I wanted to bring awareness to this video I produced back in 2016 regarding the killing of police officers during that time. I find these words to be true now more than ever. Give it listen:
Transcription:
I’ve tried to put some words together to give you guys a sense of how I feel about all of these police shootings. And the biggest thing I can say is that you’ve got to stop killing police officers. And in addition to stop killing police officers, those of you who condone it or supported or underneath your breath have a tacit understanding of it that has to stop. Two, Does it require clarity? My point does require explanation, stop killing police officers. Does it require qualification? There’s no need to put a buffer on it. There’s no need to put a disclaimer on it. I don’t have to mention black lives matter. I don’t have to talk about protesters or disparities or inequities in the criminal justice system. That statement stands on its own stop killing police officers. The killing of police officers does nothing but inflame the tensions and ensures the fact that misguided black men, most likely African American men and misguided youth will soon find themselves in a tomb when they decide to pick up a gun.
When they decide to pick up a knife, when they decide to attack a person in a blue uniform, just because they’ve got some kind of crazy notion or idea from a crazy protest or some kind of crazy protest leader, surely they’re going to end up dead themselves. We’ve got to stop the madness. Cop killing does not raise Erin Gardner from the dead. Cop Killing would not bring back Walter Scott, but what it will do is put too many youth in our neighborhood in an unmarked grave early and leave their families forever tainted by the scar that their child wants full of hope, and promise, and love, and all things great is now a killer.
You got to stop the laziness. Killing police officer and condoning the killing police officers is downright intellectually lazy. It shows that you don’t have the intellect, the skills, the know how, the gumption, the ability, the balls to use words, to use writings, to somehow turn the system and use it to make a headway for change in your community. And it also shows how dumb you are, because it shows that you don’t understand that killing cops is going to tear up your neighborhood. You think that it makes you some kind of hero. You think that it makes you some kind of martyr. It does not. You kill and shoot a police officer, your name goes down in history as a villain. If you shoot and kill a police officer, your name goes down in history as a scumbag, a lowlife, a degenerate, and you’re going to end up another dead black man and the analogs of history, not even deserving of a Wikipedia page. Stop killing police officers; has to be the single most isolated message that carries the day. Right now I’m willing to speak up for those in the African American community. I’m willing to advocate for limited government and equal justice system, but that conversation is often stunted and muted by the ignorant people who dare supporting the killing of police officers.
You may say, Hey Autry, what are the solutions? What, besides protesting, can we do? It seems like violence is the only option. And what I say is that you haven’t been using your brains. If picking up a gun and shooting someone is the only thing that you can think of. Then you really haven’t been thinking. Go to your local police station where the problem is, take a lot of folks down there. Before you go, make up a list of grievances. Take one person that speaks with you to deliver that, paper to the officer’s in charge. Deliver it with a phone number and an email and say, Hey, we’re concerned citizens. We got some issues we need to address. We need a meeting. Gathering list together of people who have tail lights out, expired registrations, or other minor infractions. Put their names on a piece of paper, go to the police, and work with them .
Another thing you could do is you start a fund. You could use tools such as Gofundme or Kickstarter and reach out to communities beyond your community. Communities that are more wealthy, that care about this issue and start a fund. Start a nonprofit organization for individuals that are of a certain income level to be able to apply and get money. There are solutions other than picking up a gun and killing police officers. That’s what I’m saying is the bottom line. Shooting the police does not put a dime in your pocket. It will not improve your financial economic situation.
Change is not going to come from bullets. Change will only come from brains.