Even as I disembarked the subway to join the March For Justice in Washington DC on Saturday December 13 2014, I was surprised by my overwhelming feeling of deep sadness. As I joined the thousands on Pennsylvania Avenue, I just could not shake it. I felt too sad to even join the chants of “No justice, No Peace”, nor raise my hands to ”Hands up, Don’t shoot!” I just could not help thinking of tragedy of those victims of police killings. I was haunted by the videos of the killings. Tamir Rice was only twelve! I just could not help thinking about the many protest marches I had attended before. I just could not help thinking how futile they had been in terms of their achievements. But, futile or not, I had to put my aging black arthritic body on the line that cold December day. I had to show my support for those victims and their families.
I was buoyed by the diversity of the crowd. When a minister on the podium urged us to join hands together to pray, I took the proffered hands of the strangers beside me. They were both passionate. They were both young. They were both white. Divide and rule was sputtering.
That evening I wanted to relive that memorable experience, so I watched it on C-span TV. Specifically, I wanted to see the relatives of the victims as I had not been able to do so at the march because of the thick crowds.
I have a son. I have a grandson. I think they are safe, but such complacent thinking could get them killed How could I ever bear such a calamity that these parents had to bea? Tamir Rice was only twelve! I was transfixed to the screen as they spoke. They all had a quiet dignity. I think their deceased offsprings spoke through them that day as they all spoke with such a unique eloquence. They did not want revenge. They wanted justice. It was so moving. I tried in vain to suppress the tears that welled up in my eyes then and still do often when I think of them.
But, it’s not just bad police. It’s bad system we need to change. For as the late Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley warned, “Babylon system is the vampire, sucking the blood of the sufferers”. Let us hope this march is the beginning of the end of that vampire. Or, how many more will have to die? Tamir Rice was only twelve!
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