Welcome to another episode of Civic Cipher. I'm your host, ramses jah Jah, I.
Am q Ward, and you people are tuned in with us again to Civic Ciphers.
Indeed, you are a lot to stick around for today. As you know, it has been a sad week, another mass shooting event, another school shooting event, and we are going to definitely take some time to examine that. We're going to ask a few questions that we hope to leave you with so that you know, we all can do some soul searching and find the answers that are
appropriate for us to move forward. And one of the things we're not going to do is pretend like this hasn't happened before, and it'd be hard for us to pretend like it won't happen again. So we are going to respect your intelligence and asking these questions. But indeed we feel it's necessary to break down kind of where we are with this country, and we have to come to terms with some things that you know, we do on this show consistently and give credit where it's due.
That partly comes from Cute wanting us to make sure that we acknowledge, you know, heroism when we actually saw it and everything else, So a lot to stick around for insofar as that's concerned. We're also going to be discussing our Way Black History Fact as a former slave who actually arrested a sitting president once upon a time. So for those folks out there thinking that what is happening to our former president that being unprecedented, we got news for you today in the Way Black History Fact,
That and so much more to stick around for. But first and foremost, this is q's favorite part of the show. We call it Ebony Excellence. So how do you feel about getting some Abney excellence?
Que?
Shall we? I think we shall. So Today's Abny Excellence is sponsored by Hip Hop Weekly Media and we're reading from Black Enterprise dot Com. The title of this one, a New Orleans teen makes impressive mathematical discovery, or rather New Orleans teens, so I'll read this the ingenuity of children has always been inspiring. New Orleans teenagers Calcia Johnson and Nikaiah Jackson ingenuity enabled them to figure out a
mathematical equation that it's seemingly been impossible. According to four w WL, Johnson and Jackson demonstrated that Pythagoras's theorem can be proven with trigonometry. High school students presented their findings at the American Mathematical Society's annual Southeastern Conferences. This is all. It's really an unparalleled feeling, honestly, because there's just nothing like being able to do something that people don't think
young people can do, Johnson told for WWL. She goes on to say, a lot of times you see this stuff, but you don't see kids like us doing it. Four. WWL reported that mathematicians have tried to prove Pythagoras's theorem can be proven with trigonomy trigonometry for two thousand years. This is a lot of stuff to say. I'm not going to pretend like I know any of this stuff means. But these kids do, these little black girls, this is black girl ebony, black girl excellence, black girl magic in
the highest order. Yeah, they've been trying to prove this using trigonometry for two thousand years, and a teacher challenged them to prove the theory. The Grio reports that Johnson and Jackson's abstract adds that the book with the largest known collections of proofs for the theorem, Atlisia Loomis's the Pythagoram proposition flatly states there are no trigonomic proofs because all the fundamental formula of trigonometry are themselves based upon
the truth of the Pythagorin theorem. So they broke mathematics for the better, and we as human beings are a little bit further along. So that's your ebony excellence for the day. Now, the Nashville shooting. This is the one hundred and thirtieth mass shooting event of twenty twenty three.
One hundred and thirty of them have happened. And I you know, if you're online on social media, you probably come across the same statistics that I do that other countries don't have mass shootings because they've taken steps and they've you know, organized their guns, their fire and so forth and so on. I remember mentioning that the United States has the most private firearms in our personal arsenal arsenals.
I should say, then the next like ten countries combined, and we're the third largest country, and number two and number three on the list are China and India, which are the number one and number two largest countries in the world. And then it goes on to include like you know, Pakistan and Great Britain and all the other countries on the list, and we have more than all of them put together, and that we do have a gun problem. Wow, yeah, you remember that. I remember sending that to you.
How many shootings have we had this year?
Around one hundred and thirty mass shooting events?
You know, there haven't been one hundred and thirty days this year yet. Yeah, there hasn't been one hundred days this year yet. Yeah, hasn't been ninety days this year yet.
All all true, and again all things that people come across on your social media. So you know, the one thing we don't want to do is insult your intelligence. We know that this is a tragic thing, and you know, we don't like to deal with tragedy. But unfortunately it's the nature of the show. Obviously, we deal with issues that affect you know, black and brown communities primarily and marginalize peoples in this country, and as a result, we
often deal with a lot of police issues. And so today, the reason we're talking about this is because we had a lot to say about the nature of police, the purpose of police, especially after the yu've All Day School shooting. We were very critical of the police's response at that time, and on this show, we have been critical of a
lot of police responses. You know, again, we do our best to advocate for black and brown people, black and brown bodies, black and brown communities, and marginalized communities in this country, and so being critical of the way policing is done is kind of part and parcel for what we do here. However, when police actually do something that goes against you know, let's be fair, it goes against
human instinct running towards the danger. When police do things that we would consider above and beyond the scope of what the normal duty is and could be considered a heroic action, and police end up you know, who's to say how the outcome would have been different. But if we're being generous here, we'll say, if police indeed save lives as a result of their actions, then we have to acknowledge that.
Yeah, And I also think rams is that.
You said above and beyond, that's what they're supposed to do.
Okay, that's it. I just wanted to go back to that. I don't think that them being heroic is above and beyond, because that's kind of what you sign up for. Yeah, to go toward the danger in the name of protecting and serving the public right. For those that actually do that, it should be considered heroic. It should, but it shouldn't be considered above and beyond, because that should be the expectation if you signed up and applied and tested and
trained for that job. It's not like the military once upon a time, where there was a draft where you're drafted into the civic duty of being a police officer and then whether or not you're brave, it's kind of a lottery shot. Yeah, for most police agencies in this country, you voluntarily sign up for that gig with all that comes with it. So it should not be beyond scope or beyond expectation for you to do what this hero is the job that you applied for.
I think that you know, one of the things that I think what I was trying to suggest in that moment is that police are allowed to be human beings.
And I want to couple that expectation with police are supposed to be supposed to represent the best of us, right, and so if police are allowed to be human beings, than going against that very nature, that that instinct that says, if I go here, I'm going to be harmed, hurt, shot, die or I could be rather could be sure, but going against that that requires courage, that make a level of courage, and most people may never face, may never even face. And so that's what I was trying to acknowledge.
So maybe hero is not the right word, but I certainly want to acknowledge I think hero is the right word.
Okay, okay, I just don't think it should be framed as above and beyond. Then that's the job they're signed up for, you know, even if it is against your normal instinct. But I think that's the point. That's why it's also heroic. It's what the job calls for. But to sign up for that job and then do that job should be heroic. The reason why we kind of on this show argue against police officers being called.
Heroes because they don't do anything.
They're not doing the heroic thing, just get called they're doing the people thing. Sure, and that's fair that you're behaving the way that a human being normally would in these circumstances, but that isn't what you signed up for. That's why when we're scared and when we're in danger, we call you, hey, hero, people. Can you come to some hero stuff over here because we're terrified?
Yeah so, and y'all got the millions.
Yeah, So I think what you said is fair. I think using the word hero in that instance is fair.
Okay, good. So why are we talking about this in the first place. Well, I'll let you take the floor here because you sent over a video for this week, and I want you to talk to people through it and talk me through it because I didn't I didn't actually watch the video for you listening. As you may or may not know, on this show, we take turns when it comes to reviewing videos where violence is displayed, and so so you talk to people through what the video is about.
The thing that I think we do here kind of masterfully as we paint a picture with strokes that don't require us to use pencils, But why brushed paint brushes?
The specifics of this.
Video that need to be pointed out is it is a video from the vantage point of a police officer, from a body cam, of the officer speeding toward the danger and proactively with urgency, with haste, making the I need to go and try to save and or protect and or apprehend and or stop the people that need to protect and the person that's putting them in danger in that order, And there's no other way to translate
this video. Like even if you were somebody who's made your career or your life on the stance that police are by nature awful.
Which is not what we do.
But even if you did, if you watch this video and that's your stance on this officer, then somebody is wrong that right. Every decision made in this video, and I think we can make it available on our social media for you guys to watch. It is of an officer who's determined when he left the house that day that if he were putting this probably long before he left the house that day, that if he were ever put into this position, maybe it was when the Uvall
Day shooting happened. Maybe that was the day, he said, not on my watch, but whenever that decision happened, it was before this day, because he was ready and from the car speeding toward the scene to this person getting out of their vehicle, and like I said in post taste, moving toward danger, it was clear that this officer's dedication to the job, dedication to the public that they served, was real was authentic, was brave, was heroic, was all all the things that when children say they want to
be police officers when they grow up, this is what they're thinking, far before they know to be afraid, far before they know the mortality of human beings, and that by simply signing up for this job, that you might not make it home every day. Right, That very very heroic, very very idealistic image of law enforcement and policing that children have when they make that this is what I want to do when I grow up statement. This person grew up into that person, and I'll find out the
officer's name. Ramses, remind me so that we can say that officer's name either today or the next time we record officer.
Michael Colonzo Colaso. Michael Michael Colaso Comma hero. So that's why I'm saying I don't have a problem using that word at all. It just sadly doesn't always apply, and in this career choice it should. That should be the expectation, expectation for the pilot flying. My plan is that he'll take it off and land it safely. That's the expectation. We don't stand up and cheer like we should because it's quite miraculous. But the reason that we don't is because it's a pilot.
If I flew a plane and landed, that people would jump for joy, oh my god, the guy who from twenty four to se got up and landed the plane. When the pilot does it, because that's the job that they trained signed up for, the expectation is that they will execute that job almost with perfection, because not doing it with perfection could result in all of us losing our lives. And that is our point, people, That is the point we try to make every time you hear us being.
Hyper critical of police.
The job that you signed up for does not come with the margin of error that would allow you to kill us or allow us to be killed while you're there hiding and protecting yourself. So I don't mind at all my brother, my teammate calling officers who act here, even if it is just doing the basics of the job, heroic, because like he said, it is against human nature to run towards the fire. It is against human nature to not cover up and duck for cover and hide behind
shelter and protect yourself. However, the reason that you get paid, the reason that your trained and the reason why you're armed is so that when these situations arise, you protect and serve private citizens who do not have your training or your ammunition or your backup, not so that you kill them when they call you for help. Because they're having mental breakdowns, or because they were driving too fast, or because they ran the light, or because their tail
lights out. Are all these benign reasons that.
Should not.
Conclude a person's life. And even if I said the most serious of crimes in that list that I just said, those people ending up dead at the end of their end, at the end of their interaction with you should not be the case.
Sure, sure, you know there's so there's this video that I saw recently. Just so that we have we're able to kind of make the establish the contrast. I was looking at a video the other day online and this looked like it was a Hispanic man in California, younger looking guy and driving some sort of sports car, got pulled over somewhere in California or having tent being too dark, had all this paperwork in order, he was leaving the gym,
everything was fine, and he's recording the police interaction. So the police come up to the car and they say, hey, your tent's too dark, and he says, yes, I I'm aware of that. I was pulled over recently and I got it's called a fix it ticket, meaning like I get like thirty days to fix it or something like that. I'm still within the thirty days, so I'm going to get it taken care of. And the officer just kind
of goes through the routine. Okay, do you have anything in the car blah blah blah, anything I need to know about, and he says and by now in the film, he's got a backup officer there right, Hispanic mail. So the uh when when the officer asks, he says, you know, yes, I do have a uh like a gun in the trunk of my car or something like that. Smith and Wesson or something like that gun in my car. Smith and Wesson, in case you don't know, is like a
company that makes guns. So he says, yeah, I have a I have a gun with me, you know, and it's it's in the trunk of the car. At least I believe I'm doing this for memory here. So then the second officer was a woman. She says she she puts her hand on her gun. Right, She's like, oh, well listen, I'm gonna need to get you out of the car. And he's like, well, what do I need to get out of the car for? I got the tent is getting fixed to fix the ticket. I'm I'm fine,
I'm law abiding citizen. If I have a gun, I have a gun in the car, that's fine. I'm not doing anything wrong. And then all of a sudden, both of the officers are like, you know, why are you being combative? And you know, blah blah blah. And then the backup officer, the female officer, pulls her gun out and points it at the guy as he's in the car, and he's like, whoa, whoa, what are you doing? You know what I mean? So, of course there's going to be no issues with her pulling a gun on this guy.
You know, she's not going to get reprimanded or anything like that because she was afraid. So the contrast, and that'll be the excuse, the contrast between bravery, which I think is a precursor to hear heroism or what we would call a hero It needs to be applauded, and that's what we're doing today because we see far too many examples of police doing what we would consider to be cowardly things and then hiding behind the fact that they were scared for their life when indeed there is
no threat. And we see this often after the fact there was no threat. He didn't actually have a gun, he was had a cell phone or whatever. The story is right, And so in moments like this, it's important to applaud the actions of the people that do the job right so that everyone else knows what our expectation is. And once we have that kind of gold standard established, and then we can start kind of working back from there to suggest, Okay, well this is working and this
is not working. If you're constantly becoming afraid as you're doing your job, and somehow that fear is costing people their lives, then we need to reassess your value in this capacityas.
I think you suggested something once upon a time that was brilliant, and please forgive me if I destroyed this in a way that you said it, but I think you'll get what.
I thought you meant.
The officer in that video. Officers that officer and officers like that officer should be who we call when something like this happens. Hey, there's a person here shooting people, and those officers should rush to that scene with their rifles and their tanks and all that tactical gear to handle stuff like that. That same person should not pull
me over for doing seventy five and fifty. And I think RAMS has communicated that before, Like, we're not saying that there shouldn't be people who come and stop mass shooters when they show up. We are saying those same people should not be giving me a speeding ticket with their gun out.
Yeah, exactly.
That doesn't make any sense, and it shouldn't have ever made any sense.
And I think the point you're making, or the point that I was making at the time, was it's very strange when you stop and think about it, that for the vast majority of calls to the police department, they do not require an individual to show up with a murder weapon on their hip. It's just not something that's necessary. Most of the calls that are like welfare checks or you know, the traffic stops, routine traffic stops, things like that, they don't require a weapon to a tool that's only
used is to end to life. And the narrative that has been chronicled in this country, deeply ingrained in our psyche, is that, well, what if something bad happens to the officers, we need to protect officer lives at all costs, even at the expense of the general public. And because oftentimes the general public that is being affected by these officers and their guns, that those individuals are black and brown. It's like, you know, as as a populations, as a total,
you know, as a country, everybody is surprisingly okay with that. Well, they're just kind of shooting black people, brown people, you know what I mean, It's kind of the same.
It's the same energy or by nature criminal and most likely to do harm.
So of course you're not scared. Of course they were scared. They were on Crenshaw. So watch this. I'm gonna show you the hypocrisy here. Dave Chappelle pointed this out. Once upon a time, drugs ravaged the black community in this country, ghettos all across the country, Drugs, crack babies, all kinds of stuff, you know, people dying from overdoses. This note the third, and no one cared. They criminalized drugs rather than treating like a health issue. They threw everybody in jail.
And just turned a blind eye to the rest of it, let the animals wi themselves out. And then fast forward twenty five years something like that. Thirty years drugs ravage the white community, fentanmol right, drugs, same same steel ravishing the same thing, right, and now there's programs people care deeply we have to do, we have to fix, we
have to change this. It's not that you're not You'll never see people in jail for fentanol not not serving them football numbers like that, like you know if you were.
Sen and not the users of the drug, right, people being caught selling this stuff in mass are being prosecuted.
Sure, yeah, of course, people who.
Are victims using this drug and putting their lives at risk are being treated like they're sick.
That's an extent that they should be protected and like they have value as a human being. And again that's an excellent point. So we're face to face with the duality that exists in this country. So we'll talk more about in a second.