The L.A.P.D. Invites You to March in the Streets

Click on the image at left and you should see a flyer that was posted on my “upscale” apartment building (Baldwin Hills adjacent, baby) inviting me to join a community policing effort spearheaded, evidently, by Officer Thomas Wicks. The first words that come to mind are, ‘What in Hades are representatives of government doing organizing marches?’ I am a baby of the Civil Rights era. When I think of marching in the streets, I don’t look for leadership from the organization that has a history of killing guys like me.

You, being an obedient English speaker, may ‘innocently’ ask, “But this Officer Hicks is Black, right?” My answer would not include my redefinition of the word ‘Black’ because you really don’t care—because clearly you have already browsed through “the rasx big lex’” and came up with nothing. My answer includes the state authorities of Nigeria covered by the BBC in “Nigerians free to hold protests.” Here’s the subheading: “Nigerians can hold peaceful protests without first seeking permission from the police, the federal High Court has ruled in a landmark judgment.” So the position here is that the skin color of the officer is irrelevant.

So you may come at me again, ruled by “reality television” and pose the accusation: “The police are making an effort to reach out to the community for a brighter future and you are mired in the past, unwilling to accept their overtures.” Did I mention that Officer Hicks and others held meetings at the local Catholic Church? Church and state—together again? State orchestrated political action… acceptable?

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