Sell-out Alvin

When I read the Kirkwood story, I could not help but feel as if the writer, Alvin A. Reid, is a major sell-out. For what seems like forever he is preaching on how hard it was for his grandparents and parents to become Kirkwood residents and how he and his family are proud to be residents, and how afraid he is that things will never be the same because of the actions of one distraught black man. As if this black man, Kevin Johnson, labels the entire race, and the writer has to make evidently clear that he is not responsible for Johnson’s actions! How can we get mad at another race for labeling us, when we are labeling ourselves?

I also want to comment on his statement about how many “African-American men forget there is a price to be paid by family members … it can mean death to an innocent.” This was a very ignorant, disrespectful and unsympathetic statement. This is not a story of a gangbanger killing another gangbanger’s brother. This is a young, 12-year-old boy with a congenital heart problem dying after being interrogated, or possibly as a result of being interrogated, about the whereabouts of his older brother. It is not right and should not just be chalked up as deserved because of the brother being a criminal, yes, even if they are black.

I also sympathize with the slain police officer’s family, because in no way did he deserve the fate that was delivered to him. And his convicted murderer needs to face the most stern penalty available. But it should not have anything to do with the color of his skin.

Reid tries to compare the peaceful, natural death of his child with the sudden death of Ms. Wills’ son. There is no comparison and he should be ashamed that he wrote that. He may understand what it feels to go through the death of a child, but not the feeling of someone possibly having caused the child’s death. And that is what their grief is about now.

A piece of me is happy that he took his family over to Sgt. McEntee’s memorial for flowers and prayer, but what about Joseph Long? What makes Sgt. McEntee’s life more important than this little black boy? Is it that Reid just did not want to associate himself with “the wrong blacks”? Or does he believe that a few whites will see him showing respect to Sgt. McEntee’s family and not look at him as “the wrong black”?