Bass Reeves, first black U.S. deputy marshal in the Indian territories, working under “Hanging Judge” Isaac Parker.
It’s from my mom that I got my love of western movies and film. An avid viewer of “shootemups” in all forms, she’d captivate me with her knowledge of stars from movie serials she’d seen as a young girl; the
same shorts that were making the rerun rounds on television. But it was my dad who filled out the untold story of the black cowboy for me.
Like any child, I wondered about who I was, who we were in reference to what I saw on tv as the depictions of blacks, any type of black people, was very limited at the time. From him, I first heard about Nat Love, a quintessential cowboy figure, and Bill Pickett, the inventor of bulldogging, a version of modern rodeo steer wrestling.
I thought about that and both of them listening to a commercial on MeTv for their Saturday western roundup; an entire day of programming. And since I now know that 1 in 4 American cowboys were black, I couldn’t help but marvel at the slick and subtle manner in which you can not only eradicate the accomplishments of an entire group of people but at the same time reinforce that extinction at the societal level . Continue reading
Solutions from the Commonwealth
Any substantive change must come from us, not them. How to get there is the question. And there are lots of conversations and discussions taking place on that regard. This is one view from the commonwealth…
POLICE REFORM
The murder of George Floyd and the onset of the Corona-virus afford a unique opportunity for the Black Lives Matter movement to achieve its goal of police reform. The casual heartlessness of the murder of George Floyd galvanized the attention of the world by its blatant disregard of Floyd as a human being. That act coupled with the onslaught of the Corona-virus presents a unique opportunity to force police reform that may never come again. His death demonstrated how the black community is policed and what black people endure at the hands of the police. The virus forced school and job closings creating the perfect opportunity for people to pay attention to how the policing of minority communities was done and gave them time to protest. This opportunity must not be missed. I believe that the following steps will deliver the reform that everyone demand.
2. The commissioner, although appointed by the Mayor and approved by the council, must be as apolitical as this process can provide.
3. The commissioner’s office must carry out the administrative functions of the police department. Including developing the policy and procedures used to perform the function of policing
4. The commissioner’s office must negotiate the union contracts and carry out their day to day operations.
5. The commissioner should investigate all violations of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and all complaints of the police by having civilian investigator to investigate the complaints and the legal department necessary to pursue legal action.
6. All Complaints against police must be investigated with full transparency. Continue reading →
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Tagged as BLM, Breonna Taylor protest, community involvement, George Floyd protest, police reform, town hall