MY SOUL WEEPS, AND WEEPS, AND WEEPS!!!

This is a tale of an introverted, talented, kindhearted young man that was tragically taken away from his mother, his family and the world! A tale that is all too prevalent in our world today!!!

Elijah McClain’s death makes my Soul Weep!! Any and every time I hear or think of him, I can't help but to break down with soul and heart wrenching tears. The sadness is overwhelming!!!

I’m not sure if it is because my spirit so resonates with his. I feel his kindness, his love and care for animals, his quiet unassuming demeanor that shouts out to us all; I am Elijah! From the reporting that I have heard and seen about him; he was a beautiful person. He was a self-taught violinist and guitarist. He loved animals, especially cats, and he played his violin for stray cats because he thought that the music soothed them. He was a massage therapist who I’m sure had the power in his hands to relax and heal the bodies of any who were fortunate enough to be a client.

Elijah McClain’s life was irreversibly changed (as reported by the New York Times) on August 24, 2019. He was walking home from a convenience store that fateful night. That night someone called 911 to report that Elijah was wearing a ski mask and flailing his arms as he walked down the street. The person stated that “he looked sketchy.”

The police arrived, questioned the young man and attempted to handcuff him, a struggle ensued, and Elijah was put into a life-threatening chokehold not once but twice. A maneuver that causes oxygen to be cut off from the brain and also causes unconsciousness. As they made attempts to subdue him, he vomited several times, and even when he was being accosted and manhandled by the police, he still had within him the ability to be polite. He apologized profusely for vomiting and stated that it happened because ‘he was unable to breathe properly.’ This doesn’t sound like the attitude of a “sketchy” individual to me. When paramedics arrived, they administered a powerful sedative (according to them it was deemed a therapeutic dose) called ketamine to sedate Elijah. On his way to the hospital his body went into cardiac arrest, and he died a few days later.

Elijah was stopped more likely than not because he was a young Black man who dared to go to a convenience store at night, it was around ten thirty PM. He was stopped because he was wearing headphones and flinging his arms, as told by the caller, (more likely than not listening to music that delighted and stirred his soul). He was stopped because they could! There were no justifiable reasons for stopping a person especially Elijah that night just because of someone else’s biases, and racists beliefs. There was no true suspicious behavior. This is the trope that is so pervasive in our world today. Every young Black man is looked at with suspicion even when there is no probable cause for it, and they rarely if ever are given the true benefit of the doubt.

As Elijah was being questioned, he asserted his right to walk on a public street by stating that he had the right to continue on his trip toward his home. The police obviously disagreed. A young Black man walking home from a store at night is automatically assumed to have committed or must be in the act of committing a crime. (It is apparently unwritten and enforced law)

As another officer approached Elijah, I believe there were three in total, he was reported to have said ‘I am an introvert, please respect the boundaries that I am speaking. Leave me alone.’ They did not leave him alone and they did not respect his right to the boundaries that should have been afforded to him as a human being. He committed no crime; he was as polite as anyone should be expected to be when being harassed for no reason. (actually, more so)

MY SOUL WEEPS with Elijah’s mom’s soul! It weeps with every attempt he made to assure those officers that he was no threat. It weeps with every word he uttered to let them know that he was not doing anything wrong.

MY SOUL WEEPs with every Elijah McClain of the past and every one that may unfortunately come! When will people become cognizant of their inner hatred, their racist views, and their inability to see past their ignorance?! I stand with all the Elijah McClains in their attempt to live past the age of young adulthood and thrive in this senseless world that we call home.

Elijah McClain’s family filed and settled a lawsuit against the city of Aurora Colorado. This money is punitive in nature but cannot restore the life of young Elijah. His mother will never again hear his voice, she will never again see his smile, she will never again hear the beautiful music that he was able to play.

She has lost Elijah and so have we! We have lost a tender, kind, and beautiful young man who could have added so much to our lives and to society at large if he had been given the chance to. I never knew Elijah personally, but ‘I miss you, Elijah!! Continue to be in ‘God’s rest!!!’