ON THE RECENT HIGHLY CONDEMNABLE US POLICE SHOOTINGS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS

By Zik Gbemre

It is with great disgust that we condemn in strong terms the recent reports of America’s second fatal police shooting of a black African American in two days, which has sparked outrage and protests in the country. Many people like us have been aghast at the video posted live online by the victim’s girlfriend as he lay dying. Philando Castile, 32, was shot by a police officer after a traffic stop at Falcon Heights near Minneapolis. And in Louisiana, several hundred people have gathered at the spot outside a food store in Baton Rouge where Alton Sterling, 37, was shot dead by two white police officers the previous day. Alton’s video appeared to show him being pinned to the down and shot several times at close range.

The said unfortunate development has obviously led to an hours-long shootout with an armed suspect in Dallas, which came to an end early on Friday July 8,2016, as the man was confirmed to have died, after at least two snipers opened fire on police officers during protests in Dallas, killing five officers and injuring six others.Three suspects are said to be in custody after the snipers fired “ambush style” on the officers, Dallas Police The dead suspect had told negotiators that he wanted to kill white people, especially white police officers, after the recent spate of US officer-involved shootings of black African American men, the city’s Police chief said.

This latest shootings of African Americans reminds us of the manslaughter of Freddie Carlos Grey Jr. by some officers of the Baltimore Police Department in USA, which had resulted to series of protests and civil disorder in Baltimore. And of cause there is the decided Eric Garner ‘murder’ case as well as that of Michael Brown, that were all young-promising African-Americans who have lost their lives due to overzealous law enforcement officers of the USA.

We find it appalling that the United States of America (USA) that is known to champion Democracy, The Rule of Law and Human Rights observance across the globe, is now seen as one of the worst place where Human Rights abuse, especially of its African-American population is quite evident.

Irrespective of what anyone thinks, the use of excessive force and manhandling of African-Americans especially, by the US law enforcement agencies is a gross abuse of human rights that should be condemned in all ramifications. The situations where the US police are seen to tie the hands of people and buckle them up, pin them down at the slightest provocation and ultimately shoot them dead as if they are ordinary animals are unacceptable and highly condemnable.

Is it not sad that the U.S. Government prefers to spend so much to equip its law enforcement agencies who in turn treat its African-American citizenry like slaves, whereas, the same areas where the African-Americans are living are neglected and discriminately treated to lavish in poverty, lack and economic deprivation. What sort of Government would prefer to ‘arm’ its law enforcement agencies to maltreat people to the detriment of the economic well-being of the same people? These are serious issues that the U.S. Government under Barack Obama urgently needs to address. The U.S Government really needs to improve on its Human Rights record and justify its status as the supposed World Defender of Social Justice.

It is really surprising to note that recent studies in the United States of America (USA) showed that the US police are more likely to pull over and frisk African-Americans (blacks) or Latinos than whites. In New York City for instance, 80% of the stops made were blacks and Latinos, and 85% of those people were frisked, compared to a mere 8% of the white people stopped. After being arrested, African-Americans are 33% more likely than whites to be detained while facing a felony trial in New York.

On the other hand, we also condemn the killing of US Police Officers engaged in their lawful duties, especially by African Americans in the name of trying to seek for revenge or commit any criminal act.No matter what was used to try to justify these sort of criminal acts, no human being has the right to take the life of another, regardless of anything.Black African Americans should not attack US Police Officers for performing their lawful duties.

Also, it is a known fact that the African American community in the US are known to be people that are easily prone to violent behaviors and all manners of crime. But that does not justify the fact that they should be killed like animals by the US Police at the slightest provocation. Neither should the African Americans retaliate by killing and attacking Police Officers trying to secure their communities. If there is any unlawful act committed by Black African Americans, such should be appropriately dealt with US laws and US Justice system rather than abusing the Rights of these Black people and having them killed in the process too.

The matter is that the issue of racism has become no doubt, one of the most cancerous problems that have continued to defile all solutions in developed societies of Europe and The Unites States of America (USA). In fact, the situation is far worst and evident in America than Europe and UK. Despite the abolition of slavery in the nineteenth century; the advent of modern civilization under democratic governments that allows for equality, the rule of law, justice, human rights devoid of segregation and so on, developed societies like Europe and America are still painted in bad light over the issue of racism. It is even more surprising that this issue of racism has continued to rear its ugly head in the twenty-first century of modern society.

The American Government must address the Human Rights abuses/violations of its African-American citizenry as well as the Black race and other races, by all of its law enforcement agencies in America which include those in the Police, Immigration and Customs. US law enforcement officers should stop treating other races, especially the Black race, as animals and third-class people that deserves no respect, especially from its white officers.

The US Justice System has not helped issues either with its obvious segregatory and biased dispensation of justice amongst the US citizenry of whites and coloured. It is therefore expedient for the US Government to do whatever that needs to be done to address this issue justly and possibly ameliorate the racial tension and unequal justice system in different parts of America. America cannot be talking about Human Rights abuses to other nations if they cannot respect the Human Rights of its African-American citizenry and other citizens of the world that comes visiting America. The Human Rights violations/abuse by US law enforcement agencies and their predominant white officers is worsening daily in the USA. This seriously needs to be checkmated.

Zik Gbemre, JP.

National Coordinator

Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC)