Get The “F” Back To What? To Where? To When?

Recently, while watching a video which showed our “Local” police interacting with a young man that was making a video of an incident which was occurring on March 19th, it really saddened my heart. Why? Because this young man was only doing what he had the right to do, which was to video the police during that specific incident, but one police officer’s response to him doing so was to tell him “Get The “F” Back!” This was totally disgusting, but not very surprising. Why not? Because since my forefather’s were freed from slavery this has been the way that most police have treated us “Black” folks. We have always been told to “Get The ‘F’ back.”

Since the early 1940’s, police brutality has been a major civil rights issue, one that has caused urban African American communities throughout this country to march and protest against it. As a response, governmental attempts to curb police brutality has included the ethnic diversification of police departments, sensitivity training of officers, community policing, and assigning black officers to black neighborhoods. As the issue continues to persist in the twenty first century, these attempts have served only as alleviators to the tensions between police forces and African Americans and most definitely not definite solutions.

Back during slavery as a means of intimidation, white supremacist criminalized blacks and lynched them. African Americans who fled the horrors encountered in the south fled to the north. But what did they experience once here? The same old song, only this time being sung by northern police departments. Why? Lord have mercy! How and why is this possible? Let’s take a stroll down memory lane.

The history of American society’s police violence targeting black people is not a surprise. Slavery, being a legal institution regulated by law, police officers were given the “Right” to enforce slave codes. They were given the widest license to seize, whip and punish Negros, acting as agents of the masters. The enforcement of slave codes resulted in physical violence against the black slaves from the police because the slaves were the property of their masters and it was the “Duty” of police to protect these properties.

Criminalization of blacks was the justification that white supremacists used to lynch blacks.

Those lynching mobs, which included some police officers, were a common thing. Police officers sometimes took part in the lynching rituals.

The term “Police Brutality” refers to the “excessive” use of force by police officers, police killings of civilians, and also the use of abusive and racist language. This use of ‘Abusive” language, which was used by that city of Newburgh police officer in that March 19th video “Must” be “Very Seriously” addressed by the city of Newburgh’s city council and also by the city’s “Police Community Relations Review Board!” “If Not, Why Not?” Warm weather is once again coming upon us, therefore please do not allow this to become a “Long Hot Summer!” If so, you politicians will only have yourselves to blame. Also, isn’t it quite strange that our city of Newburgh’s city council consists of “All” democrats and five out of those seven are people of color. Wow! What is this all about? Truthfully, it’s not about the color of one’s skin, it’s about the content that’s within!

News Bulletin! The city of Newburgh’s police chief has resigned! Wow! He will be leaving in April. Why? Why? Why? The “Real” bottom line question to me is, “what’s going to happen to the officer that used the “F” word in that video on March 19th? Mayor, City Council, City Manager, please let us hear your answer to that question! Let us not forget that there are four seats up to be filled in this upcoming city council election. “Four!” Let us “Never” forget that truthfully, they want “All” of us “Black” folks to get the “F” back, but we’re not going the “F” back to nowhere! This country was built off of the backs of our “Black” forefather’s! Amen!

This is “Lillie’s Point of View” and I’m just having my say! Now you can have yours! PEACE!