Recently, news was made in North Miami Beach, where officers were found to be using pictures of actual people in their target practice. Not only were these officers shooting at actual people, but they were black people.
The chief said that this was protocol, that the officers were learning facial recognition...
Is that because for so long white people have internalized that black people aren't human, thus aren't able to be recognized? Is this because the police force in North Miami Beach believes stereotypes that black people have different facial features than white people? Who knows....but what we do know is that they were using mugshots of black people, some of whom were citizens of the city that these police officers patrol.
What we do know is that police are being taught to shoot black people. Argue all you want, but when you shoot a picture of a black person right between the eyes, it becomes easier to do that when the living, breathing black face is in front of you. And this is a travesty. It's a travesty that this happened, and it's a travesty that it has likely been going on for much longer than this. It's a travesty that the actions of these officers were defended, and that no punishment is going to happen.
It's a travesty that the real punishment here is toward black lives.
It's a travesty that videos like this must be made. And distributed. And followed.
I, as a middle class, educated, white man, don't have to watch videos like this....police assume I'm probably not guilty of anything.
I, as a middle class, educated, white man, MUST watch videos like this.....to constantly learn about the struggles my sisters and brothers of color face, so that I can stand alongside them. While I'll never truly understand what it means to be black in America, I damn well will keep listening to black people, keep praying with black people, keep detesting the horrible acts of violence toward black people, and keep educating myself about race in America and using that education to work toward ending violence toward black people.
An amazing group of (mostly) Lutheran clergy have started a Facebook event in response to this news of target practice on black bodies. I know slacktivism is a real thing...and I've been guilty of it before, but I'm proud to join this event titled North Miami Beach Police, use our pictures for your target practice.
Clergy people* are being invited to send a picture of themselves in clergy wear to the North Miami Beach police department to use as target practice instead. It is my sincere hope that these pictures will be used. Not so that cops become predisposed to shooting members of religious traditions, but because people are used to looking white folks in the eye. Shooting a picture of a black person is easy, when you're raised in a society that lynches people on a daily basis. Shooting a picture of a person with the same color skin as you is hard, because you see yourself.
Maybe, when these cops are shooting up pastors in target practice they'll finally make the link that they're shooting at humans. And then that will lead them to look at black people as humans too, and not shoot them.
So, North Miami Beach Police, use my picture to shoot. I hope you get me right between the eyes, so that you can see that murder of innocent people isn't the answer. Especially if they are black.
*It was noted in a comment on the Facebook event by a black pastor that she would not be sending her picture because there were already too many of her friends and family members who had been shot by police. By participating in this event, and having my photo sent, I understand that I am able to do this because I do not have to follow the 10 steps to get home safely after an incident with the police, but I do hope that it opens more people's eyes to the reality that we live in a country where just because of the color of my skin, I don't have to walk around in fear of police shootings.
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