DC Ferguson shuts down Pentagon City, DC cops shoot another person
On the 24th of December, as shoppers raced to buy their last Yule gifts, civil rights protesters from DC Ferguson stormed the Pentagon City shopping mall and aparently shut down some of the shopping. Shoppers stood watching the protest, their minds diverted for the moment fromm spending. This is the second time DC Ferguson has occupied Pentagon City. Meanwhile, NBC News reports DC police opened fire on a man at 30th Street and Naylor Road SE and killed him. Police said he "matched a description" of a robber and fired on them first, but at least one eyewitness reports it was the police who fired first.
A "description of a robber" all too often means nothing more than being Black and perhaps young. At most it may mean being Black and wearing a hoodie or other common clothing. An actual professional criminal is likely to wear common articles of clothing, limiting the value of any description. Despite this, police have not stood down on shooting people, if the eyeswitnesses speak the truth police are still shooting first. That being so, there is no reason for protesters to stop fighting to put and end to trigger-happy cops. So long as cops have official permission to shoot any Black man, any time, any where, for any reason with a guarantee they will not be indicted, the only justice for police murders will be found in the streets.
For protesters to storm and shut down the Pentagon City shopping mall on the day before the Christmas holiday is a perfect example of the DC Ferguson strategy of inflicting economic pain by striking at shopping areas and traffic in shopping districts. This takes money out of the pockets of the businessmen to whome the police answer. So long as these businessmen order police to assault and shoot young Black men, so protesters will make it as dificult as possible for them to make money-or for anyone to give it to them.
Photo by Untold Carslyle
Photo by Global Revolution
