Instead of a Friday Photo, I’m posting a Friday Video. This song by Stevie Wonder has been discussed as one of the best protest songs ever. Released in 1974, it is still timely.
Tag: Charlotte
Black men aren’t the problem
Last night I went to bed knowing that an unarmed black man was shot in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This morning I woke up to a news report of yet another black man killed by police in my hometown, Charlotte, North Carolina. Police say Keith Lamont Scott, age 43, wasn’t the suspect they were looking for in a search near UNC Charlotte. Right now the police say he had a gun, and his daughter says she didn’t.
Black men are being shot by police officers whether they are armed or not. Standing by a broken down car, waiting for a child to get off a school bus, or simply waking up as a black man, is a danger to that man’s safety every day.
It is life-threatening to wake up as a black man in the United States.
But, f you are a young privileged white man like former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner, you can wake up, get crazy drunk one night, rape an unconscious woman, and then blame your actions on the party culture of Stanford University, where you were enrolled on a sports scholarship. The judge who hears your case, Aaron Persky, will sentence you for a scant six months because,”A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him,” Persky said. “I think he will not be a danger to others.” And then you’ll get to go home after serving half of your “sentence.”
Brock Turner’s cakewalk with the justice system is one reason #blacklivesmatter is a very real issue in our country. It has been a long time coming. If you are a white person who feels threathened by what is happening in our country, imagine how it feels to wake up as a black man every day.
Fancy bikes
The Friday Photo
March 21, 2014
Last weekend Charlotte was the host city for National Handmade Bicycle Show. David thought that would be a good way to celebrate his birthday.
As soon as we walked in, David, and his work wife and bike riding friend, Leslie, had to figure out the mechanics of carbon chains. Another fellow got involved in the conversation and finally all three came to an agreement on how to replace one.
I stood back while they talked and thought, “Ooooo, art work on the wheels.”
Who is that behind those Foster Grants?
The Friday Photo
A weekly photo inspired by art, community, and spontaneity
August 3, 2012
Celebrities prefer the pastries at Amelie’s French Bakery
in Charlotte’s NoDa Arts District