NEW ORLEANS — In the 24 hours since someone shot and killed 9-year old Devonta Brown in the 2100 Block of Pauger Street in New Orleans, there have been no protests, no mass calls for justice. To some people, that seems out of balance.
“Doesn’t his life matter? Doesn’t his future matter? Why not protest for that? why not march for that?” asked Michelle Jackson.
“When we say black lives matter, black lives matter have to first matter to us,” said Tamara Jackson.
“You can’t make George Floyd be wrong, and make this be right or vice versa,” said New Orleans City Councilman Jay Banks.
Banks, Michelle Jackson and Tamara Jackson are African-American. New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson on Monday evening spoke very candidly about the shooting and its impact.
“We as a community need to take a look at ourselves, and what it is we’re doing and what we are accepting as the norm that should not be accepted as the norm…with this black on black violence,” said Superintendent Ferguson.
The police chief’s comments touch on a very racially sensitive issue, but some in the community say his comments are long overdue.
“The police are not the only ones killing blacks, blacks are killing blacks,” said Michelle Jackson.
Jackson founded the support group, A Mother’s Cry, after her son was murdered five years ago. She says to spare more families the pain she’s endured, the community must look inward.
“We want to point fingers at everybody else and not take accountability for what we are doing. That has to stop if we want safety in our neighborhoods,” Jackson said.
New Orleans Councilman Jay Banks, who represents District B, says the notion of black on black crime can mislead us into thinking that violence only affects certain neighborhoods.
“Everybody needs to be concerned about this. Everybody needs to have their stomachs turning with the idea of a 10-year old child with his head blown off,” said Banks.
Tamara Jackson is a victim’s advocate with Silence is Violence. Jackson says enough black people have died at the hands of other black people. Further complicating the matter, is fear. She says authorities must do more to protect witnesses willing to speak.
“That’s where the gap exists, so it’s hard to get individuals willing to share information because they have to live in that same community,” said Jackson.
It’s hard to deny the politics involved in discussing such an issue, but should politics even matter when a 9-year old boy has died after being shot in the head? Devonta Brown’s father would likely say no.