We Got Issues Of Our Own, Black People

There are times when the African-American community becomes its own worst enemy.

Look no further than  shooting and the looting that took place Sunday evening in Ferguson, Mo., on the  anniversary of  the death of Michael Brown, who was gunned down by a police officer last August.  After a day of peaceful protests, and events in acknowledging Brown’s controversial death, these folks had to show their asses.

I will guarantee  all the culprits  will be African-American.  I would be absolutely mortified if that was a white group that fired 40 to 50 shots, sending hundreds of peaceful citizens looking for cover, and looting businesses. In fact, if it  is found out that it was a group whites involved, I will do what Muhammad Ali said he would do if he lost the championship fight to Sonny Liston:  “I’ll kiss his feet in the ring,  crawl out of the ring on my knees,  tell him he is the greatest, and get the first jet to get out of the country.”

But I won’t need my passport. Sadly, that is how confident I am that the shooters were black.  Perhaps I should not jest about such a serious matter, because I know that just as we address the issues of what some people are doing to us, we have to address what we are doing to ourselves.

What happened in Ferguson are self inflicted wounds to the African-American community that it  simply cannot afford to take. And although it is a minority of segment that are causing these problems, those groups who are working against the African-American community use these incidents  as a representation of the entire  community. Even more importantly, it is problematic for the black families who have to reside in these communities of violence.

With the same fervor we are asking that law enforcement conduct their business responsibly, we have to ask for responsible behavior from the people who live in our communities.  If they don’t act with restraint, they must be held responsible.

And, sometimes even  when our hearts are in the right place, we can find the wrong way to do things

The Black Lives Matter group has come under criticism for their behavior at  a speech by presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, in Seattle.  Now, unlike the thugs shooting and looting in Ferguson, Mo.,  BLM is working for positive change.  Nonetheless, it was extremely disappointing to see the two ladies who representing  BLM  walk on the stage and literally bum rush  Sanders off of it.

First of all, Sanders’ who has addressed issues of the African-American community more than any of the presidential candidates, should have the opportunity to speak.  Even if his policies are totally counter to BLM,  the group should respect his right to voice his  opinion.

If the BLM representatives didn’t like what he said,  they could have an opportunity to boo, protest, march, and voice their own opinion.   Can you imagine the uproar that BLM would cause if someone walked on stage and took the mic from them?  What is most disappointing is that when they grabbed the mic, they really didn’t have anything to say. We all know the issues in our community. Their decision to bum rush Bernie Sanders was not an act of civil disobedience. It was simply rude.

Again, there is no doubt in my mind there are agendas that exist that work against the African-American community. Consequently, those are obstacles that can be defeated, but only if we defeat  those who are working against us from within.

Black Live Matters representatives were out of line for interrupting Bernie Sanders’ speech.