Over the past few weeks, communal trauma has been on the forefront as a homegrown terrorizer committed hate-crimes against Asian women because of his own warped ideologies. As expected, given that the perpetrator had a particular look, the police were quick to humanize his targeted assault against these women. Similarly, like a snoozed alarm, once again, the Black community is in collective mourning and anguish over yet another senseless murder of a young black man. 20-year old Daunte Wright was killed by Kimberly Ann Potter; a police officer with over 26yrs of experience who was also training another officer when she deployed her gun instead of a taser in efforts to detain the young man during a traffic stop.
The murderous officer resigned shortly after the incident, which means she gets to keep her retirement & pension and can also get re-hired in another police department if found not guilty of the 2nd degree manslaughter charge currently held against her. This is yet another example where we clearly see how beyond problematic, rotten and toxic the law enforcement system as a whole is fundamentally designed to fail those whom it was not designed to protect nor serve. All those who spoke out about Wright’s character kept reiterating how lovable he was, but no amount of smiling or compliance can make you seem any less scary to someone committed to seeing you/your skin as monstrous. That’s the reality of being black in America, and in any other space that inherently devalues the humanity of those who evidently carry this blessing called melanin.
The fact remains that time and time again we’ve witnessed white males like Dylan Roof, Kyle Rittenhouse, and Robert Long going on shooting rampages, and even driving long distances to perpetrate hate-crimes yet somehow always get the luxury and grace to see their day in court. They even get the courtesy escort treatment while still in possession of their body-sized assault weapons! It is undeniable that America lied about all people being created equal and justice being blind, unbiased, and fair to all. In reality, the system is inherently flawed and must be dismantled and rebuilt from its foundation with equitable representation from all impacted demographics.
Who can you rely on for accountability and documentation of police misconduct when you do not trust the police to hold themselves accountable? You HARPit!
Platform users can submit a harassment/assault, or a police brutality related incident via the HARPit Buttons. These reports can be submitted by witnesses or survivors of these abusive encounters with other civilians as well as law enforcement. In addition, H.A.R.P has user surveys that are intended reflect the overall sentiments regarding harassment/assault and police brutality across the global community.
The communal trauma alone is enough to drive you insane, yet we still get up and keep it pushing every day -putting on our smiles and acting like we’re ok, while deep down inside we are chipping away at the collective psyche. Black people have been sounding the alarm for decades as folks kept gaslighting us; suggesting we were falsely yelling out “FIRE!”. You see, the thing about fire is it will always follow the path of least resistance and will inevitably go where there’s a supportive environment to sustain the flames. Whether you deny there’s a fire or nah, it will keep burning and burn you with it…if you stay in the flaming house. America your house is on fire, and everything is NOT okay.
