Older White Woman Shoots Black Teen in the Head for Walking on Property

In Macon, Georgia, 47 year-old Elisabeth Faye Cannon shot 15-year-old Vernon Marcus, Jr. in the head because she--you guessed it--feared for her safety.

She alleges that a group of teens had been throwing rocks and causing damages to her home and vehicle. She claims this had been going on for months. She states that she had called the police several times, but to no avail.

Her initial intention was to fire the gun to scare the teens away; however, she though they would eventually hurt her. As she shot the gun at the teens, one bullet eventually struck Marcus.

One of the teens tells a different story. He states that they were walking home from a convenient store when she fired shots from her gun. He also alleges that Cannon had harassed them previously by using racial slurs and accusing them of breaking into her home.

When asked about the conditions in some Macon neighborhoods in an interview by a local newspaper in 2013, Cannon had this to say:

"...The good Blacks won't get onto the bad Blacks. You try not to profile, but at the same time 99.9 percent of crime is gonna be, most often, a Black male...The good Blacks are too busy."

Ok, there is so much wrong with both this incident and her statement...

These boys DID NOT need to be shot at! Even if they may have been throwing stones at her property as she so alleges. Contrary to popular belief amongst racist Whites, vandalism, especially if it has not been proven, is not a reason to be killed. However, based on her statement in 2013, I think that she was profiling the young men because they are African American. She was scared of them and felt threatened when they were walking along the sidewalk on her property on their way home simply because they are Black.

So-called "good Blacks" have to be on top of "bad Blacks?" What about "good Whites" being on top of the Whites who shoot up schools? That is illogical. People are responsible for their own actions, and someone's race does not predict their actions. There are good and bad people in every race, culture, religion, etc. Thinking otherwise is condoning racial profiling. And it is completely baseless of her to state matter-of-factly that "99.9 percent" of crime is committed by Black males. This is the type of thinking that leads to racial profiling. With that being said, I think she is lying and were targeting these young boys because of the color of their skin.

What are your thoughts on this incident and her statement?

The 2016 Presidential Election

Ok...now that I am getting back into the swing of things, lets talk about the 2016 Presidential Election.

This was a very tumultuous election, to say the least. I have lost friends--good friends--due to their pick for President-Elect. A Facebook friend berated me on this, basically calling me childish and saying that is is stupid for me to let the fact that my candidate not winning effect important relationships. For him, it was simply just, "Oh, get over it. I did not like either candidate." I had to explain to him, in a more abrupt way, why this had to be done.

First, I am sure you know by now who I had voted for. Donald Trump just was not an option. Not only was his behavior inappropriate (and still is), but he is also inept to run a whole country: he had run his company to the ground several times, he knows nothing about politics or how the U.S. government works, and his child-like temperament is not well suited for this type of position. Not to mention his racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and blatant disrespect for those that oppose him. He also took forever to disavow the KKK and David Duke's endorsements.

To me, all of these things are unacceptable, and this is not how I want my President, who is representing my country, to act. He is an embarrassment. We are the laughing stock of the world right now.

As far as my former friends go: I was good friends with one woman while were in high school. We both worked at the same fast food restaurant. I even attended her wedding. 

I was having some financial hardships in the past year, and she was willing to help me out, even though she didn't have much. For this, I am appreciative and feel bad about; however, when I found out that she supported and voted for Trump, it was simply unforgivable to me. I let her know that she had the PRIVILEGE to vote for him because she was not non-black, Muslim, and immigrant, or gay. The rest of us are scared shitless for our lives. Just with his election alone, hate crimes have increased. People are getting bold with their racism and xenophobia because they know that he will protect them, not us.

She claims that she voted for him because she was a 'Christian,' and he opposed abortion. This is lame because, first off all, he does not act like a Christian. Second of all, if she were so pro-life, she would be worried about the remainder of us being persecuted by rowdy Trump supporters. I mean, look at his rallies: people getting hurt, manhandled, pushed around, and punched in the face just because they had different views.

So, this is why I no longer consider her a friend. She is clearly not concerned for my wellbeing, as I am a Black female. This hurt me to the core, but I had to unfriend her on Facebook and cut her off.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Getting Back into Gear...

Hello, all. After a 4-year hiatus, I have decided to start working on my project again. I will try to keep up with new posts about things race-related events happening in the world. Please, look for my book by the end of the year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brown

Black Nurse Sues Hospital for Honoring Racist Dad's Request

In Flint, Michigan, a Black nurse is suing the hospital where she works for submitting to a request from a father that his child, who was in the NICU, not be cared for by any African-American nurses. After the nurse, Tonya Battle, introduced herself to the family has the child's nurse, the father reportedly asked to speak to her manager. He allegedly showed the charge nurse a swastika tattoo and made the request, which was then documented on the child's chart. She is suing for emotional damage and humiliation.

For the father to make such a request is fine: that's his business; however, for the hospital to honor such a demand is asinine. Yeah, you can argue that he has a right to demand who can care for his child, but it is the hospital's responsibility to make sure the child gets the best care and that their employees are treated fairly, and to submit to the discrimination of its employees is just irresponsible.

I have been reading some of the comments in the above link, and some have made comments of how the man was justified because they had experiences with African-American nurses having an attitude, or how they are not as competent as others. One even said that professors don't give Blacks failing grades because we will play the race card! Let me tell you something: it has been said but at least one of my former pharmacy school classmates that certain Blacks in our class only got into pharmacy school because of Affirmative Action. If that is so, then why is it that the four Blacks in the class all graduated on time (with two even having babies while in school) and with honors?! And don't tell me the professors were scared to give us failing grades because of our race. In that case, there would have been no way we could have passed our board exams!

I have also been discriminated against as a healthcare professional because of my race when I worked in the retail setting. I know that people get discriminated against every day for a number of reasons; however, to be discriminated against because of race is a delicate issue because of America's history with racism. It is also unfair to use race as a a factor to judge someone on because race is something that cannot be changed--someone can't help that they are the race that they are. It's not about simply "hurting someone's feelings," it is deeper than that. If you have ever experienced racism you would understand.

The hospital shouldn't have allowed discrimination to go on. They should have brought the situation up to Ms. Battle and the other Black woman and let them have a choice in the matter instead of sequestering them away from the child. Mr. Racist needs to realize that there are different people all around him. One day, someone of a different race is going to care for him or help him in some way, and he really won't have a choice in the matter. I wish I could say that I didn't want to deal with White people (not really, but just for argument sake). I know that would be impossible because they will always be around.

I think that Ms. Battle has a right to sue. What do you think?

Company President Smacks Toddler on a Plane, Calls Him a 'Nigger Baby'

Joe Rickey Hundley, president of an aircraft parts manufacturer in Idaho, is now out of a job after he allegedly slapped a 19-month-old boy while telling the mother to "shut that nigger baby up."

The baby was crying due to the change in altitude on the flight's final descent. Hundley ended up scratching the baby boy under the right eye when he slapped him, causing him to cry even louder.

Apparently, he was intoxicated.

The company that he worked for, AGC Aerospace and Defense, said that they are embarrassed by his actions, but would not say if he resigned or was let go.

If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison.

Simply disgusting. There is nothing more to say...

The President's Inauguration on MLK Day

Yesterday was an important day in history: not only was it MLK Day, but it was the day of the second  presidential inauguration for Barack Obama. America has really came a long way from the days of MLK; however, it still has a ways to go. There is still a lot of bigotry going on, not only toward minorities, but toward homosexuals as well.

In 2009 I sent out a race relations survey to some of my Facebook friends for a book that I am in the process of writing, and one of the questions on it was whether they thought that racism had been eradicated with the election of a black president. Obviously it had not, although one responder claimed it had. Even though the survey responses were anonymous, I have a pretty good idea who that responder was. Apparently, he chooses not to acknowledge racism both blatant and subtle. I tend to believe the contrary: that the election of a black president has made racism more prevalent and recognizable. I've seen the true colors of some of my "friends" and other people that I know with Obama's election and re-election, and it seems to me that even though they may not identify themselves has being racist they may have "racist tendencies."

Putting the bouts of racism aside, I am more proud now than when Obama was first elected four years ago. It shouldn't matter if you agree with his politics or not, you have to be proud of the fact that most Americans were willing to look passed the color of his skin and elect a black man as POTUS not once, but twice! This was MLK's dream. If you are not proud, well (in my opinion) you are un-American and probably racist.

"Driving While Black Ain't No Joke!"

T.J. Holmes, a former host for CNN, was pulled over while driving on Monday.

Normally, this may not be news; however, Holmes tweeted his experience because he had no idea what he was being pulled over for. And the cop couldn't tell him, either. Allegedly, the officer was stumbling over his words while trying to explain to Holmes why he had been pulled over. Eventually, he settled on the excuse that he "wanted to make sure (Holmes) had insurance on the car."

Keep in mind that Holmes was one mile away from his home, which, I'm sure, is in an affluent neighborhood.

This is a prime example of racial profiling, if you ask me. The officer inadvertently admitted it by stating that he wanted to make sure Holmes had car insurance. Why wouldn't he have car insurance? That is the lamest excuse if I ever heard one.

You're right, T.J.: driving while black isn't a joke.