Month: June 2017

I hesitated to watch the shooting and killing of Philando Castile, but I did. I also kept up with the reporting on the testimony of the officer that shot and killed Mr. Castile. Like I have always predicted, the easiest thing to blame a dead person for is drug use. For Black men, its marijuana use. The officer that killed Mr. Castile, and was acquitted of all criminal charges relating to the shooting, testified that he thought the if Mr. Castile had “the audacity to smoke marijuana in front of the five-year-old girl”  then, “what care does he [Mr. Castile] give about me?” Really? Someone acting under the color of authority granted to him by Mr. Castile’s government just linked smoking pot, something that has become increasingly legal and beneficial, to a depraved heart that led this government official to have no choice but to execute him? The same officer mentioned something about Mr. Castile’s nose that seemed rather racially insensitive. Stereotypes like these seem common in many police departments and that fact shapes many minorities (that are subject of those negative stereotypes) interactions with law enforcement.

Here is the #commonground:

If we are contemplating war with North Korea over their murder of Otto Warmbier, we should have the same common outrage for what just happened in the trial of Mr. Castile’s shooter. See, Otto stole a banner in a sovereign that is brutal, authoritative, and conniving. Unfortunately, he has paid his life for it. That brutal regime can not go unchallenged. Similarly, Mr. Castile was exercising his constitutional right to “keep and bear arms.” Which brings me to the topic of how a Black man exercising his 2^nd amendment right should handle compelled interactions with law enforcement.

First and foremost, like my Law School Professor and Advisor has widely warned: Don’t talk to the police, unless they compel you to give a response. In Mr. Castile’s case, he was pulled over because the officer had cause to believe that his taillights were broken. Mr. Castile, especially with a weapon in the car, had very little choice but to interact with the officer. While the shooter’s partner stood on the other side of the car without even touching his weapon, which could indicate that the shooter’s partner felt no threat from Mr. Castile, Mr. Castile informed the officer that he was armed. Seconds later, he was shot, and soon after, dead.

What we learn from this interaction and result of Mr. Castile’s shooter’s trial, is that if you are a minority, especially a Black male, and you are armed, and the officer becomes aware that you are armed, and your hands are not secure, you are automatically a threat to that officer’s life. Especially, if you have smoked pot in the past. So, here is what should be done upon an interaction with law enforcement when armed and Black.

1. If driving, immediately place both of your hands on the steering wheel. If on foot, immediately raise both hands.
2. Before talking to the officer, say a quick prayer asking for wisdom.
3. Tell the officer that you are placing your hands on the steering wheel (or in the air) as a lifesaving gesture. Inform the officer that you will not use your hands unless instructed to do so.
4. Inform the officer that you are legally armed and have the documentation to prove it but will not be able to access it with your hands because you are in fear for your life.
5. Ask the officer if he can please call for backup or handcuff you for his safety.
6. Allow the officer or back-up officer to retrieve your documents and/or weapon allowing the situation to neutralize.

While we should not have these kinds of steps for only a class of people, it is sad that history, common practices, judicial philosophy, laws, and society has brought us to the point that practical and articulable guidance to survival while armed and Black must be provided.

Common Grounders,

It has been over a year since the last update. The time was used to dive deeper about what #commonground wants to accomplish with this space. During the pondering, many things happened. First, the moderator, Phillip Imanlihen, graduated from Regent University School of Law, where he was exposed to some of the greatest conservative minds, including faculty, students and members of the community. Most importantly, during this time, Phillip engaged in frank dialogues about our countries ideological and political divide. Phillip, after growing up in Chicago, attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and eventually moving to New York City where he attended one of the City Universities of New York, decided that Regent would, and did, give him a balance in perspective needed to navigate this new political and social landscape that a millennial like him has to navigate. It’s safe to say that Phillip has entrenched himself in both sides of this hypothetical “line” that divides and seems to now threaten our democracy, as we know it. Second, President Trump got elected, inaugurated, nominated and confirmed a Supreme Court Justice. Third, our politics are plain nasty. Recently, a Congressman from Louisiana, Steve Scalise and others, were ambushed at a GOP baseball practice, it’s bad!

But, as the great Theologian, Thomas Aquinas, said: “better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate” which leads to move from contemplation to delivery.  Our goal, simply, is to find #commonground, thus, this space is meant to facilitate that goal. To facilitate that goal, we must create an online environment that allows Americans to realize that we all have #commongrond. To reach our goal, our space must do the following:

• It must find #commonground between this hypothetical “line” that has for so long divided us; so,
• this space will be for people with different ideas that can still find common ground for the greater good of our politics; plus,
• our space will be find where our politicians agree and highlight it; while
• finding ways to find #commonground on the policies that brings disagreement.

If we are able to find #commonground on issues in which we disagree, we are making progressive steps towards creating policies that works for all Americans. At Common Ground Analysis our goal is to find a place where, for example, Democrats and Republicans, minorities and law enforcement,  organizations like the ACLU and the ACLJ, can interact and learn from each other to find #commonground.

Moving policies that affect everyday Americans forward while bringing congress’s approval rating out of a hole can only be done with #commonground.