Tag Archives: Carl’s Take

It’s not about racism anymore

When I watched the video below, showing how Eric Garner was choked to death by a policeman, it hit me: this isn’t about racism anymore.
This could be anyone.
On December 3rd, the Grand Jury handling the case said that no crime was committed. That procedures were followed.
This is what can happen when too much power is given to law enforcement.
To me it proves once more that at it’s core, the US has become a police state.
I got to experience some of it myself, even though just one long night.
That experience definitely became one of the key reasons why I decided to move out. Give up the green card that was so hard to get.
I didn’t want my kids grow up in a society that is tolerant to the denial of basic human rights as soon as there is any real or made-up suspicion of criminal behavior. What human rights? Let’s start with a basic level of dignity.

I started this text by writing this could be anyone.
That’s not entirely true. That’s also what the person sitting in the middle of the panel, halfway through this video is referring too:
In the United States of America of 2014, this could be anyone who is poor and uneducated or unprivileged in some other way. Guess what? There’s a lot of colored people in those categories. But also white people.

So no, this isn’t about racism, anymore. This isn’t about skin color. Oh no. This is about class politics. We should ALL be very worried.

Or you should. I moved, remember.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1ka4oKu1jo