People getting killed over Eddie Bauer jackets. Racists dragging a black man down the block. Racists beating a Marine to the point of him being crippled. These are things that make a big strong black man like me study the martial arts.

Yes, I like the health benefits, the improved focus and concentration, the stress management aspects, and the all around fun of socializing. I also have a huge base of ideas to write about for my webpage, thanks to the Martial Arts. But let's face it: one of the main reasons I train is to avoid a serious or even deadly butt whuppin'!

Thanks to oppression, racism, and misplaced agression, I have a high probability of being:

• killed by a black criminal
• harassed by the police
• brutalized by cops (like Mr. Plunger Victim)
• killed by a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting
• killed by the cops
• killed by stupid white racists
• killed by insane white racists

Let's not forget the normal dangers that the "average" American faces in terms of being killed by an enraged friend or relative, or being killed in random violence. It is enough to make a thinking person downright paranoid. One thing that I am forever grateful is that I grew up in the boondocks in the 1980's. Crack hadn't become an epidemic back then, and the worst thing I ever came up against was being threatened by a knife and by a FAKE gun. Even though it did happen to ME, I knew that these were rare instances of "special" individuals who, thanks to a principal and vice principal who were Ex-Marines, did not remain around there for very long. But these days, even the boondocks and the burbs are feeling the effects of drugs. It is only going to get worse unless we take our heads out of the sand and DO something about it (like not thinking that people who sell drugs and live the "thug life" are cool. It's "all good" until you end up in jail for a VERY long time, waisting away your youth. You should waste your youth away at a job instead.)

I live in an neighborhood that itself is safe, but is surrounded by other areas that are not. This is straight from the mouth of a cop (who happened to actually talk to me once he was sure I wasn't going to steal anything.) This means that whenever I go to the store, to the movies, or whereever, I have to be on my guard. In addition, I have found one rule to be true: A cop is never around when you NEED one. They always seem to show up one to 45 minutes after the fact IF YOU'RE LUCKY. And, when you call them up and they here that Ebonic accent on the phone, you can best believe they will take their time. Remember the Public Enemy song "911 Is a Joke"? Folks, IT IS. I have seen black people who live five or ten minutes away from the police station call them up and get a squad car ONE HOUR later. This is why I have taken it upon myself to learn how to protect myself.

Stop Whining and Carry A Gun

You may say "Creative Brother, why don't you get a gun?" Let me paint a picture for you: A big black man gets cornered by three white youths who demand his money or either want to beat him up for fun. So, the big black man, since he is outnumbered three to one, decides to shoot the white kids. The cops show up just when the last white boy falls to the ground. What do you think the odds are that the cops are going to end shooting the big black man. Remember, these are people who are conditioned to seeing a black person as the "number one male" in the Ten Code for profiling suspects. (The Ten Code came to us by way of slavery. Blacks were #1, whites #2, and other races #3.) If they can gun down an unarmed Muslim by mistake, what makes you think they won't shoot me if the FIRST thing they see is me standing there with a smoking gun, over three WHITE people. Who knows, there may be some people who want some payback because of that O.J. thing!

You can also argue, "Hey, Brother, get the gun registered." Great, that is just what I need. I need for my name to pop up as having a gun when the cops pull me over in my new car (they automatically think that a young black man driving a new car is a drug suspect. It's called "profiling". This is straight from the horse's mouth. I know these things because I believe in pumping people who may be a problem for information on how they think.) Having been pulled over for various reasons--"your tail light is out", "you fit the description....", "we're just doing a random check, you know" and my favorite "we just wanted to see if you know where you are going"--and seen the anxiety of the cop who yells at me while he has his gun on his holster, I can tell you that if he had proof that I had a gun on me, I'd really be in for some trouble. The only place that I can have a gun is inside my house, tucked away to use on someone who may break in. Since the odds are that I'd probably end up shooting someone who is black like me, I don't think the cops will care if I tell them I had to shoot a black burgular who threatened my PROPERTY. Property is important, but not my own life!

So What Do You Do If You Don't Carry?

The hand to hand skills are a definite benefit, along with the improved awareness that comes from training. I can also pick up a stick or other object and wield it with feriouciousness due to my warrior spirit (or ghettoness, I can't really say which). I am now very good at avoiding trouble, and have even managed to avoid being grabbed by crazy people on the street. Some folks already had that survival instinct from the beginning. Perhaps I did as well, but the martial arts have helped me develop it. I know I can't karate chop or TangSooDo kick a bullet, but at least I may be able to stop and think about whether this person I'm dealing with may be armed, and respond appropriately.