Richard Mellor
I attended this rally tonight (7-23-18) to protest and as a memorial to the vicious stabbing attack of two young black girls after they left a Bay Area Rapid Transit train Sunday evening. "Nia Wilson, 18, died at the scene. Her sister, 26-year-old Letifah Wilson, was hospitalized with stab wounds to her neck. A third sister was not injured in the attack" according to ABC News.
It was very sombre but at the same time very warm. Some young girls I saw looked so devastated they could hardly stand up. There was grief and anger all mixed in to one. The black community is so tired of this and the general assault in its many forms on black people and the black community in general.
There was some prayer leading and talk of Jesus and god as I got there "keep praying keep praying" said one guy with a megaphone. With all due respect this gets a little tiring as the violence against black folks continues unabated, in particular the violence directed at them by the state and its security forces. Praying is just not working. I spoke with this woman in this short clip below earlier or she spoke with me mostly. I wish I had filmed her then because when she spoke she was very powerful. I just felt it would be a bit rude to stop her and start to film so I just let her speak but I did catch her a little later as she spoke to someone else.
I have just learned the suspect has been captured and is in police custody he was only released from prison in May after serving a 2 year sentence for an armed robbery. He was known to the police and described by them as a violent felon. He is also described as a "transient" by the media and the authorities. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has said that, "Oakland has no room for hate and the city stands against racial hatred and white supremacy, but reinforced that officials have no evidence that the killing of Wilson was racially motivated."
There are also reports I have read that suggests the perpetrator was mentally ill. And there are a lot of transients or homeless people that are and the job of caring for the mentally ill in the US falls to the prisons, it's a disastrous situation. If one is not mentally ill before becoming homeless, being homeless will do it.
A small makeshift shrine to the young victim |
Many young people were barely able to cope |
Trump caused this killing.
I was a bit overwhelmed by this all. I kept thinking how I would cope with losing my child in this way, a senseless killing. I have written before on this forum that the humanity and dignity of black folks astounds me at times. How much longer can they absorb the brutality that this system inflicts on them. Of course, they are not alone, but they are the prime target. Surely no one can be shocked when the anger gets out of control.
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