Recently, a nine year old girl, Zianna Oliphant, spoke at the Charlotte City Council explaining how she felt about the recent shooting of a black man in her hometown. Children should not be afraid of not being treated fairly by their own law enforcement officials. Children should not have to speak, nor should adults have to protest, in order to be heard or given equal rights.
Law enforcement officials hold a special place in society. Their duties are to serve and protect the public. Whether that public is black or white, poor or rich, the duties of the officers placed in those positions are the same. While there are many officers who hold their positions in fair and just ways, there are others that continually abuse their positions. This has led the public to feel distrustful of the men and women who have taken their oaths in office.
When I saw this little girls video, I, like many people, was moved to tears. The strength and courage for a nine year old girl to stand in a room full of adults and speak the words from her heart, knowing that the people in her city were fearful of many of the same people she was speaking to, was enormous. Someone very wise once said, that it is our children who will begin to heal the world. It takes the heart and innocence of a child to not only express their most inner feelings, but to touch the hearts of the people around them.
This time that we currently live in, is an ever changing landscape, formed by the actions and decisions that all of us have made yesterday. If our tomorrow is to become any different, we must stand up, all of us, and act today in a way and manner that allows for a better tomorrow.
I'd like to thank Zianna, not only for her courage, but for her words which were spoken on behalf of the many people who feel the same way she does. For the spirit that moved her to stand up and be heard.
While many people have commented on this little girls actions, I couldn't help but notice that a comment was made by the attorney general from the state of California. Kamala Harris was quoted in an article written by the BBC as saying:
"It's impossible to watch this speech without having your heart break. Zianna, you are so brave for speaking up."
Kamala Harris has specific duties as the attorney general. Among those duties, she is responsible to see "that the laws of the State are uniformly and adequately enforced" and "prosecute violations of state law through the California Department of Justice and participate in criminal investigations".
I found it very unsettling that a woman in her position would comment on this little girls actions, when she herself was not upholding her duties as attorney general. When I wrote to Ms. Harris last year regarding the cover up of the murder of Michael Jackson, I received a reply which said "the decision rests with the locally elected official responsible for such a decision, the district attorney."
The district attorney, however, in this case was part of the problem, as I well stated in my correspondence with her. Perhaps it should be more well known that the state of California has had a continuous problem with their "elected officials". There have been many prosecutions of innocent people, evidence that has been tampered with and single mothers who have had their child support withheld. These are the actions of the District Attorney.
When a district attorney withholds evidence, such as life insurance policies, contracts, testimony and investigations into people who have publicly stated they want to bring "death and destruction" to an individual who has been murdered, the fact that the district attorney is not acting in his official capacity is made abundantly clear. If the evidence that was withheld had been brought to light, any jury would have had ample evidence to find a conviction "beyond a reasonable doubt".
Zianna's statements about losing mothers and fathers and having to visit them at their graves was both heartbreaking and shameful. But to lose a father or a mother, and then to have the state in which you live in not only neglect their responsibilities as elected officials, but go to such lengths to hide the people responsible for the action is atrocious. Families provide the love and support our children need to become responsible and confident members of our society. When children of mothers or fathers who have been killed are not given fair treatment by their governing agencies, it leaves them feeling as Zianna does - afraid to live in their own city, because they know that they will not be treated fairly.
Prince and Paris Jackson, at the young ages of 16 and 14, who had lost their father, were made to testify and/or give depositions for a civil lawsuit that had to be filed, since the locally held officials could not see past their own pocket books to ensure that the people who were responsible for their fathers death were held accountable. Even in that trial, closure and justice was not served. The "elected official" even had Mrs. Jackson, Michael's mother, pay the people who were ultimately responsible for her son's death.
The actions of the district attorney and Kamala Harris, the attorney general, have put a huge scar on the face of our society and on the hearts of not only these children and Michael's mother, but on the millions of fans who do know who was responsible.
The photos I have posted are of families. Families who love and support one another. Families, like the one little Zianna belongs to, that are there for their children in their time of need. Ms. Harris, since you feel you cannot be there in your official capacity for the people of California and in their time of need, perhaps you should turn your official office over to Zianna.
"California attorney-general, and Senate candidate, Kamala Harris also posted the video, saying: "It's impossible to watch this speech without having your heart break. Zianna, you are so brave for speaking up."
"The Attorney General of California is the chief law officer of California and the state's primary legal counsel. The attorney general "[sees] that the laws of the State are uniformly and adequately enforced" and prosecutes violations of state law through the California Department of Justice, which he or she oversees.[1]
The officeholder also represents state agencies and officers in legal matters and provides legal advice on request. Further, the attorney general plays a direct role in law enforcement efforts and "coordinates statewide narcotics enforcement efforts, participates in criminal investigations and provides forensic science services, identification and information services and telecommunication support."[1]
Additionally, attorneys general play a prominent policymaking role by "[establishing] and [operating] projects and programs to protect Californians from fraudulent, unfair, and illegal activities that victimize consumers or threaten public safety." https://ballotpedia.org/Attorney_General_of_California
