Dear Editor,
A few days ago, a New York grand jury refused to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo after he and other officers were caught on video, July 17, 2014, putting a chokehold on an unarmed black man. The victim, Eric Garner, was heard gasping and saying, "I can't breathe".
A Missouri grand jury declined to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of an unarmed teenager, Michael Brown, who was shot dead on August 9, 2014.
A Florida grand jury declined to indict Officer James Harris, who used his patrol car to run over Marlon Brown on May 8, 2013, when Brown fled his car after being stopped for allegedly not wearing a seat belt. Harris's dashcam recorded the incident.
A Florida jury found George Zimmerman not guilty after killing unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin on February
26, 2012.
Lest we believe the issue of colour, class, and racial prejudice is a uniquely American problem, let me mention the Green Bay Massacre, Agana Barrett, Michael Gayle, the Braeton seven, Mario Deane, and, yes, the May 2010 security forces' operations into Tivoli.
The issues of colour, class and racial prejudice and injustice are still with us in Jamaica as it is in America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and across the globe. In this regard, the pronouncement of Emperor Haile Selassie to the United Nations, in 1963, is as relevant now as it was then:
"That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; That until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation; That until the colour of a man's skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained... Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and goodwill...(we) will not know peace."
Orville Plummer
oaplummer@yahoo.com
Colour, class and race
-->
A few days ago, a New York grand jury refused to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo after he and other officers were caught on video, July 17, 2014, putting a chokehold on an unarmed black man. The victim, Eric Garner, was heard gasping and saying, "I can't breathe".
A Missouri grand jury declined to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of an unarmed teenager, Michael Brown, who was shot dead on August 9, 2014.
A Florida grand jury declined to indict Officer James Harris, who used his patrol car to run over Marlon Brown on May 8, 2013, when Brown fled his car after being stopped for allegedly not wearing a seat belt. Harris's dashcam recorded the incident.
A Florida jury found George Zimmerman not guilty after killing unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin on February
26, 2012.
Lest we believe the issue of colour, class, and racial prejudice is a uniquely American problem, let me mention the Green Bay Massacre, Agana Barrett, Michael Gayle, the Braeton seven, Mario Deane, and, yes, the May 2010 security forces' operations into Tivoli.
The issues of colour, class and racial prejudice and injustice are still with us in Jamaica as it is in America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and across the globe. In this regard, the pronouncement of Emperor Haile Selassie to the United Nations, in 1963, is as relevant now as it was then:
"That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; That until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation; That until the colour of a man's skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained... Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and goodwill...(we) will not know peace."
Orville Plummer
oaplummer@yahoo.com
Colour, class and race
-->