protecting citizens and are serving their own purposes?

I have read a lot of posts indicating that some Americans believe brute force is necessary with black males but ai don’t know why. Laws have been changed over the years but the content of people’s hearts have not. It seems as though in the minds of some people, African American males need to be exterminated. If someone commits a crime they should be arrested and have their dat in court, Too many black men are dying without a chance to be heard. The rioters burning down everything only perpetuate stereotypes and caused fear. I have white friends on Facebook who are talking about getting out their guns in case the looters come to their neighborhoods. In the midst there have been persistent rumors that more of the fires and looting are by people who were paid to cause trouble. What on earth is in the hearts of those who would do such a thing?

It’s all getting out of hand and the number of Americans who are see sick is growing. Come on America. the world is watching us as a nation. We must do better and we cannot wait to see if Donald Trump is voted out of office. Just imagine what else might happen within the next four months. We all must do what we know is right because no one desires to continue to be see sick.