OPERATION: VERDICT COUNTDOWN

       Somewhere on a corner in Oakland Ca, a young brother ashes a blunt with one hand and releases his firm grip on the throw-away pistol tucked in his jeans to answer his cell phone with the other. "Hello???... Yeah.... Did they find him guilty??... They gon know tomorrow tho rite?? Aiite... Well just keep watchin' the news then.". With that he ends his call and effortlessly folds back into the chaotic comfort of his block with she skill of a chameleon. A block where he's caught his share of drug-related charges, dodged more than a few bullets, and lost enough friends to fill a tour bus. Yet at the moment, his mind hangs not on the inevitable catastrophe that surrounds him, but the looming promise of disaster after a verdict in the trail of one Johannes Mehserle for shooting 21yr old unarmed Oscar Grant. As well as the mental shopping list of goods to grab in the event that "Shit Hits The Fan" and looting and rioting ensues following deliberations. Fear, anger, hate, bitterness, defiance, or plain confusion, its hard to not feel some type of emotion regarding this case. What this young man, and countless others in the black community fail to realize is, the rage which we anticipate releasing will more than likely prove useless once again based solely on our methods of venting. Allow me to explain...

        Every few years like clockwork the social integrity of the black community is tested with high-profile, nationally televised, racially charged cases (OJ Simpson, Rodney King, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jackson, etc) and the Mehserle trial is no different in that sense. What does make this case different is the undeniable amount of video evidence involved here. And even with multiple angles and several minutes of clear audio a first degree murder conviction has already been ruled out of the question. And at that point we as a race went up in arms. But why? Is it because it was police officer that fired the shot? Or is it because it was a white police officer that fired the shot? Or is it because it was a white officer who fired the shot while Oscar was face down and handcuffed on a Bart platform full of people? Now let me be the first to say, in my opinion, THAT SHIT WAS DEAD FUKKIN ASS WRONG! But there are actually reasons why this type of injustice takes place, and the main reason is the small amount of value that life has in Urban Black America. If we don't care?? Why should anyone else??

        Realistically Oscar Grant's are murdered daily in Oakland and across the nation not by Police, but by other black males for no reason at all. Often they fail to make the paper and those that do are usually forgotten almost immediately after the short articles which are published regarding them are read for the first and last time. We as a people have reduced our own worth to cars, rims, drugs, shoes, insignificant amounts of money and even words often times. Yet we as young black men don't arrange marches, reach out to youth, or attempt to rally and publicly address the systematic self-genocide that plagues our community. Instead we just accept violence as a fact of life and hope we won't be the next 2 inch photo that graces the pages of the local paper. Oakland is a relatively small city yet it has managed to surpass the 100 murder mark for a decade now. And it seems none of us have noticed. Yet we wait to use the memory of an unjustly murdered young man as an excuse to once again exhibit mindless behavior and blatant ignorance for the world's entertainment. Haven't we danced around in black face long enough? Have we not learned from the Rodney King verdict? Yes we rioted and destroyed cities, Rodney King was awarded millions yet it was ultimately at our own expense that property was repaired. Where did we win in the matter?

          I'm not saying that it's wrong to be fed up with injustice.  Actually it's quite the contrary. I strongly believe there's a time to be fed up. I believe we should have been fed up years ago. Sick of the violence, tired of the mediocre educational system which only worsens by the year. Completely done with the calculated destruction of the black family and household. And finished accepting murder as just a part of our daily lives. So instead of disgracing Oscar Grant's memory by further tearing Oakland down, we must uplift his legacy by making a stand and lifting Oakland up. Making it a better place for our children and families. Reaching out to these misguided boys destined to become lost men. Seeing to it that these misdirected girls become something other than dependent women. Yes.... This would be the perfect counter attack for the racial injustice that is as prevalent in Oakland today as it was 50 years ago. But in reality... At the end of the day a fool would rather find his own way into destruction than be led towards a ray of hope...
WE GOTTA GET IT TOGETHER PEOPLE...

And That's Just The Way I See It...