Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks fought hard to push equality through the civil rights movement in the 1950 and 1960's. Four decades on from that pivotal moment Obama changed the face of global politics when he was elected as America's first Black president. Yet police officers are killing Black people across different states. With all recent developments Americans are still light years away from having a society that's equal and judges people on their character rather than background or ethnicity. They haven't got there yet. If new laws are not put in place it may never be changed. In terms of ownership there are more guns than vehicles in the states, that's a shocking statistic. It's not just a problem rooted in the states but extends to what is happening over here in Britain post the EU referendum result concerning ignorant and undercover racist Brexiters. It could affect us and will do if the problem is not dealt with sooner rather than later.
With far right groups increasing across Europe and police officers killing Black people in the states, what does they say about our society and where we are heading? It's certainly spells troubled times ahead. We may live in a democracy but it's deeply troubled in many aspects. America on the whole still has institutional problems accepting race, ethnicity and background. If US police departments cannot be trusted then this may cause widespread problems with race relations. The rise of hate crime in Britain is at an all time high. Incidents reported to the police have doubled since June 23rd. Law abiding citizens who contribute to our society are being told to "Go home" along with other disturbing terms and references because of their skin colour and ethnicity. So far no initiatives have been put in place to challenge this. Luckily we are not on par with America but should be concerned as it could happen.
We all look to America as being the land of opportunity, fulfilling dreams, success and glory. Black America is powerful it's economy thrives through entertainment, sports and other popular outlets. Beyoncé, Drake and Jay-Z are powerful global figures in music. Is it time for well known figures and celebrities to rally together and campaign for a peaceful end to this worrying epidemic? It's gone beyond the point of no return. Footage captured on social media showing police officers caught right handed and trigger happy shooting Black men in front of their families. It's not what the next generation should be viewing. These types of incidents ruin any chance of continuing to build bridges amongst our communities. It shuts them out. In relation to the shootings that would never happen in Britain. Although there have been errors with Azelle Rodney, Mark Duggan and other similar cases which were challenged by their families respectively. Who knows what really happened in those cases but we haven't reached an epidemic or on a level playing field with America. Let's hope our police officers are never given powers to use firearms or else we may have a problem. If that ever happened it would be the end to our civil liberties and democracy in Britain.
Why did five police officers have to be killed in order for us to have this discussion. Is America divided? Has it been trumped? How can America deal with this problem and solve the issue? First and foremost American needs to weed out all racist police officers. That's the root and core on where the issue lies. It's clear not all but a minority of these officers DO NOT LIKE Black people. Officers should be banned from using fire arms until further notice to prevent more incidents and deaths. It's time Black lives are valued and respected like any other human being. It could be your Mother, Father, Daughter, Sister, friend or close relative. Enough is enough.