Officer- involved killing.

If you happen to be a man of color in America these days, you might want to be very careful when you come in contact with members of the law enforcement community.


It's as if there is a secret shooting game circulating among police officers in this country. Over the past few days it has happened again, and again, and again.




The latest tragic tale comes to us from the city of St. Louis, where an unarmed teen was killed by a police officer in what was described as a "police shooting".


The police chief, in his press conference, seems to be hinting that the shooting was justified; eye witnesses and others, on the other hand, say something quite different happened out there. He was shot ten times. I guess with the Negro you have to keep shooting until he is dead. They hard to kill those Negroes.




Members of the community are understandably outraged. But they should be used to this by now. And, sadly, the tipping point will not be coming anytime soon.


Check out this collection of men of color who were killed by members of law enforcement over the past few years.


Chilling stuff. But it's something we have to live with here in America.


As a man of color I have learned how to navigate the day to day perils of life in our country. It is a delicate dance. One that requires vigilance, street smarts, and knowledge of the law. It's a dance that always ends tragically for some, and one that leaves a constant feeling of cynicism and jaded mistrust for those of us who survive it.


Some of us have an easier time of it than others. Fate has been kinder to us. We don't live in those neighborhoods, or hang around with those types of people. The chances are, then, that we won't be executed by some trigger happy, color aroused cop, or some gangbanger's stray bullet.


But we are not naïve; we understand that we are just a car stop or a misunderstanding away from meeting the same fate as Eric Garner, Michael Brown, or Trayvon Martin.


It's our reality, but it doesn't make it right.