Alton Sterling : Will they come through for you?

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Alton Sterling, will they come through for you?

I am angry that yet again I have to write a story about a Black man being killed by police.

I will not negate the fact that 532 people have been killed by police so far in 2016. But of those 532, 114 have been Black men. We simply cannot ignore the systematic cards that are dealt to people of color, especially men.

Conservatives, in particular, were up in arms about the recent speech at the BET Awards made by actor and activist Jesse Williams on systematic oppression.

Their argument is that Williams was promoting racism. Because after all, you must be racist for calling out racism? What Republicans failed to see Jesse  Williams underlying message about systematic racism and oppression. It is no coincidence there is educational and financial gaps between Black people and their white counterparts. No coincidence there is an epidemic of mass incarceration of Black and brown people. It is not because black and brown people are more prone to commit crime. And arguing with those saying “do good and you will be fine”, is simply not enough for people of color in America. Because being good, and doing good is no longer safe. And last night, we were reminded of that.

The recent assassination of Alton Sterling, is yet, another example of what Jesse Williams speaking about when it comes to systemic racism and oppression in America.

“Now, what we’ve been doing is looking at the data and we know that police somehow manage to deescalate, disarm and not kill white people everyday”

I’m sure by now you have seen the video of Alton Sterling being pinned to the ground by officers while they shot him in the chest mercilessly. “He has a gun” and resisting they say. And yet, the video tells a different sentiment. Within 36 hours of the shooting, the Department of Justice quickly moved in to investigate. This has been the fasted they have done so in a highly publicized police killing. But will they come through?

Various reports say Sterling was not resisting. There have been two videos that have confirmed he wasn’t. But even evidence of a cold blooded assassination is still sometimes, simply not enough. Unfortunately, as history has shown us, it isn’t good enough.

Sterling was a 37-year-old man from Baton Rouge, LA who was minding his business and was a regular presence at the convenience store he was killed at. That night Sterling was selling cd’s.

Mainstream media has already tried to vilify Sterling by posting an old mug shot from a conviction from over 10 years ago. Friends and family have described Alton Sterling as “respectable and nice”. Sterling was the father of five children. One of them, 15-year-old Cameron Sterling, broke down in tears during a family news conference while standing by his mother, Quinyetta McMillan.

His conviction has spread throughout the news like wildlife in attempts to somehow justify his killing. It is not the conviction that matters, what matters is what happened that night.

An anonymous 911 caller and an officer in the video said a man was carrying a gun and threatened someone before he was killed outside the Triple S Food Mart.

Sowner Abdullah Muflahi, owner of the convenience store, told the Daily News he didn’t see Sterling get into a confrontation or pull out a gun.

Family and friends said Sterling was on probation when he died and would not be allowed to carry a gun.

We’ve seen countless people killed by police without provocation. It seems now America is starting to wake up to the atrocities done to people of color in America. There was no conviction for Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Rekia Boyd, Tamir Rice, Sean Bell, Jonathan Ferrell, and so many more.

Alton Sterling, brotha, I hope they come through for you. We are sick and tired of being sick and tired.