The irony of the Lebron decision and the Oscar Grant verdict being done on the same day is not lost on many of us. While another brotha's life was dismissed as if he was never here, one of the best basketball players in the world ever to tie up a pair of Nike's was making a decision about his future playing career. Now, I'm not saying the Lebron's decision wasn't news worthy because it was. Being a sports fan I found myself interested in where he was going to do his thing next year.
However I have to keep things in it's proper perspective and for me to not be even more concerned with Oscar Grant's verdict would be ludicrous. Am I surprised by the verdict....never. I am never surprised when the continual devaluing of black lives play out within the court systems all over this country. I was affected just like so many of us, but with a case that was as volatile as the Rodney King case, a distraction had to be used to try and quell what possibly could have been a very disruptive situation.
No I'm not talking about a conspiracy theory. I'm speaking on a systematic program of protocols that go into effect whenever the propensity for violence is eminent. Now the other side of the coin is here you have a man who has spent 7 years in a city where he gave his all and when he makes an executive decsion about "his" own life to do something else, his former employer decides to draw upon the spirit of his ancestors and act like an angry slave master who is mad that the slaves want to leave the plantation. Yes, I understand the analogy of the slave market and the NBA Draft, however for people to become so emotionally entangled in their emotions about the decision to a man is making about his life, but show only a minimum amount of concern for a brotha who was assinated in cold blood, something is wrong.
As a community we have become so sedated, so anesthetsized, so apathetic with the everyday violence that plagues our cities that when an Ayianna or an Oscar dies we treat it as if nothing has happened. I applaud Lebron for doing what was best for him, but at the same time I'm ashamed that we took Oscar Grant's death as if it was something that happens and we shouldn't really care about it. The powers that be do not value our lives, but it doesn't matter that they don't because not only have we adapted the behavior but we're perpetuating it. Damn, that's sad.
Peace, Brother...This article was very well-written. The juxtaposition of our apathy as a community about blatant injustice to our indignation about what a "living" black male chooses to do with his life is brilliant. This is definitely food for thought. Peace. Earth_BE
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