By Robert Miranda

Editor’s Commentary

This past weekend, the streets of Milwaukee was rocked with the sound of young angry voices after a police officer shot and killed a young black man who was armed and allegedly pointed the gun at the officer. The fatal shooting took place in the city’s Sherman Park neighborhood.

After the shooting a rampage of violence took over the streets. Buildings and vehicles were set on fire. Police officers hurt from flying bricks and rocks. Shootings could be heard all around the neighborhood, with one person injured from a gun shot.

The situation on the ground necessitated Gov. Scott Walker to activate the state National Guard in case it was needed to help quell the unrest.

Why Black peoples rioting for a man who had a gun and died for pointing it at a cop?

Because there are many instances where whites have had guns pointed at police and ended arrested and living and not shot and dead. The Bundy Ranch incident to start.

Many believe that rioting for someone who had a stolen gun  was the reason for the rampage. That is farthest from the truth. The real reason for the riots are because of years of harassment at the hands of police and white businesses.

In December of 2014, Milwaukee was called the worst city in the nation for African-Americans. That designation wasn’t based on opinion, but a deep analysis of “household income, the percentage of people without health insurance, educational attainment, homeownership, unemployment, incarceration rates, and mortality among infants as well as other age groups.”

In March of 2015, Kenya Downs, who grew up in the city, wrote a powerful piece for NPR asking the question, “Why is Milwaukee so bad for black people?”

In the October of 2015, NBA player John Henson, who had just signed a $44 million contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, went to a local store there to buy his first Rolex watch. Upon seeing him, store employees got so deathly afraid of him that they locked the doors, pretended like the store was closed, and called the police on him.

The narrative for the rampage and violence is about how African-Americans have grown fed up all over this country with being mistreated and ignored for decades–they simply can’t take it anymore.

The sad thing is this, many who are reading this now could care two-bits and an empty box of Cheerios what is happening with Black peoples in this country.