Today\’s quote comes to us from movie director, New York Knick fan, and civil rights activist, Spike Lee.
On Tuesday Night, during a discussion of the Michael Brown death on Anderson Cooper\’s CNN show, Mr. Lee said this:
“Ido not think you should be killed in this country because allegedlyyou steal some cigarillos. I don\’t think you should be killed inthis country if there is marijuana in your system. The people — not only in Ferguson, butall over this country — do not trust what is happening. I just thinkthere\’sa war on the Black male, and it\’s tearing this country apart.”
I do not always agree with Spike Lee. But in this case I agree with every word he said.
I agree that no one should be killed for allegedly stealing cigarillos or having marijuana. What puzzles me, however, is why Spike Lee applies this to Michael Brown?
It is true that there is video surveillance showing Brown walking out with (what we are told was $48.99 worth of) Swisher Sweets without paying for them – and roughing up the store owner he towered over in the process. And it is true that the toxicology results of his autopsy showed he had been smoking marijuana.
But no one knows whether those facts have a thing to do with why the police officer shot him. Not one witness has said that was the reason – not even the witnesses Spike Lee apparently chooses to believe.
So how does he come to this conclusion? Does Mr. Lee have proof? Does he have anything but his personal, factless opinion? If so, let\’s see it.
I agree that people all over this country do not trust what is happening…though I suspect that a great many more do not trust the “Michael Brown didn\’t do anything wrong” story than any other version of how he was shot. And I\’m 100% certain that most people do not trust al sharpton\’s claim that the looters and rioters are “liberators” and “builders”.
I agree that there is a war on the Black male in progress. On an average day in this country, about 19 Black people are murdered, with a disproportionate percentage of them males. And, in over 90% of the cases, the murderer is also Black and disproportionately male. It is hard to dispute that this is a war on Black males. Mr. Lee just left out the fact that this war is being waged by Black males.
I therefore award Quote Of The Day honors to Spike Lee for speaking as truthfully as he did.
But I have to admit having this funny feeling in my gut that he may not be bragging about this latest accolade…
