#blacklivesmatter EVERYWHERE!!

I am not one to shout 'racism' over every post, joke, advert, or event that people feel are aimed at insulting the black race and its people. I sometimes think we as blacks tend to exaggerate and overreact to certain issues, tagging every act as ‘racist’ even when no harm was intended.

However, when blacks are continuously killed, maimed, stumped-on in every aspect, profiled and made to go through extra checks by the police, etc, then it becomes a source of concern and bother to me. This happens everywhere, here in Nigeria, and in the West.

As the Internet has been buzzing for days now over the unwarranted shooting of two black men by the Police in the United States within 24 hours, another story came up of our very own Emmanuel Chidi Nnamdi, who was beaten to death in Italy. What were their crimes?

Emmanuel Chidi Nnamdi was walking with his wife, Chinyere along the street; a tout (that’s the best word to use to describe the fool) hurled abusive racist insult at his wife and tried to grab her. As an Igbo man who usually doesn’t cower in fear, Emmanuel tried to defend his babe and an altercation ensued. He was badly beaten, became unconscious and died later in the hospital. Why did that have to happen??? To think that this couple survived the treacherous crossing of the highly dangerous Mediterranean to get to Europe, the then girlfriend (they got married there in January) even lost her baby after the perilous crossing, and had been living there for eight months. They survived the Mediterranean and he was killed in a street fight!! How tragic!! Knowing my people here, his family must have had high hopes of him settling down there and sending Euro to them. Quite sad!!!

I watched the video of killing of Alton Sterling, and I shivered!! How could that have happened??!!! You already had this guy pinned to the ground with one of you almost straddling him. Two of you vs one of him, yet one of you yelled ‘he’s got a gun’ and one of you brought out your gun from your holster and shot him point blank, not once, not twice!! Haba!! With which hand would he have pulled out the gun he allegedly had? With the hands you already put behind him and was about to handcuff??? In as much as I agree that black crime in predominantly black communities is a source of concern for them over there, but this incident was just not it at all!!! Whatever happened to shooting to maim, not kill??

I can’t even begin to imagine what Diamond Reynolds and her daughter must be going through right now, after watching a Police officer shoot her fiancé four times. According to her, Philando Castile told the Officer that he had a gun in the car, and that he also had a permit to carry concealed weapon when he was told to bring his license and registration. He reached for his glove compartment and the officer shot him!! If the Officer wanted to prevent Philando from pulling out a gun and shooting him (the officer), why not shoot him on his arm or something?? What is it that makes these men trigger-happy??

This not only happens abroad o! Don’t even get me started on our trigger-happy policemen here in Nigeria. They’d kill over 100 naira bribe, they’d kill over refusal to buy them beer, and they’d kill just because they felt like shooting somebody. It is so bad here that nothing happens to the Policemen. At least in the US we got to know the names of the officers involved in the shooting. Here it’s all hush-hush, and the intimidation that’ll follow suit if you ever try to enquire into the killings eh!!

What can the black man do in the face of these harassment we face at home and abroad? Learn to walk away. There’s an Igbo proverb that says ‘onye ujo lara ogu’ (the fearful is the one that walks away free/alive from a fight). Sometimes it’s better to just walk away. Nothing good comes from a street fight or argument with a trigger-happy policeman. Don’t give them a reason to carry out their evil mission on your head. Don’t argue with the man with a gun o! There’s something about that gun that makes a sane man insane, and an already insane man feel powerful.The authorities also need to punish erring officers. There should be mental checks for everybody that handles guns. Black lives should matter also. What is good for our whites should also be good for blacks. Quite upsetting that things like these happen and nothing much gets done. Human lives have been lost, families have lost bread winners, and the culprits are alive and placed on 'administrative suspension'?? Lord give them the strength to bear the losses. My Igbo brothers and sisters, this is just another proof that life is not always greener in Europe. 

Have a nice weekend everyone, and stay safe.

Sending birthday shout-out my beloved Aunt, Uche Chi Nwogbo, my mum’s younger sister. Love you plenty!!!!

Hugs…