Despite arsonists on the run, neither manhunts nor media blitzes have materialized.
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Do you remember the CVS in Baltimore that was set ablaze during an uprising of mostly Black youth who were responding to the perceived state sanctioned police violence that killed 25 year-old Mr. Freddie Gray, a black man?
Of course you do, because the news media showed the clip every chance it got. And when mainstream media wasn’t promoting the footage, analyst and thought-leaders pontificated as to why someone, or a group of vandals, would burn down a place that services so many people who live nearby.
Do you remember the name of the three Black churches that were set ablaze and confirmed by officials as arson following a fatal domestic terrorist attack in a historic Black church carried out by 21 year-old Mr. Dylann Roof, a white man, which killed nine people?
Of course you don’t, because the news media isn’t playing clips of the fire every chance it gets, nor are they recruiting analyst and thought-leaders for special segments to discuss what many African-Americans perceive is a string of domestic terrorist attacks carried out by white supremacists.
Do you remember government officials from Georgia, Charlotte, North Carolina, or Knoxville, Tennessee holding a press conference pledging to use every law enforcement resource available to “hunt down” the thugs responsible for a reckless act that resulted in the loss of property?
Of course you don’t, because it didn’t happen, and that’s a result, in part, of the news media not creating a sense of urgency around the story of at least three arsonists on the loose.
The word manhunt hasn’t been uttered by a government official or news anchor, despite the fact that investigators are currently searching for the parties responsible for the fires.
The lack of urgency and attention surrounding the matter prompted Twitter users in mass numbers to express their frustration, concern and pure anger with the hashtag #WhoIsBurningBlackChurches.
Many individuals who tweeted noted that if it wasn’t for the micro-blogging platform which publishes a 140 characters at a time, they’d be completely uniformed about the string of fires in the Southern parts of the U.S., which as of today, total 8, with three confirmed as arson and six of the burnt places of worship belonging to predominately African-Americans congregations.
The reason there’s no visible relentless manhunt for the confirmed arsonists, 24 hours news coverage about the issue or deployment of Homeland Security to Black churches which may soon become targets, is because black lives – their possession and sacred spaces – are disposable, and it’s a message sent by America countless times.
Three confirmed arson attacks targeted at a specific type of people, in a particular location, is a short period of time is cause for great concern, alertness, and urgency; and shame on my colleagues in the media for treating this story as if it’s bottom rung bullsh*t.
I’m calling on government leaders and mainstream media to step up their preventive actions and visibility around the burning of Black churches. I want to see the same righteous indignation expressed by officials and media personalities that they showed when a CVS in Baltimore went up in flames.
I want to see constant news updates on the progress in the manhunt for the arsonists. And for Christ’s sake, literally, use the word manhunt and not open investigation, because that term has lost all validity.
The American public is demanding answers, urgency and prevention; it’s time the government and mainstream media responds to its customers’ demands.
*Tune into 900amWURD or 900amWURD.com every Friday evening during the 6 o’clock hour to hear me relive #TheWeekThatWas*
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
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Photo: AP/File
A story about Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church — which, I believe is the one that appears in the photo — was in today’s Des Moines Register. The story noted that the church also burned down in 1995 and two KKK members were convicted of arson. It also noted that based on a preliminary investigation result, this week’s burning does not appear to be arson. It quoted the concerns of local officials. It reported on the other churches that burned and that some do appear to be arson. The story of the churches burning also was on National Public… Read more »