LOS ANGELES, CA—Los Angeles police brutally beat, shot and murdered another African on March 1, 2015, and the entire world was able to witness it.
The murdered brother’s name was Africa. He was also called Cameroon which is the country in Africa that he was from. The murder by the police happened in an area of Los Angles, California known as Skid Row.
Meca has a shop set up directly next to the spot where Africa’s tent would normally be. She described the events leading up to the killing as follows: “He kept saying from inside the tent, ‘I want to be left alone. I just want to be left alone.’…When he came out of the tent he came out like a whirlwind, going in circles and they beat the crap out of him.”
A video that went viral shows the L.A. cops trying to pull Africa from his haven—his tent. No less than four cops jumped on Africa and beat him into the sidewalk, once he was out of the tent. The video then clearly shows the cops shooting Africa multiple times from point blank range.
The Los Angeles Police Department has since identified the cops involved in killing Africa are Chand Syed, Francisco Martinez, and Daniel Torres.The three cops have been granted a paid vacation while the police department pretends that it will investigate itself as is normal in most police shootings.
Police protect white capitalism
Skid Row has one of the largest–if not the largest–homeless populations in the U.S. The majority of the homeless living on Skid Row are,of course, African.
The fact that so many Africans are homeless is not unusual. The entire 50 blocks of Skid Row is a blatant reminder of what imperialism looks like. Africans and other oppressed people being forced to live in tents on sidewalks a few city blocks away from multi-million dollar high rise buildings, banks and other institutions built from the vast wealth stolen from Africa and African people.
The Skid Row population is forced to beg and search in garbage cans for food. Restaurants only blocks away charge more money for one plate of food than some brothers and sisters on Skid Row get in an entire month.
The fact that so many Africans live in these horrendous conditions is not an accident. In order for a capitalist system to survive, there has to be haves and have-nots. There has to be a large amount of people that don’t have anything at all for capitalism to survive and anyone who dares to challenge the system is met with brute force from the system.
Police in this country and everywhere else around the world are an arm of the State. The job of the police is to protect the ruling class. This is why, every 30 seconds, police cars prowl up and down the same street where Africa was killed, looking for a reason to confront an African man, woman, child, or other oppressed person.
Africans terrorized on Skid Row
There are between 3,000 and 6,000 homeless people living on Skid Row. The sidewalks are filled with tents, cardboard boxes, and shopping carts. Police cars drive up and down the blocks with at least two cops in each car.
In 2005, both LAPD pigs and hospital workers were caught dumping homeless people onto Skid Row. There were over 150 people that had been falsely imprisoned, taken to Skid Row and left there. There are many instances when LAPD cops have robbed people on Skid Row of their belongings including their blankets, clothes and cooking utensils.
Meca said that she previously had a relationship with Brother Africa whom she had known for a long time. She said that he never bothered anyone and he would always speak to her. She made it a point to speak to him to find out how he was doing, the same way she speaks to almost everyone that crosses her path.
She has a type of sanctuary set up for the people which she named “Gods and Generals.” Meca said, “I’m here for the people.” She has items such as children’s clothes in the “sanctuary” or shop, since there are families with children that live on Skid Row.
She provides food to those who need it, when she is able. Most of all, she talks to the people. Meca said, “I uplift and remind everyone that they are somebody. I try to tap into their awareness.”
Meca said that lately the police had been attacking people on the block over and over for no reason. There are a lot of Africans that have mental illnesses and the police use that as a reason to terrorize them. Africa was alone in his tent, and the police knew who he was. They wanted to terrorize him.
“I don’t think they expected this though,” Meca said. “Now they have people saying the one thing they didn’t want people to say. Now people are chanting Africa! Africa!”
Long live Africa! End police terror of Africans and other oppressed people!
