Donald Trump has been indicted four times, but his long string of charges, over 85 in all, are unsettling to many Americans, even many in the African-American community, because they reveal what we have complained about for decades: The power of government is too often used to persecute those deemed undesirable.
Make no doubt about it, we think Mr. Trump should never be president again.
However, we are in the strange position of supporting his right to be free of political intimidation.
We have seen how law enforcement has been used to destroy our efforts at freedom. Whether it was slavery, the persecution of Heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, the conviction of Marcus Garvey, or the imprisonment of the Soledad Brothers in the 1960s,
We have read the reports of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI persecuting Dr. Martin Luther King, instigating violence with paid troubleshooters, tapping his phone, and attempting to break up his marriage.
Many in our community still believe that the FBI murdered Dr. King in its relentless pursuit to eliminate the Black political agenda.
The implications of the Trump indictments for the black community’s worries that law enforcement is targeted are significant.
The indictments allege that Trump and his allies engaged in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election, but they are very close to using the government to persecute him to impact the 2024 elections.
The repeated indictments of Mr. Trump are making it crystal clear that the power of government is being leveraged against him to silence his voice.
The use of law enforcement and the courts to target Mr. Trump has renewed concerns among many Black Americans that law enforcement is not there to protect us but rather to target and oppress us.
We’ve been shouting it for generations. Now that it is happening to a high-profile white politician, the nation now sees what we have seen for over 200 years.
The Trump indictments come at a time when Black Americans are already feeling under siege from law enforcement. In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile cases of Black people being killed by police, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Daunte Wright.
Even here in Monroe, we saw the police murder of William Henderson, who was shot by the police 17 times and died as Mayor Jamie Mayo told the public, “I stand by my officers.”
In Winnsboro, we see how a Kangaroo court used the legal system to jail Carroll Coach Quillen and force two other coaches to plead guilty for defending themselves against the Sheriff and several racist fans.
The Trump indictments add to these concerns. They suggest that the highest levels of government are willing to use law enforcement to target the weak and powerless. Mr. Trump has spent $40 million defending himself. The average person doesn’t have that kind of money to fight the system.
The repeated indictments are making Mr. Trump an anti-hero in the eyes of millions. No one favors unfair persecution.
The Trump indictments also raise questions about the future of law enforcement in the United States. If the government is willing to use law enforcement to target political opponents, then it is clear that law enforcement cannot be trusted to protect all Americans equally. This is a fundamental threat to democracy, and it is one that must be addressed.
In the wake of the Trump indictments, it is important for Black Americans to continue to speak out against police violence and racial injustice. They must also demand that law enforcement be held accountable for its actions. Only by working together can Black Americans ensure that we are protected from the discriminatory practices of law enforcement.
