Thursday, July 1, 2010
Parable ofOakland, A City Traumatized
At this hour,Thursday, July 1, 2010, Oakland is a city under siege, the OPD occupyingarmy is everywhere throughout the downtown area and the hood. Thepolice are riding four deep, stopping cars and people in the hood, fromthe west to the east to the north. Downtown stores and businesses wereshuttered today and many workers have been told to take the day offtomorrow, for fear the pitiful verdict shall be rendered basicallyexonerating the BART police of murdering Oscar Grant on New Year's Daylast year while he lay handcuffed on his stomach. A bullet was pumpedinto his back by the officer charged with his murder, but the judgehas instructed the jury that first degree murder is out, only seconddegree murder and manslaughter is the possible outcome. Second degreemurder or manslaughter is tantamount to a verdict of innocence, when heshould have been found guilty of first degree murder. When you shoot aman handcuffed on his belly, this is premeditated murder in the law bookof the hood.
The people of Oakland see what's about to happen,something similar to the Rodney King verdict. We attended the rally atCity Hall today and conversed with some of the leaders from the LaneyCollege Black Students Union who spoke to the media.
We advisedthem to take heart from the fact that when Louvelle Mixon took out thefour OPD officers in a shootout, he did so in the name of Oscar Grant.As Dr. Fritz Pointer said, we take an "obscene pride" in the actions ofLouvelle Mixon, that he applied ghetto justice to the occupying armythat has been abusing and murdering us for years under the color of law.
TheOPD has not earned our respect but our hatred and contempt. They are asmuch an occupying army as the US in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they needto remove themselves from our neighborhoods and permit us to secure ourown neighborhoods as the US is allowing insurgents to do in Iraq andAfghanistan. If they can pay the Sunni insurgents in Iraq and theTaliban in Afghanistan to lay down their arms by providing them withjobs, housing and education, they can do the same for the youth ofOakland who have been terrorizing our ho0ds because they lack jobs with aliving wage, housing and education that is free of the white supremacycurriculum, including black studies that does not address communityissues and need.
Yes, preachers, teachers/professors, andpoliticians have betrayed us, and the police have enforced the betrayal.Thus, we do not put the total blame on the police, but the corruptleadership of our community in general that has sold us out for a messof pottage.
So an entire city is suffering trauma. The young menare being arrested at every turn this very minute. The workers aresuffering from losing time from work. The small business owners mustboard up their stores and safeguard their cars. The common people arevowing to not enter the streets when the verdict is rendered. This ischaos on the highest level.
The BSU students, after conversingwith me, suggested perhaps they should stay away from the protest afterthe verdict, since it is surely to be a set up by the police. Let theanarchists get their heads whupped, but let us stay away to fightanother day.
--Marvin X
Academy of Da Corner, 14th and Broadway,downtown
https://theblacklist.net/
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