Target Practice, Do shadows police use as target Practice make shooting Black folks easier?

by Joe B.

Easy Target Practice

Between hearing K P F A’s return to the fatal Kent State University Killings where 12 students were wounded, 1 paralyzed for life and 4 dead then hearing about British journalist, documentary filmmaker, James Miller, 35 in the Southern Gaza Strip late Friday, May, 4th, 2003.

The total is 4 or more journalists killed during this so called "War to Liberate Iraq or as selected ‘Pres. Bush Jr.’s Enduring Freedom."

From the Kent State’ then and now radio segment both former students and National Guards agree on how wrong everything went and how it should never happen again.

Problem is as long as one has a gun the other is unarmed there is always the tendency to stop any discussion with teargas, baton’s, pepper spray and bullets.

"These were innocent kids to They (National Guards) should’ve shot more."

Me, just moved to Cali. the previous year heard about it in high school and from other students.

Older black adults say "Should’a known there were bullets in the guns or if they ‘killin their own kids what do ‘ya think they’d do we or black colleges protested?"

The answer is always "It’d be a blood bath and it’d spill over into our neighborhoods."

"We’d have pigs and soldiers using us as target practice.

There seems to be a psychological switch whether its part of our make up or drilled into us when preparing for war.

I don’t know if I have enough knowledge to explain it.
1.

Hand to hand or weapons one feels more in control in combat situations.

2. When learned from feeling sure of self I’ll be fine to a certain swaggering overconfidence.

3. Then going to unarmed combatants one can easily be rid of by single or multiple shots from guns.

4. Its so easy to take some one out (kill) that’s weaponless, though still an irritant waving, holding signs or otherwise throwing rocks, making noise to simply shoot and see fear in a victims eyes as they become mute.

5. "I have the power to take your life and you can’t stop me.?

The same kind of psy-switch may have been working in the soldier or soldiers at the Gaza Strip.

Add to that if one or a few of them could have seen some of his films which if it showed Israeli in a not too positive light and taken offence to the way their country was presented.

Or it could be they were tired of journalists showing the Israeli/Palestine conflict and literally getting rid of them by killing reporters, camera personnel, and journalists.

Whatever the reason threatening or actual killing of unarmed civilians doing their jobs under the guise of accident, misplaced, delayed orders or just plain "We Can Do This Because They Shouldn’t Be Here."

It seems that’s what’s happening when you combine situations where armed and unarmed non combatants clash.

Like I said when police and soldiers have their gear on ready to engage."

Just because the other side has no weaponry does not mean they won’t use weapons.

Black folks especially know from tragic experience after experience when armed there is a surge of superiority, invincible feeling invulnerable when one is armed and the other is not.

Just think of groups of men hunting other men with shotguns knowing their prey has no weapons to fight with.

But the same people will act slightly different when there equal or superior fire power of the hunted.

Rainbow people have been living targets, their lives worth zero respect.

After Kent State people learned how far protests can go.

33 years later "The World Is Watching" maybe with blinkers on it seems anyone willing to protest, place their body in the line fire to stop or reverse the way today’s world is moving might die for their beliefs.

Most people don’t really think they will be kill for believing differently.

Sadly we continue to be reminded an armed individual will use lethal means when other means hasn’t worked.

Being dead sure makes one think a bit in the after life.

"Maybe I should’ve rethought of throwing the rock, screaming at the one with a loaded gun, or standing there."

All of can become targets anytime the authorities feel threatened enough to take our lives.

Unarmed persons better think about shielding themselves from stray or purposely shot bullets in their directions.

Riot police and soldiers are both offensive/ defensively armed we must be at least defensively armed so bullets, gas, bombs, batons, or electrically zapped.

Lost of people getting shot at and still standing after bullets fly can also be psychologically damaging to people shooting their weapons.

Let’s see the armed folks have fear in their eyes that they can no longer shoot down people with differing views maybe then both sides can speak on equal terms. Bye…

PS I’ve lost my PO box so please send questions to Askjoe@poormagazine org. Thank You.