The “H” word/s…..

I have to admit, that when my newsfeed blew up regarding the horrific tragedy in Charleston, SC, I tried to ignore it at first, just like I basically ignored the attack on the Dallas police headquarters, only to now read some of it, as I write this blog.

What’s so horrible is, that what happened to 9 innocent people losing their lives, in a massacre, in their place of worship, due to the color of their skin. They were black people murdered by a white gunman, just because they were black.

I know that I very unintentionally, offended some people, when trying to make a point about the rioting in Ferguson, in a blog that I wrote last Fall, by changing #BlackLivesMatter to #AllLivesMatter, was NEVER about the fact that I don’t understand that racism kills black people or subjects them to bigotry and oppression. I never commented on the rioting in Baltimore or the death of Freddie Gray, for that reason, because I didn’t have the right words to say, that would make any difference.

I haven’t changed my position, as far as thinking that at this point, too many innocent people are losing their lives due to the hatred of individuals, that at this point, it doesn’t matter any longer, of what the motives are for these murders.

It’s getting  people who are mentally unstable, prone to erratic behaviors  to see, they have no right, to take the life of any individual for any reason.

There would be nothing more that I’d love to see, if people could over stereotypes and prejudices and have tolerance and respect for all people. Regardless of color, religion, sexual preference, gender and weight.

It’s 2015, right?

That’s NEVER going to matter, and here’s why initiatives like “BlackLivesMatter” or “AllLivesMatter” isn’t going to do a damn bit of good in changing the mindsets of people, prone to commit murder.

This is where the “H” word/s comes in. It’s hate, hurt and harm. People who hate are going to hate on some classes of people, maybe one class of people, in this case where racism (which I find repugnant) killed 9 people in their place of worship, won’t matter to a racist, and trying to explain and try to teach tolerance to a racist or anyone who’s capable of using their hate to hurt and harm, isn’t going to save anyone’s life.

If we want to HONOR the victims and their families and friends, of these HORRIFIC senseless tragedies the best way to do that, is to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. That’s not actually probably very realistic. So let’s try to figure out a way and/or have major initiatives that acknowledge that in some people, not all, their hatred is going to be fatal to innocent people, and figure out a way to reach people in saying they have no right due to their personal opinions, can’t lead to loss of life or the right of anyone having a right to a peaceful enjoyment of their lives.

You can’t ration with irrational people. I heard one person express or question of whether or not the shooter, had mental illness. The way I look at it, is not all mentally ill people are capable of violent harm but anyone who has the capacity to kill people like this, IS mentally ill.

And yes, a terrorist. And anyone capable of such horrific loss of life, doesn’t get to get off from the consequences, on the fact that they may be mentally ill, but they knew right from wrong at the time they commit these massacres.

We can’t let one’s irrational fears be fatal to others. We can’t not have the dialogue that people are we get more progressive in someways, in society, we are getting more backwards in how we treat people. But, unfortunately the key to making some inroads with HUMANS who are capable of great HARM, due to HATRED, might lie in dealing with their heads, hurts and hearts, that they don’t have a right to harm another HUMAN, based upon that.

As I’ve also said before, and I can’t stress enough, that we have to stop sensationalize perpetrators of these tragedies by giving them in their own heads, of more irrational reward, by giving them free reign in the media. We only get enough information if they are alive and haven’t been captured, to keep others safe, until they are found.

I still have NO problem, admitting, both personally and as an activist, that I’m glad that South Carolina has the death penalty. And also saying, guns are NOT the problem in this. Even if we could take every gun away, those who want to kill will FIND a way.

Note: The Charleston Tragedy, proves if anything, that if you, or someone you know, is in acute mental health crisis, has made mention of harming themselves or others, please seek clinical and/or professional guidance, contact your local authorities, immediately.

A Mental Health Activist’s Moral Dilemma ……

Disclaimer: NOTHING that I say or anyone on the internet should replace in person intervention, for people in crisis. If you or someone you observe, is in medical or mental health CRISIS, please call 911 and/or seek emergency treatment from a clinically trained professional and/or acute care facility. IMMEDIATELY…….

I don’t go online on Fridays. It bears repeating, because while I have not missed one “Facebook Hoax” post, I managed to miss the following in the news, when I was offline. The following link below just showed up in my newsfeed.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/01/05/charges-man-shot-officers-with-bb-gun-tried-to-commit-suicide-by-cop/

FUCK!!!! FUCK!!!! FUCK!!!!

What I want to say as a person, sometimes varies quite drastically is DIFFERENT, than what I have as a responsibility, as a Mental Health activist. Or a Human Rights Activist, which identify more, now as.

My very first thought was, would this man be alive if he would’ve been black? And to my horror, truthfully most of us would think, NO. Including myself.

I have nothing though, but the utmost respect for law enforcement officers, for the most part, OVERALL.  Especially in the Twin Cities, where I live. My fear with the tensions being high on matters such as race, as I’ve said in my #blurredlines  blog is that the biggest threat to a black person’s life is by another black person, statistically. Not a police officer. I’m not discounting prejudice though that black people face on a daily basis. I’m also  NOT saying there isn’t bad police officers, because there is. I just have an ability to see more than one side, because I’m in the minority, where I live. As well as what my life experiences have taught me.

My concern about this is multi-fold. Whether innocent people are actually dying or being put on trial by social media. Regardless of color, mental health barriers and profession.  And whether or not more law enforcement officers are going to die, because sometimes, they literally have a matter of seconds on making a decision, that’s a matter of life or/death for them or someone else and more police officers will die, if they have to over analyze a decision that they are faced with on a daily basis.

My FIRST reaction was not as an activist. Whether it be race or mental health.  It was “WHAT THE FUCK WAS THIS MAN THINKING???”. “Does he realize how bad race and police tensions are RIGHT now???”

I, as a person with my own barriers, may believe one thing. But what I learned is that I have to,  as an activist, really hope that he did NOT know any better then the limitations that his own mental health illness, caused him to do an irrational act without thinking of ALL the consequences. Not only for himself. But for other people. I have been guilty of doing this. As it applies to  my OWN  life. But not a matter of life or death consequences for ANYONE else. Or where anyone else was physically harmed.

That’s where the moral dilemma comes in. In my Mental Health activism. I, somewhat, hit a wall, in those who have mental health issues that are a matter of life and death, not ONLY for themselves but for OTHERS.

I will write another blog specific to what I think in the most basic terms, of possible solutions that we need to entertain as a society when dealing with those who kill. Whether it’s impulsively or great consideration of planning was utilized. I’d rather NOT  be doing this, but until I see a major initiative by clinical professionals, I have to DO something.

AND we can’t wait any longer to do interventions on people, regardless of their barriers, who don’t realize that EVERYONE has the right to a peaceful enjoyment of one’s life. That NO ONE has the right to take that away from another. That while people’s mental illness can cause the loss of their OWN life, it cannot lead to a loss of ANOTHER person’s life. I have to admit, that I DO NOT want to be the mental health activist who saves the life of someone who decides NOT to commit suicide for them to kill another human being.

But sometimes as humans, the peaceful, has come later, we have to prevent all these senseless murders from happening, before going any further….. NOW!!!

Because how many more people have to die, until we do something about this???

Note: Hateful comments will not be published. I know the difference and can handle constructive criticism. Destructive criticism, feel free to do what other haters do and find my personal email address…