Is riding a bike while black a crime now? It appears that it is in Southern California, the city of Angels. Dijon Kizzee was riding his bike through the streets of South L.A. when police prompted him to stop for what they called a “violation of vehicle codes” on Monday.
According to the police report, the 29-year-old black man started running from the police when he dropped some items on the ground, including an alleged semi-automatic handgun. Witnesses said that it was a cellphone, not a gun. A scuffle ensued, according to the police, Kizzee punched one of the officers in the face. The police ended up fatally shooting Kizzee.
For the next few days, peaceful protests would erupt throughout the city as infamous civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump would take on the case.
In a video released to the media, the Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva would release a statement saying, “Our thoughts and prayers to the family, including a member of my own department who is a cousin of the deceased.”
The deputies, who did not have body cams during the incident, have been placed on administrative leave for the killing of Kizzee as an investigation takes place.
Many people are questioning why Kizzee felt it necessary to run. While others question why the police targeted the black man for something as simple as riding a bike “the wrong way.” What it comes down to is that black people aren’t safe. Driving while black, walking while black, riding bikes while black. No matter what the case is, the result appears to be the same, severe brutality or death. So, what is someone to do in that situation?
“Do not run, do not move,” U.S. Representative Maxine Waters said. “Just stand there because you stand a better chance. If you run from them, they’re going to say that they had to shoot you because you had a gun. It looked as if you were going for something in your belt.”
The shooting death of Kizzee happened within a week of the police involved shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin when he was shot in his back seven times.
It’s interesting, for a moment the media coverage of black people being shot and killed by the police had quieted. However, as elections draw closer, police are ramping up their antics and media is doing their part to exploit the stories as much as possible. This seems to be the tactic used to play the citizens of America every single time a change is about to erupt in government or politics.
Just look at the disbelief and conspiracy theories circulating on social media. Some people realize that there is something much deeper than a passive aggressive race war going on. There’s a desperate underlying message that is being resounded and black people are being used as the pawns in this deadly resistance. Read between the lines. The people involved, the locations, the names, the numbers, the nonsensical behavior of human beings. Something’s going on…
