The shooting of unarmed 18-year old
Michael Brown on August 9th has brought to the surface America’s
deep-rooted racial tensions. After officer Darren Wilson shot Brown six times
during an altercation over jaywalking and an alleged theft, waves of outrage
erupted across the country. Eyewitnesses said that Brown had his hands up and
was killed while he was trying to surrender. The next day, citizens of Ferguson,
Missouri began publicly protesting Brown’s unjust death. A few weeks later,
they are continuing to speak out against this travesty. Communities throughout
the nation are demonstrating their support of Ferguson through marches and
demonstrations. As protestors carry signs that say, “Black Lives Matter” and “Hands
up, Don’t Shoot,” they are calling for America to acknowledge and put an end to
the discriminatory police practices targeting Black men. Civil rights activists
are encouraging Americans to use this incident as an opportunity to being a
long overdue conversation about race. As a South Asian American, I feel a
personal connection to Ferguson. Although I’m not Black, I understand that I nonetheless
play a role in America’s discussion about race. In spite of living in the “land
of the free and the home of the brave,” people of color continue to struggle
for equal rights and justice in the present day.
Following Brown’s shooting, I saw a
social media post discussing the racist stereotypes that are prevalent throughout
our society. It said, “Black Crime=Gang Violence, Arab Crime=Terrorism,
Hispanic Crime=Illegal Immigration, White Crime=No crime, he was just insane.” As
uncomfortable as it may be for our nation to acknowledge the pervasiveness of
these labels, we must do so if we intend to progress. In fact, these deeply
ingrained biases are what lead many police officers to unfairly target Black
and Brown people. Take the heightened racial profiling following 9/11. A
notable example of this form of police brutality is the case of Sergeant Lateef
Al-Saraji of the US Army. He filed a lawsuit against the Dallas Police
Department who assaulted him in front of his wife and friends at a Middle
Eastern Restaurant. Two officers referred to him as a “terrorist in uniform”
and beat him until he was unconscious. He was arrested without a warrant until
he was eventually released. John Gibson, the lead attorney in this case, stated
that there was no reason for either of the two officers to believe he committed
an offense in their presence (The Arab American News, 2010). Sadly, this incident
is only one of many where people of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent have
been unfairly targeted.
As for police brutality affecting
the Black community, there are countless instances pointing to the presence of
institutionalized racism. Oscar Grant, Sean Bell, Ramarley Graham, Trayvon
Martin, and too many others have been unfairly targeted. There is no question
that harmful stereotypes of Black men as “thugs” and “criminals” fuel these
killings. Brown’s shooting is yet another example of prejudice influencing
police operations. In the discussion surrounding Brown’s death, various media
sources have zoomed in on the “stolen” cigars while others have paid extra attention
to the fact that he was a high school graduate on track to college. The fact of
the matter is that Brown’s character is irrelevant in this case. His life isn’t
valuable because of his report card---it is valuable because he was a human
being. Even if he did steal the cigars, theft does not warrant death. An
unarmed Brown did not deserve to be gunned down six times in the middle of the
street.
Communities of color must
demonstrate their solidarity with one another in the face of racism. Although
we are all affected differently, we are all affected nonetheless. We are all
human beings, none of whom deserve to be stereotyped and denied opportunities
because of the color of our skin. I am aware that the media is quick to label
Asians in general as “submissive,” “non-controversial,” and “obedient.” I encourage
other South Asian Americans to challenge this mindset and to join the fight
against discriminatory police practices. It is crucial that, at this moment, we
join the Black community in seeking justice for Brown. Unity is power, and it
is vital that Black and Brown communities unite to end systemic racism.
