The Collective Dj Vu Of Black America
We are stuck in a loop of violence and injustice.
By Julia Craven
We’ve been here before.
Right here, at this very specific moment of anguish.
Each time, it’s as though the world freezes and a familiar jolt zips through our bodies.
Our vision blurs.
Panicked, we look around to see if anyone else feels what we are feeling, to see if anyone else is in the grip of the same dismay.
. . . Our death and suffering has always been public. This contributes to the recurring feeling that we’ve seen the same death time and time again.
When these videos circulate, they leave families and black bystanders in a dark cycle we can’t escape. We know that footage won’t stop the violence. Our death, our suffering, has long been seen as a spectacle. If anything, video cameras have become an extension of the crowds that used to surround lynching victims.
And then as now, even when our deaths take place in public, for all to see, it doesn’t save us or persuade a jury to convict the killer. . . .
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-america-deja-vu_us_594c595fe4b05c37bb757634?8ub&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
The article really hit home a feeling I couldn't really describe and still can't give it a name. I wanted to say numb or paralyzed but those adjectives are passive. It's the feeling that people might enjoy what's going on.
When Zimmerman and the cop that killed Michael Brown had million of dollars raised for their defense. It's crystallized the realization that the system is not only against you or even fail you. It's the system and a society is getting a perverse enjoyment out of these tragedies. It's not only the death of black and brown bodies but the suffering and fear it causes in our community. That many seem fine with and want to see continue.