Icheoku says it depends on who is making the narrative and through whose lens his action is being viewed. In many Black American communities, especially those still trapped in abject poverty in their concentration camps called HOODS, Micah Xavier Johnson is being hailed as their knight in shinning armor who rose up to say enough. It goes without saying that White people are wishing they had captured him alive so that the can drag him through their justice system and eventually give him the death penalty; but he denied them that opportunity when he died.
It is not always often that one sees an individual rise above personal self preservation, convinced on apparent wrong being meted to a people he identifies with, and decides to do something about it, including risking it all just to make that emphatic statement that enough is enough and that no justice, no peace. Icheoku likens it the jungle of Serengeti in the war of the worlds between African Water Buffalos and the Lions. They are always at each other's butt. The buffalo does not like the lion and it is for a reason as the lion always want to kill and feed on the buffalo. Could anyone imagine the peace there would be in the jungle had all the animals therein inhabiting, settled on a vegetarian diet? But no, some feel so special that they would rather feed on others and this is the reason why the buffalo never likes the sight of its predator.
This analogy describes the present relationship existing between African Americans and White people and their White police officers. Like the Water buffalo, African Americans are increasingly growing very resentful of a police which they see represents oppression; and which symbolizes death, destruction, assaults, arrests, persecution and imprisonment. So who wouldn't be resentful faced with such constant harassment, intimidation and violation of their basic human rights without any reasonable cause or basis.
All Icheoku can add is that if any lesson is learnt from the Dallas incident, it is that African Americans are complaining loudly and are getting closer to their tipping point. The earlier the White people, who control their affairs and somewhat subjugate them, starts to seriously pay attention to their grievances bubbling underneath their breath, the better everyone will come out of it at the end. But like a rumbling volcano, waiting to go off, it will be a sad day in America, the day African Americans decide that they have finally had it and that a life not worth living well is not worth living at all.That is what these White people should be worrying about and not who is arrested or who was killed either in Baton Rouge or Minnesota or Dallas.
But the injustice in the land is excessively skewed against African Americans and it seems to have gotten worst since the currency of Obamsa's administration. It would seem that a resentful White population, who are mad that a black man is occupying their White House, is visiting their anger on black people in general. Icheoku says that just one man could do this much damage, killed 5 and wounded 7 police officers, simply shows the amount of damage which is possible should 30 million people ever declare enough and chose to die in the process instead of continuing in the situation in which they are forced to live with.
Hopefully the Dallas incident will be a watershed in race relationship in America and trigger a real conversation towards finding meaningful solutions to remedying what is broken. But instead, people are digging in in their positions and neighborhoods and nobody seem to be listening to what each other has to say. Icheoku hopes it will not ever boil over.
The White people must and should read the situation correctly and honestly tell themselves that there is a real problem of race in the land. Their usual indifference will not cut it; neither would their armed police force or armed forces solve the problem, regardless of how many black people they kill or imprison in their effort or attempt to intimidate and subjugate them. They must stop and smell the coffee as there is a growing resentment in communities of color which need to be nipped in the bud by addressing the issues concerning these minorities before it is too late.
White people cannot afford to have an outright war or total breakdown of law and order inside America. The other alternative that is not equally palatable is to do nothing and watch these deprived minorities get so despondent that they become militant like the IRA or even worse still ISIS. The problem is that minorities have acquired the skills of weapon handling and weapons are readily available in the country. So anarchy will not be better defined than a day the situation will tip over or shove comes to push.
Icheoku says as for all those White people who usually mouth off that African Americans have become a problem in the country; query: were their forebears not minding their business in the jungles of Africa when the white people came and forcibly abducted them, shipped them to foreign strange lands to till their lands and water their crops? They did not ask to be put in ships, chained and shackled, and transported to America. Now over 200 years since slavery ended, no meaningful steps have been taken to rehabilitate or reconcile these descendants of slaves and truly make them believe the ordeal of slavery is finally over in America. The after burners of that tragedy continues to linger till today.
In black communities, churches, schools and every place they could call theirs, the issue is occupying their mind, wondering when will their ordeal actually end. A feeling of not being wanted nor being really part of America is pervasive in these communities and the White people are not doing anything to assuage this fear. This feeling intensifies as they see their White counterparts living large and in a country built upon the backs and sweats of their forebears.
Anyway, nothing is worth nor warrants the taking of any innocent person's life, be it police or black Americans. For the tragedy that took place in Dallas, Icheoku mourns the loss of those five police officers alongside their bereaved families. In the same vein, those two black Americans killed in Baton Rouge and Minnesota have a companion in our soul. To Micah Xavier Johnson, Icheoku says an eye for an eye will make the world go blind. To our enemies, we should pray for forgiveness of their ignorance which make them to sin. Killing of those Dallas police officers solved no problem nor were they the answer to police brutalizing of innocent black Americans. Moreso, they did not pull the triggers that cut down the lives of the two African Americans that triggered this mayhem.
Icheoku has no opinion however about how history will treat the Dallas shooter Micah Xavier Johnson; but knows that the carnage of Dallas will live forever in infamy. It is regrettable and it is condemnable and it does not matter how displeased anyone is with anybody nor their intentions to kill any people or their police officers, it should not be the way out. Icheoku says America, can we please stop killing each other so that we may see our tomorrow together in peace and prosperity. But let everyone know that things cannot continue as is and as if some lives or even black lives don't matter. Black lives should matter just like any other life in America and may the conversation begin and seriously begin now in all honesty. To all the dead killed, the police and black Americans including the bombed Micah Xavier Johnson, Icheoku says may you all rest in peace. Hopefully there is no colors in heaven. Adieu.
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