A Councilman’s Daughter-- Sweet Brown justice

If you watched or read any news outlets on Monday August 24 then surely you've heard about what happened to Councilman Cecil Thomas’ daughter, Celeste Thomas. By the small chance that you haven’t heard she was Tased after she questioned a police officer during a traffic stop/arrest. What makes this a case of sweet brown justice is that Thomas will now become the face and name, we hope, that Cincinnati cops will remember the next time that they decide to break the law, make up rules as they go along, and Tase or shoot a black person, or a poor white person, who they assume (assume = makes an ASS out of U and ME = assume) comes from the wrong side of the tracks.

_________________________________________________________________ When black folks like myself hear of cases like this we don’t have to run and check the official records or do any type of fact check because we are aware that shit like this goes on often. Despite the stereotypes that are out there, many of us aren’t young knuckleheads who are angry at cops, or don’t follow the directions of cops. Many of us know to comply with the cops even if we believe that they are wrong. We know to shut our mouths, and to only politely open it to ask for the cop’s badge number. Many of us aren’t frequently arrested, and we really don’t know what to do when a cop barks an order at us, especially if we believe we’ve done nothing wrong. Some of us want an explanation on the spot. We realize that if we don’t seek immediate answers as to why we are being detained, our chances of getting a fair shake in the justice-us system decreases once we are booked, charged, over-prosecuted, over sentenced, over-fined, over-everthing. It’s pretty fucked up that the only time many of us get more than our fair share of the pie is when it comes to the just-us system.

_________________________________________________________________ It’s rare that any of us black or white folks from the wrong side of the tracks get to use our get out of jail free card -- “My Dad is a council member.” “Here talk to the city manager.” Most get out of jail free cards go to the white, wealthy, and well-connected or rich and elected (Does anyone remember the Andy Kennedy case?) Some of us black folk in this town feel we get that ‘rock thrower teen style of just-us. The type of injustice in which the chief of police shows up at your house and holds a press conference to announce that you are wanted, without even talking to the prosecutor’s (foxes) office. When you turn yourself in, they hold your black ass in jail on an astronomical bail, while headlines across this city blare that you are guilty and your poor ass is convicted in the court of public opinion before you are ever convicted in a court of law. After you’ve spent weeks in jail, the grand jury fails to indict, yet there’s little mention of it in the news. Clearly you’ve got a lawsuit, but no attorney will come forth and touch your case because you ain’t white, wealthy, and well-connected or rich and elected. The few attorneys that aren’t afraid to take your case, are so tied down with the mountain high piles of Joe Deters’ style of injustice (Black people are animals), that they are too busy to take your case.

_______________________________________________________________ Back to the Thomas case. Ms. Thomas can’t even question a police officer without getting 50,000 million watts of lightening on her back like a damn slave, yet a white man can throw his hands around a female officer’s neck on the same day, get Tased and get a 40,000 dollar bail. Are you kidding me? http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090824/NEWS0107/308240023/1163/Police++Man+resisted++choked+officer

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A message to Celeste. I’m older then you and I’ve had my share and enough of accc accc alcohol, men, and the police. I hope that I’m never pulled over, again, for any reason. But just in case I am, I plan to comply with the police. I recognize that sometimes complying means that ones chances of getting a fair shake decrease. Still, I’ll comply, get that badge number, and of course

say a prayer...

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LD forces me to edit blog, yet I'm too lazy to edit, often.


Please note the date of this post.  It was written a long time ago.  People change. People evolve.  I have.  Cecil has.  He's  great asset to the community.