Updated on 09/02/2015
"That's why I am headed to Ferguson with this German luger
Cause I'm probably more like Nelson Mandela than Martin Luther
More like Ice T than Ice Cube, I'm a cop killer
Murder all the cops, then the cops will probably stop killin'"
Lyrics from the song, "The Purge" by- The Game
I have gotten a lot of emails about the fallen officers. However, as I was starting to write, my wife suggested that I should repost "Purge" because unfortunately it was dead on. My condolences go out to the families of all of the fallen Officers.
Posted by Sheldon Redditt on 05/11/2015
"Until they stop killing us, we should just kill every cop we see. They kill one of us, we kill two of them. That's the only way these pigs are gonna see that we are serious." Hearing such a radical statement, you would most certainly think it came from a radical extremist right? Wrong! These words were coming from the mouth of a mere 16 year young boy. NO! They came from a 16 year old BLACK BOY! I was invited to speak to some at risk youth in Louisiana a few weeks ago and unfortunately, that was the sentiment from all of them.
Wake Up AMERICA
AMERICA, these young men are more than sick and tired of the police killing them. One young man told me that he has lost all hope and doesn't care if he lives or dies. Let's just ponder that statement for a second. At 16 years old, this young baby has given up all hope. He doesn't believe that life can get better. Is this Sudan or America? I asked the young men how all of the latest killings of black men make them feel. I would say about 90% of them said that it made them want to Purge, to just go and tear shit up and kill people. One young man asked me if I had heard the song, "Purge", by the rap artist, The Game. I told him that I have seen the movie, "Purge" and that I know who The Game is but that I hadn't heard that particular song. All the young men said that I should listen to the song because it's how almost all black men feel in America. I told them that I would listen to the song. As the lecture went on I asked the young men a series of questions. One question I asked was how they felt when the two innocent police officers were gunned down in New York City. Most of the young men stated either that they were happy or they didn't feel anything at all. An overwhelming majority of them thought the officers got what they deserved. I guess I can't say that I was stunned by this revelation due to being a former Law Enforcement Officer. I knew that most younger people don't like cops, but as I dug deeper the boys really began to open up. One young man stood up and said that he didn't feel sorry for the cops or their families, just like the cops don't feel sorry for our families when they murder us in cold blood. The young man went on to tell me that ALL cops are the same and the ones that aren't just go along with the bad ones. So they are just as guilty. The young man explained it like this to me. He stated that he had 4 other siblings and that when one of them did something wrong and no one would fess up to it; his mother would punish all five of them. Now his point was four of them are innocent but they all got punished for what one person did. He explained that it's the same way with the cops. They see some of us doing wrong so they assume that all of us are doing wrong, so they harass all of us, not just some. We are fed up with this, so if a cop gets killed, then good. We stereotype them just as they have us for so many years. So, all cops aren't bad but let's KILL them all because we don't have time to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones.
The Oath, Protect and Serve
America our Black men are tired of being gunned down in the streets by cops. I get so sick of seeing people take to social media every time a Black man is murdered by a cop to say, "Well, black people kill each other more than cops do.". Do you know how stupid that sounds? The real issue is that these young black men are being killed by the very people that took an oath to protect them. We all should feel safe when we see a Police Officer, not the opposite. No person in this country should wonder if this is the day that I am going to get killed by a cop. After another hour of talking to the young men, I laid out my plan on what needs to happen between police officers and inner-city youth. I explained that we have to start a dialogue not a monologue, where both sides are heard. I also stated that body cameras for cops should be mandatory. I explained to the youth that most cops are not bad, but I agree that the goods one have to hold the bad ones accountable. The cops that cover for the bad ones ARE just as guilty.
It's The Same Everywhere
As I left Louisiana, I listened to the song, "Purge", by The Game, on repeat. America, our black youth are tired of injustice, they feel they have no hope and I have always believed that the most dangerous person in the World is a person with no HOPE. They have already begun to Purge in certain cities already and I believe, No I know, it's only gonna get worse if we don't fix it. When I returned home, I spoke to my boys about the song "Purge" and asked if they had heard it. Most of them had and I asked them what they thought about it and whether they agreed with the lyrics. Most of them feel like the kids in Louisiana felt, that cops are the scum of the Earth and said they weren't sad when innocent cops are killed.
Let's End This War Before It's Too Late
America we have a problem. In the song, The Game talks about going and killing innocent people in Beverly Hills so they could see how we feel. He stated that America doesn't pay attention unless it is white blood being shed, so let's make them pay attention. These young black men feel that they are at WAR and that everything is fair in war, so if they have to go and kill innocent white people for them to see that they aren't playing, so be it. Maybe then, America will pay attention. As one of the young men said to me, no war has ever been won without a lot of blood being shed by innocent people. He said, the only way that a war ends is when both sides get fed up with innocent people dying and they come together and call a truce and agree that we will stop killing your people if you stop killing ours. He explained that it's one sided now. But let's make the killing equal on both sides, then they will listen. As I said before, a person without any hope is the most dangerous person in the World. America, these young men feel like they have no hope. What are we gonna do about it? If we do nothing, they are gonna PURGE. And we all lose if that happens. This is my truth. What's yours?
*****To book the author for a speaking engagement, contact SheldonRedditt@gmail.com or call 901-605-7717
Author's Note: As I finished writing this post, I found out that two Officer's were shot and killed in Hattiesburg, MS, this past weekend. I send my condolences to the families of, Officer Benjamin Deen and Officer Liquori Tate.
Update: Today is September 2, 2015. I am sad to report that The Purge has become even more of a reality since the time of my original posting. Lt. Joe Gliniewicz was gunned down yesterday right outside of Chicago, IL. My condolences go out to his family and friends as well as to all of the family and friends of the Officers listed below.
