The Black Liberation Army Eight: Murderers or Prisoners of War?

In the zeal to prosecute 8 members of the Black Liberation Army for the 1971 killing of a San Francisco police officer, it might be worthwhile to revisit the sordid history of the American racism and the history of the American police as the enforcers of an American “Apartheid.”

For almost 100 years from 1880 through the 1970s, America was a virtual apartheid state enforced by the paid agents of the establishment, the police. Many employees of the police departments of southern US states were members of the Ku Klux Klan. Of course, there were almost no black police officers. The same could be said for the police departments outside of the south, they were filled with a racist, anti-black attitudes with virtually no black police officers. Black men were the targets of police abuse and the police were backed up by the white American society which controlled the judiciary and courts. In almost no cases would the word of a black man be accepted over that of a police officer. Black men were assaulted, beaten, murdered, falsely accused, imprisoned on false charges, confessions were beaten out of innocent black men and innocent black men, some juveniles, were executed. Capital rape was a crime for which almost all executions were of black men for rapes of white women. Crimes against blacks by blacks and whites were many times not given serious investigation and were frequently tolerated.

The national congress of the United States was controlled by a cabal of racist southern senators, who gained power by being elected over and over again by the southern electorate. Blacks, of course, were not able to register to vote in most places in the US south. If you tried, you might be beaten or killed. This powerful group of southern politicians, who ruled the congress for almost 100 years, would never permit legislation which would have improved the rights and conditions of African Americans.

Even with in the past decade, there have been proven cases of police targeting black male drivers for illegal stops on interstate highways. Black men (remember Rodney King) have been beaten unreasonably by police. In New York City, police in recent years have killed unarmed black men with excessive use of force. Remember Amadou Diallo (41 shots)and more recently Sean Bell (50 rounds) in Queens, NY?

The current day San Francisco Police Department describes the officer who was killed (John Young) as being a true community police officer-a nice guy who cared about people. Its funny, but that same thing can be said about that police officer and all the others and for much of the American populace of the time. To their families, friends, churchgoers, and other whites, they were “nice” upstanding people. But for some reason, when they dealt with African Americans, and particularly black males, they could be racist, evil, cruel and at times murderous. I’m not going to suggest that Officer Young was like that. I do not know. But from my life experience, I know how people would overlook the racism and evil within their friends, family and themselves because it was just the way it was. America was a racist, apartheid state for years and this mentality of white America was commonplace. This should not be ignored. Kindness, love and goodwill appear to have gone out the door when it came to the black part of our community. For those of us who are white, the “good” people of America, our grandparents, our parents, our police, our teachers…they were really not so good when it came to race. They were in fact evil. Why do we want to deny that truth?

For some reason, the American people cannot come to terms of the US being a fascist, aparthied state. That is…if you were black. Given the conditions and treatment of African American males, is it any surprise that they might take up arms to defend themselves? Is there any reason for them to see things in any other way than as war against them with the American police forces as the front line of the enemy?

In light of American history, were these men murderers who should be brought to justice or are they prisoners of war? How are they any different that the resistance against the Nazis in France or against Franco in Spain. It all depends on who does the defining. One man’s insurgent is another man’s liberator. When it comes time for judgment, we should take a look at the whole picture. Not just the parts that conveniently fit our preconceived notions. Then there might be a chance for some justice.