PUTNEY — Another acquittal of a police officer in the killing of an innocent black man has occurred - innocent, unless one considers selling loose cigarettes a crime worthy of the death penalty.
The big difference between this crime and the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., is that we can see the murder of Eric Garner again and again on video, in all its cruelty and depraved indifference to a plea for life.
This latest judicial injury to black Americans comes on the heels of the Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act, as well as a constant drumbeat of Republican-controlled states setting up barriers to the voting of non-white and low-income voters.
There has been a steady stream of racist insults aimed at Barack Obama: that he is not a citizen, that he is a Muslim, that he is not eligible to be president, and many, many more vulgar, unprintable names, as well as threats.
No wonder there is rage in the black community - we should all be enraged!
Clearly, some police officers in cities and towns around the United States are too fast to commit violence against black men.
The stories of harassment while driving, walking on the streets, and even while entering a person's own home, seem to come out far too often. There is rarely a penalty, even for the killing of an unarmed man.
We need to stand up and speak out. The color of our skin should not determine whether we are outspoken and passionate.
Black lives matter!