An old high school friend of mine challenged me on facebook to write about the recent and horrible cold blooded murder of those two police officers in Brooklyn. He asked me why I've written about Michael Brown and Eric Garner, but not about this. He asked me where my anger is.
Here's what I told him:
What do you want me to say? I'm not angry. I'm sad. Very sad about this.'Nuff said.
The Ferguson story is part of a larger ongoing story of official oppression of a historically oppressed minority. It is the public's business to end policing practices that oppress. It is injustice done in the people's name. Being one of the people, it is my, and your, responsibility to do what we can to end the injustice. Especially because it is injustice done in our names.
This horrible murder in New York is not official oppression. It's terrible, yes, but it's just not the same thing. It wasn't done in my name. It isn't American officials oppressing. It's worth discussing, to be sure, but it's not the government, not a huge and powerful interest.
This looks like an already crazed man was pushed over the edge. And it's just terrible.
So here's what I have to say.
When Palestinians kill Israelis it's horrible. It's wrong. But it must also be viewed in the overall context of longstanding Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Everybody needs to stop killing over there right now, both peoples. But Israel needs to stop its oppression of Palestine, if that's ever going to succeed at all.
This horrific murder of police officers in Brooklyn reminds me of Palestinian violence towards Israel.
That's what I have to say.
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