I first heard that the Martin Luther
King Jr Committee (MLKJC) of Fresno was honoring Mayor Jerry Dyer from
political activist Richard Gomez from the Green Party. Gomez was dismayed that the MLKJC would
select a former police chief to honor who had a dubious record while standing
his watch. At first, I was shocked to hear that the MLKJC was honoring a former
police chief during these times of civil unrest between organized groups such
as “Black Lives Matter” that finds the police guilty across the country of
police brutality against citizens of the United States. I thought to myself, to follow an idea
presented to me in a speech by Malcom X: “The House Negro and the Field Negro,”
that some Europeanized African Americans are trying to stop the plantation
master “big house” from burning.
On a personal level, I have no problem
with the police. It is a tough job that someone has to do, evil is a reality. I have immediate family that has served as law
enforcement officers. Moreover, I am a
veteran of the United States Navy, I feel we shared the same cause of
protecting our fellow citizens from harm.
As a kid, I would literally hurt myself, bumping into furniture in a mad
dash to watch the weekly episode of “CHIPs” that has an excellent opening base
line. However, as a member of the
African American community there is a general “fear and paranoia” towards the
police from a majority of the community throughout the United States. There was a collective sigh of relief
nationally among the African American Community when Dereck Chauvin was convicted
of murdering George Floyd. Justice has
finally arrived when the police are being policed for the good of our
nation. I would like to see a change in
the relationship between law enforcement and local communities in a positive
way not threw rewards and punishments or a zero-sum game.
In order to maintain the American
caste system dominated by the Western European American Majority, African
Americans have been forced into a role of second-class citizenship. After the American Civil War which 200,000
African Americans joined unions troops to crush the evil confederate empire,
slavery was ended in the United States. The
13th amendment ended slavery and the fourteenth amendment established
citizenship in the United States.
African Americans were to receive the full benefits of citizenship after
the American Civil War. However, the
elite southern plantation owners did not feel they should be equal to African
Americans and began a process to disenfranchise African Americans. In order to suppress African American rights
“Jim Crow Laws” were passed in southern states to segregate European and
African American into separate communities.
I find it absurd that during slavery European and African Americans
shared the same house and living environment during slavery, but when Africans
Americans were no longer slaves European Americans could not stand to be around
African Americans. I will not pursue an
argument that makes the claim in order to pay for the cost of the American
Civil War, the elite planter class of the south was forgiven by the state and
allowed to reclaim the power they had lost in defeat during the American Civil
War.
Martin Luther King Jr. (MLKJ) was
quintessential in trying to end segregation in the United States of
America. If you look around America, you
will see that the U.S. is still segregated, and people are working hard to
integrate the state. MLKJ speech “I have
a dream” of a peaceful and prosperous world has moved the hearts of millions
and led many people to fight peacefully for an integrated society. Counter to MLKJ concept of nonviolent protest
is Malcom X’s belief in black nationalism that championed self-determination
and self-defense.
According to Malcom X in his speech “House
Negro and the Field Negro,” African Americans can be divided into two groups
the house negro and the field negro. The
house negro lived in the “big house” with the master and would do anything to please
the elite plantation owner. On the other
hand, we have the field negro who had no love for the master and his ways
because they were forced to work for free under the lash of the whip.
Malcom X found Martin Luther’s King Jr. stance on nonviolent
protest to be foolish when the state sicks dogs and uses water cannons to
prevent equality among the citizenries. Malcom
X believed we have the human right to defend ourselves from harm; self-preservation. Personally, I think Martin Luther King Jr’s
non-violent protest is an excellent example of extreme Christian behavior when
it comes to the creed: “turn the other check.”
I am Christian but will only turn my check once, then it is on. Hopefully, I can live a peaceful life.
It could be argued,
from a Malcom X perspective, that the MLKJC honoring Mayor Jerry Dyer is the
act of a house negro trying to save the “big house” from burning, or the MLKJC
has “sold out” to the establishment supporting a former police chief when the
majority of African Americans fear the police.
Police brutality is a pandemic that plagues people of African descent
globally. The MLKJC honoring a former police
chief when justice is finally being served, Derek Chauvin was found guilty of
the murder of George Floyd, is similar to a house negro trying to stop a fire
from burning down the elite plantation owners “big house.” The idea of “defund” the police is more of a
reality in African American communities rather than honoring one as a former
police chief for their service to the community.
Malcom X’s idea went on to inspire organizations such as the
Black Panther Party for Self Defense that was for the benefit of African
Americans while Martin Luther King’s ideas have inspired the world to be a
raceless community. Personally, I like MLK
jr., but if you fire a gun at me, I will fire one back. Moreover, I am a direct result of Martin
Luther King jr. vison in his speech “I have a dream” I have a diverse heritage
and have most of my life lived in a multi-cultural community. However, I recognize that not all people like
a multi-cultural community and prefer to live with people of their own ethnic
background. I don’t support forced integration;
I would prefer to live in a community without that jazz and with people who
want to associate freely.
To answer my query, I went straight to the horse’s mouth on
Facebook and messaged the MLKJC: “Why are they honoring a former police chief.”
I was told he was being honored as mayor and his service to the community. Moreover, I was given the opportunity to
attend the next meeting of the MLKJC and ask my question at the meeting. I would like to thank Kim Tapscott-Munson for
inviting my to the meeting. I went to
the meeting and was impressed by the collection of individuals that had embraced
MLK Jr’s philosophy. I wanted to pick
the brain of an individual by the name of Dr. Kapor but there was no time.
During the meeting I found out that Mayor Jerry Dyer is not a newcomer to the
MLK Jr holiday but has been involved in the African American community for over
20 years. The MLKJC found it was time to
honor Mayor Dyer for his years of public service.
The MLKJC is what they are, a group of individuals committed to
the realization of MLK Jr’s dream of an equal society. Was this action by the MLKJC rational
leadership or coonery? Leadership is the
action of leading a group of people or an organization. The city of Fresno desires unity in our
community among everyone. Coonery is the
action or other behavior, usually on the part of African Americans, used to
reinforce and perpetuate commonly held stereotypes about their own community. For instance, behaving like a house negro
qualifies as coonery. Is the city of
Fresno setting an example to emulate by praising the former police chief under
the banner of Martin Luther King Jr? Is
this some sort of an olive branch between the African American community and
the police force?
Mayor Jerry Dyer is an integrationist. He is the embodiment of MLK Jr. dream from a
European American male perspective. He
wants to see European and African Americans holding hands and living together
in harmony. He desires a happy city where
we all get along as citizens. However,
my issue with the ceremony was the lack of a demand for economic opportunity for
African Americans. Martin Luther King
Jr. desired economic justice as well as racial justice. Where is the economic justice for the African
American community across the city, state and nation? What is the point of being able to eat at a
lunch counter with you when I can’t afford to buy lunch? Reparations now!
