In Deep Ends Day
On this 4th of July, one on which our country purports to proclaim its independence, by definition according to the folks at dictionary.com: “freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others,” know that this is still a fight for many of its citizens. For some time now, in light of the pronounced aggression towards and treatment of similarly hued people by those whose job description calls for them to “protect and serve,” to protect the health of my psyche, I’ve chosen to limit my exposure to those beyond questionable recorded interactions between the parties, if you will. That is, until about 45 or so minutes ago. In short, out in Los Angeles County, a Black woman was recording the arrest of her husband, a Black man suspected of shoplifting, by local law enforcement. I know of no law that prohibits this. One of the arresting officers leaves the detained man, grabs the woman by the back of her neck, throws her to the ground, and places a knee on her neck before handcuffing her as well. According to The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, they’ve opened an investigation into this incident. Merriam-Webster defines the idiom “the deep end” as follows: “starting a new and difficult activity when one is not fully prepared or ready to do it.” Hmm. In Deep Ends Day. Sounds about right. Oh, say can you see…🎵.