(ThyBlackMan.com) And they say that it is the white man that I should fear, well, it’s my own kind doing all the killing here.
Tupac Amaru Shakur (1971 – 1996)
Today was a day that outsiders may construe as a good day as my family received a meager portion of “justice” when a jury handed down a guilty verdict against Khairi Bond, a twenty-three-year-old Black man who fired a gun in the direction of Nolan Lovett, a thirty-two-year-old Black man who happens to be my eldest cousin’s son, the salvo entered Nolan’s life and ended his life on that eventful day. The sentence handed down by the Judge was 18 years to life in prison for murder with a gun specification.
I guess that one does not really understand the adage of “can’t win for losing” until they experience the heartbreak that flows from a senseless murder of a family member, followed by a trial that does
nothing to quell the phenomenal sense of loss that the crime cruelly demands from those who loved the dearly departed, not to mention the “pound of flesh” that will be slowly sliced off of those who loved the convicted for the unspecified term of his confinement.
In many ways, this post is less about Nolan Lovett and more about the gun culture and finality that flows from the barrel of a gun. As we all know, black-on-black lethal gun violence has become synonymous with a certain portion of African-American male culture.
If I did not know any better, I would swear that the unyielding rage that so many Black men, regardless of age, sexual orientation, educational level, or socioeconomic status harbor and express without the slightest provocation on fellow Black men is due to a prior unreported injury. I have searched the historical record far and wide and it does not reveal such an event.
Yet, an unbridled rage exists within Black men and behaves as if it has a mind of its own. Unfortunately for Black America, that single-track mind seeks to satisfy an insatiable desire to destroy Black males.
In many ways, the actions of Khairi Bond and all others involved in the events of May 3rd, 2018 reveal a startling level of selfishness and unconscionable self-hatred. Never in the days, better yet years, leading up to this cursed day which changed the lives of my family, the family of Mr. Bond, and the menagerie of individuals who held some level of affection for Khairi and Nolan, did it occur to any of those involved that their presence mattered. They must have not realized that in the grand scheme of things that they were too important to lead a wayward life that limited their potential and brought sorrow and heartbreak to family members, including offspring, nieces, and nephews who need their protection, guidance, and wisdom.
My cousin Stacey Young posted the following words in the moments following the guilty verdict,
Although Justice was served it’s still a loss all the way around…We loss our Loved one, only left with pictures, memories, and a plaque in the ground. Another family left with scheduled visits. Let this be a lesson and not a curse. Put the guns down, squash the that’s my homie I’m gone ride for him mentality. Grow up!!
These streets are leading you to two places, the graveyard or the penitentiary. Two families divided…I’m tired! Lord, I pray a sense of peace falls over this community.
Although it is easy to dismiss the above plea as emotionalism, I prefer to consider it yet another message from God toward my kind to as Malcolm X put it, “Wake up, Clean up, and Stand up.”
Please do not consider my support of the above request to put the guns down to be an indicator of my lack of understanding regarding overarching factors that contribute to, better yet encourage Black-on-Black violence. However, I am sure that those who place all of their chips in this camp, will dispute my contention that Black men do not have to be pawns controlled by factors outside of their control; to believe that we are so powerless relegates us to being dimwitted at best and hopeless at worst.
The time passed long ago for Black men to heed the call of who they were created to be by Almighty God. Nevertheless, it is a sad day when the following words penned by Tupac Amaru Shakur, a Black man who was senselessly murdered by another Black man, come back to haunt us yet again.
And they say that it is the white man that I should fear, well, it’s my own kind doing all the killing here.
I pray that God blesses Black men and provides an immediate dose of wisdom and consideration for their kind.
Staff Writer; Dr. James Thomas Jones III
Official website; http://www.ManhoodRaceCulture.com
One may also connect with this brother via Twitter; DrJamestJones.