Dang it, Black people!

I’m back reading BlackPlanet to get some interesting point of views about life in the States as a Black person. Today, I was reading about some Black Muslims out in California who looted and vandalized an Arab man’s liquor store saying that he had no right to sell liquor to Black people.

Now, I’m assuming that this liquor store was probably one of many in an underprivileged neighbourhood and these Black Muslims were saying, enough is enough. It may not be ethically correct to go into a poor neighbourhood where folks are suffering from alcoholism or drug habits and set up shop to sell something that your own religion (from the article I read, the liquor store owner is Muslim as well) prohibits, but that’s between you and the God you’re serving.

But, is that a good enough excuse to ransack a man’s store?

Unfortunately, a lot of the posters in the BP forums do think it’s enough to be passionate about the Black cause to commit a crime. I mean, are we not bright enough as a people to make our own decisions?

Rosa Parks broke the law just as others did back in the civil rights movement to send a message.

How are you going to compare destroying a liquor store to Rosa Parks standing up for her rights as a human being? No one is pouring liquor down anyone's throat – we’re going and getting it… in droves.

I was in Detroit a few years ago with a friend and we were driving down the street. I saw a big line up of people and I thought, oh, the bank must be opening. Bank? Bank, my eye. Those people were all lined up to go into the liquor store.

Chupse.

so black people cant fight for respect??? we all churched up that we cant see the obvious??? we cannot turn the cheek no longer......its horrible a lot of you live your american dream thats cool congrats on your success but there are those amongst you that look like you skin dark or brown like yours and you let them suffer????... its a sad thing and a lot of you sit in your offices and act like you are holier than thou...put all of them in jail! wow.....you people kill me, i wonder when we are finally gonna stand together…

Well, I guess I’m a sellout, ‘cause the people who ransacked that store, regardless of race, need their asses thrown in a detention centre for a while to think about their ways. I refuse to say foolishness makes sense and sense is foolishness because I'm standing together with my Black brothers and sisters. I'm also not going to feel bad because I've made good choices and I'm well. We need to support each other, but we also need to be man or woman enough to say, 'yo, guy, that was not a good choice.'

So, only Black people should be allowed to wild out for a cause? Anyone see the movie Crash? All people have their own issues. What happens when the white folks next door decided they don’t want my little Black booty living in their neighbourhood and loot and destroy my home? Should I just say, well, you know, they’re fighting for respect?

Hell no.

I’ll be calling the police, CityTV, CTV News, CBC, The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail and every other media outlet in the country to talk how I have been treated and demand that someone be thrown in prison.

Everyone has a reason – in their own mind – for doing stupid things. But the bottom line is: you can’t arbitrarily make laws to suit your purposes.

Man, we as Black people need to take responsibility for ourselves. Yes, we’ve been given a hard row to hoe, but not all of our shortcomings are the fault of someone else, like the liquor store owner or the white man. When you decide to walk into that liquor store and buy a 40 ounce instead of taking your backside to school or work, you've made your choice. You've decided what's important to you.

It's just like when people say, the devil made me do it. Nah, sir, that wasn't the devil, he ain't bothering with you anymore 'cause you're doing a good job screwing yourself up without his help.

I agree with these Muslims taking a stand against something they disagree with, but how they did it was stupid, plain and simple. There are laws. The law says you can’t go into a man’s establishment and break it down because you don’t agree with him.