The Authoritarianism Of The American Police State

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Two days before Christmas, a “thug” launched an “unprovoked attack” on a female MTA employee on a Bronx subway platform, “choking her” and causing injuries, according to the Daily News. The “hulking brute” then fled the scene, “grinning as he made his may through the turnstile.”

The newspaper’s description conjures images of a fanatical psychopath, aggressively assaulting an innocent victim and showing a twisted pleasure in his deranged actions while escaping. Several days later the perpetrator was located, but he was not arrested. On Friday, more than a month later, police announced he will face only misdemeanor charges.

The perpetrator was allegedly discovered when he saw video of himself on the news and turned himself in, police said. Incidentally the man, 37-year-old Mirjan Lolja, is himself an NYPD policeman.

#BlackLivesMatter: From Ferguson October to Chicago’s Union Station

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Seeing the resistance and the outcry in Ferguson after the murder of Mike Brown by police state was overwhelming for me. I made the decision to support Ferguson from Chicago in every possible way until we received the call to travel there as part of a nationwide mass mobilization called Ferguson October.

I made my trip to Ferguson on the weekend of October 11th to meet fellow Chicago organizers. Most of the events were scheduled in St. Louis. I arrived at an event called “Hip Hop Summit and Justice,” attended by socially conscious hip-hop artists such as the legendary Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Jasiri X, Rebel Diaz and many more. They rallied the crowd through music, demanding justice for Mike Brown and for other black lives who have been taken by the system. Powerful activist and writer Cornel West made a brief guest appearance during the show.

Later that evening, we joined the masses for an event at St. Louis University with faith leaders, community organizers, Palestine solidarity activists, and West himself.

#BlackLivesMatter: Riots And Rally Cries

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The shooting of an unarmed youth, Michael Brown, struck a spark in the hearts of minorities wanting to have equal and fair treatment when dealing with the police. The Black Lives Matter Movement came out of Ferguson, Missouri but it spread across the nation on November 24 with the news that Darren Wilson would not be indicted for his actions.

The case is confusing and too convoluted to get into here. However, the root of the case has nothing to do with either one of these people. It goes back to a trend of excessive police force in black and brown communities in order to “protect” whites. It is about police engagement and how much authority police are given in situations of arrest. Darren Wilson and Michael Brown are opposing symbols. And the nation witnesses this.

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