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Vickie M. Oliver-Lawson

By Vickie M. Oliver-Lawson

New York had Louima, Diallo and Bell
Now Baltimore has its own scandals as well
It seems to me to simply be a case
Of not attaching value to one particular race

Officer Torbit and civilian Gamble were having a fight
The police arrived to see such a sight
Instead of breaking it up and making the peace
They fired 42 shots and so life had to cease

For they claimed not to recognize their fellow officer brother
All they saw was one black man fighting another
And supposedly Torbit shot the civilian dead
As his life oozed onto the ground and he bled

Now two families are left with questions and grief
And no one is being held accountable including the police chief
The state’s attorney’s office could find no blame
For the four officers whom they knew by name

These were trained marksmen who had fired their guns
So why did it take 42 rounds to stop those mothers’ sons?
But the media reports that crime is down and such
But it seems to me the killing of a black man is not worth much

Did Torbit identify himself as a cop
Or were the police too out of control to stop
Did they even ask him for the word of the day
Or did they, like bumbling keystone cops, just spray?

Blue on black crime seems to be at an all time high
But it’s a shame and disgrace when anyone has to die.

(Baltimore, August 18, 2011)

Tags: Poetic Op/Ed: BLUE ON BLACK (Dedicated to the Life and Memory of Officer Torbit and other black men killed prematurely in America's streets, Vickie M. Oliver-Lawson