People took to the streets. People blamed the unethical behavior of police officers in the two killings of two black men. I live in NYC, remember, the melting pot? There are thousands of African American police officers, and although they are a bit wary of the state of affairs and modes of apprehending individuals who are not at the very least not what I would consider to be hard working stellar citizens, they certainly did not deserve to die, and yes, the police went too far, too overboard, and tried to sweep things under the rug, but you can certainly thank the media and thousands and thousands of opportunists to whip out those race cards and create a wretched state of racial chaos. “It was white on black.” “It was an attack on the Black people of America.” “Police are always terrorizing the minorities…” When things get too hot, it will always revolve around race, and after the horrible events of 911, religion.

[As a footnote, when I saw the videotape of Eric Garner, what really horrified me as much as the choke hold were the actions of a couple of inept EMTs or Paramedics who didn’t even try to resuscitate a man who clearly appeared to be dying or unconscious.  How come no one raised hell over that?  If you get paid to save lives in emergencies and you don’t lift a finger, isn’t that some form of murder due to negligence? Aren’t you supposed to at least get indicted over that?]

Well, here we go again, and now I can’t think of a more race card scenario for the media than the targeted deaths of a newly married Asian police officer and a Spanish police officer by an angry black man who hates cops, but because they’re cops it’s not considered a race crime by the media, right ????  Are the police going to start a protest against the citizens? Well, I hate to break it to you, but they can’t. Under the law, they’re not allowed to. It’s against the law because they are civil servants, servants to us, the civilians, and though they may not be the most polite and courteous individuals at times, they do get paid to protect us, or at least try to, or manage show up when the shit hits the fan and not after.  Not the type of servant I guess your used to…

When I heard the news of the retaliation, I assumed the two police officers were both white because we always expect the top story/front page to be a white on black crime or vice versa, but as reality dictates, we really have created a melting pot of a shit storm that is hovering over this great city, so I might as well be politically correct about the entire affair: Is it a race crime when a black man kills an Asian police officer and Spanish police officer, or do we dismiss it as a hate crime?  What if the cops who were gunned down were minorities? Hmm….  THEY WERE !  Was the entire affair about race or police brutality or a combination of both? I look outside, I still hear birds chirping. The sun is out. The sky’s blue.  We’re having a pretty calm winter.  The Holidays are rolling in. I am thankful to be alive and healthy, but there’s chaos and anger everywhere, so in my own little way, I am most thankful for not being involved or in a position to clean up the horrific mess.

So we clearly have two sides that went too far, but as a working citizen in this great land, I ask myself, which of the two would make me feel safer when there are low-lifes wandering around the streets: White low-lifes, Asian low-lifes, Spanish low-lifes, Indian low-lifes, Black low-lifes, Caucasian low-lifes, etc.  I guess that’s how some of you see them.  To, me a low-life is a low-life.  I certainly do not want to encounter the likes of corrupt cops either, but with the aid of technology these days, it is really hard to be corrupt with smart phones and cameras clicking and pointing away at your every move at every corner or turn, but if you’re not in a uniform with an identifiable source of identification, it’s still relatively easier to be a criminal or a public nuisance to business owners, workers, students, veterans and seniors who happen to rely on professional help in cleaning up their streets.  My hood was tough but still beautiful in its own way. I grew up around drug dealers, hustlers, hookers, pimps, thieves, and assholes. I knew where to walk, when to walk, and oddly, how to walk. I always watched my back, and earned the right to deem myself as “street-smart” in the toughest city I knew of, NYC.  Most of all, I kept away and kept my head way above the shit.

As a Native New Yorker, I learned to be racial but never a racist because I was surrounded by so many kinds of people and cultures. Spot the difference when you see similar people of race stare you down, look at you like you don’t belong on their corner, and proudly speak in their tongues.  All I really cared about were the ones who were into the same things as I was into. Yes, it was that simple!  Sure we made fun of eachother -ya know, take shots! We laughed at eachother, with eachother, and became the best of friends. So, sorry, I can’t see in black and white. I see in many colors and shades, many cultures and religions, and I know a homie when I see one, so I am sorry, I can’t see in black and white. It is a stigma that I am proud of after so many years in the Big Apple.  When we get on a crowded train or bus, we somehow accept one another because we’re traveling on the same road together, and in the big picture we’re all headed to the same place.

People got killed.  When do we stop using the race card?  Don’t act like you don’t know.