My cousin, Charles Goodridge, was one of many unarmed black men killed by police this past summer. Black communities across the country have mobilized in response to this spate of high profile police killings.
Much of the recent organizing and activism has rightfully focused on the destructive role of police in the black community. But as my cousin’s and other victims’ stories reveal, fighting to eradicate racist policing is not enough—as long as a racist economy is left intact.
On July 9, Charles was shot and killed by a police officer in Harris County, Texas. According to police, Charles had been evicted from his apartment but was spotted in one of the building’s common areas by Francisco Ruiz, an off-duty police officer who lived in the complex and was working a second job as a security guard. Ruiz got his gun and handcuffs from his own apartment and tried to arrest Charles for trespassing. Charles resisted and fled, but Ruiz caught him and shot him twice in the stomach.
I believe that if Charles had been white, the officer who killed him would not have been so quick to arrest or shoot him. But before he was a victim of racist policing, Charles was a victim of a racist economy.
Read the full article at YES! Magazine
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