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Forget the boob tube, look at YouTube. See how young people are entertaining themselves with their video cameras. Some of it is kids being kids. A lot of it is brutal, sick, and—dare I say—black.
I winced when I saw the wooden railroad plank being smacked against Derrion Albert’s head. My stomach turned when I saw the five other young black men stomp on Albert. By the end, my eyes welled up with tears when I realized what I saw: A 16-year-old child beat to death. No doubt it was difficult for me to get through the entire 2:27 of footage, even with parts blurred out, and I’m sure it will be difficult for others to watch as well, but the fact remains: We need to watch. We need to watch and not turn away because as history has taught us, it’s the only way we’re going to learn.
Back in the 1960s, we only needed to see footage of black protesters being beaten, hosed down and attacked by police dogs once to understand how bad racism was down South.
Back in 1992, we only needed to see the video of Rodney King getting beaten by members of the Los Angeles Police Department once to understand the boys in blue aren’t always on the right side of the law, even if a judge says otherwise.
Now, in 2009, many of us need to see the video of 16-year-old Derrion Albert being beat to death at least once to understand it’s no longer just the police and white people of whom we need to be afraid. It’s also each other.
Call it sad or call it a rude awakening, but throughout our nation’s history, the violent underbelly that has existed in the black community, self-inflicted or not, has always been a dish best served cold, right in our face. Think Emmett Till’s mother choosing to make her son’s funeral open casket so the whole world could see the horrific damage he suffered at the hands of ugly racism.
In 1971, Gil Scott-Heron famously proclaimed, “The revolution will not be televised,” and that may be true, but reasons for revolution have popped up on our idiot boxes for years. Now they’re beginning to show up on our computers where today’s younger generation is spending a lot of their time.
Look closely not at the boob tube, but YouTube. Put down that petition to boycott whatever shows the geniuses at Black Entertainment Television and Viacom have cooked up for the fall season, and instead, watch what young black people are doing to entertain themselves on their own video cameras. Some of it is fun, good-natured kids just being kids. But a lot of it is, dare I say, Derrion Albert-like—brutal, sick, and dare I say, black.
On the World Wide Web, all the violent and disturbing images parents and government tried to keep away from the eyes and ears of children over the years is becoming undone, which is why so many people have been able to see what happened to Albert. But maybe that’s for the better. Sure, it may be disturbing to think some people are not watching Albert’s beating for anything more than sick entertainment, but we must also remember that people can learn from this. For this generation, the Derrion Albert tragedy is to them what Rodney King was to mine, and the videos of sit-in protests and marches were to the generation before me—a harsh reminder we need to wake up.
So let the video of Derrion Albert’s life-ending beating get as many views as the video of Kanye West jumping on stage in the middle of Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech (as I write this, this one currently has 1,959,026 views). Let #derrionalbert be a trending topic on Twitter and make sure it stays there as long as #musicmonday or #jayz. Blog about Derrion Albert like you would your own relationship woes, remix the video of his beating by layering it over Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” to drive the weight of Albert’s loss home, or get a camera, record your own thoughts about this horrific tragedy and in the words of YouTube, “broadcast yourself.” But most importantly, watch the video. It hurts, it’s disgusting, but it might be the first step we need to avoid seeing a sequel anytime soon.
Jozen Cummings is a former editor at VIBE and lives in Harlem. His new blog is Untiligetmarried.
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Tension between gangs of teenagers in Chicago's school led to the death of a 16-year-old that was captured on camera. Although in a historical context, death was a part of life – the average person would witness several violent deaths including family members several times in a given year. Still, there's no need to watch the Derrion Albert footage – there is a definitive need to do something about violence around schools. There's also speculation that the violence around the city of Chicago (not exactly the most peaceful place on earth) may have soured the Chicago Olympic bid. Many would rather give payday loans to see his killers brought to justice, than to see the video again.
Someone said that the problem lies with these children not having parents in the home. Mom is working 2 jobs and Dad is absent. Can someone please answer this question - why are the poor, whether white or black having more children then they can afford?
If they can afford three - have three
If they can afford two - have the two
If they can only afford one, so be it
And finally - some people may not be able to afford any children as they can barely afford to care for themselves. Some people shouldn't have children. If you do you better have the means to do so.
Just because you have the ability to have children doesn't give you the right. And if you do have them the responsibility lies with you to care for them, Period.
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Hopefully my brotha you are a lost breed. I dont recall anyone blaming white people for the crimes that are committed. The racial aspect of this case, in my opinion, comes from the fact that in Chicago, (as I have lived and worked there for 15 years) you cant illegally park you car in white areas without getting a ticket, by the police. These areas are virtually crime free. Cabrini O Green housing project situated next to the Gold coast and prime real estate property will have crime, shootings and murders and rapes galore while the residents ONE OR TWO blocks away ride the city streets on bicycles without a care in the world.
Again, Derrion Albert, to my knowledge, nor most of the other 56 children killed this past year were NOT gang members or trouble makers.
Again, their parents were doing the right thing and raising their children responsibly.
Again the victims and the perpetrators are not in the same group. They may be of the same race as are the victims and perpetrators of any community of one race,(i e Columbine)
Unless I am reading your post wrongly. It is very disappointing especially because you as a Black man are only feeding more crap to the racist trolls that post on this website on a daily basis, of which you could not possibly have missed them. Dont be brainwashed as so many of our people can be against our own kind.
I have no sympathy, empathy or concern for the perpetrators of these crimes to children. When they are caught they should be prosecuted to the letter of the law. It will probably save some of their lives from retaliation in the streets. But these murdered kids and their families are innocent victims, which in a normal community, just one of these incidents left unsolved would have caused a horrendous public outcry.
In New York when the Central Park Jogger was beaten and raped , The police knocked down doors and dragged out every suspicious black male they could to catch the perpetrators, only to catch the wrong ones The police owe the City of Chicago a daily press briefing on their efforts to catch these killers
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one must remember that todays kids in the hood, ghetto,slums,or whatever you wana call low income areas of any city are totally different from the kids of the 70s.Yeah i know drug dealing,robbing&killing was in that era. Well jus look back at the kids who sold drugs in the 80s they were expose to one thing in that was getting money to ride fly and dress fly they also carried some respect for there elders. 70s kids grew up poor in when i say poor imean cheese sandwhich&coldcuts daily .kids of the 90s&up may have grew up in the hood but still had things the suburban kids got playstation,jordan,etc the parents reward these kids for doing nothing i mean these parents will spend their check to buy these ungrateful brats whateva to look good in front of their triflin friends who have no idea of raising a child of thier own.BOTTOM LINE IS, its tha 70s kids who have lost control of todays kid we forgot the real struggles our parents went thru just feed us daily now we showering kids who dont do anything in school we buy high end gifts 4 kids who dont clean their rooms or empty the trash, we ll work all day and then come home picking up after these misfits on top of that an get fighting mad when people of different races shake their head in disgust. WE the generation whos at fault for all this madness.whitefolks aint came to the hood in did shit to this sick kids, them folks beat us with their brains thats it and when u educated their harmless people so its no way they at fault for anthing that goes on in the hood . LETS RALLY LIKE WE DO WHEN THE POLICE KILL LIL MANE MANE, THE ONE WHO BROKE IN YOUR HOUSE TWICE AND STOLE THE NEIGHBORS CAR JUST A WEEK AGO.MARCH IN THE STREET WHEN RA RA KILL K-ROC FOR HIS OUNCE OF COCAINE CALL JESSIE IN AL FOR THAT !
Socially and Economically deprived Black youth who just happen to live in the Ghetto areas of our country, will always have high crime! Why? Let me put it this way. It's like dogs fighting for a bone. It's the Haves vs the Have Nots. It's kids raising themselves to be street wise and not book wise. It's parents not doing their job as parents. It's children living in a materealistic world! The NOW genreration, not going through proper upbringing to become functional citizens! Not having respect for God, nor authority!
What happened to Derrion Albert is sad.
He's not the first and won't be the last because of all the above!!!
Bottom Line!!!!!!!!!!
One Love!
The Doctor!
very interesting
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