The Lynching of Mariam Carey

Mariam Carey was shot to death by the Washington, D.C. police during the second day of the federal government lock out of 800,000 worker., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

The lynching of Miriam Carey

By Monica Moorehead on October 8, 2013
Workers World

Oct. 7 — Valarie Carey and Amy Carey-Jones are publicly asking why deadly force was used against their sister, Miriam Carey. Appearing on CNN’s New Day program today along with attorney Eric Sanders, Valarie Carey stated: “It actually doesn’t make any sense. And the question really isn’t why was she in Washington; the question is why was she killed in Washington. And all I can see, when I look at that video, is my sister’s afraid and she’s frightened and she’s trying to get out of there. She’s confused. She doesn’t know which way to go. And I just can’t imagine what she was thinking as she’s trying to get away from bullet shots.”

She went on to say: “My sister didn’t have a gun. She was not shooting a weapon from her vehicle, so deadly physical force of a weapon being fired upon her car — I don’t believe was justified.”

Beginning at 2 p.m. on Oct. 3, all the ruling-class media ran nonstop coverage about a car chase that took place in the heavy security area of Washington, D.C. The chase involved a driver who crashed gates in front of the White House and on Capitol Hill. Cameras focused on a full mobilization of D.C. Metropolitan and Capitol Hill police, along with the FBI and other armed federal agencies.

There was endless commentary on how the lives of the police, who had their guns and automatic rifles drawn the entire time, were being threatened by the lone driver using the car as “a weapon.” After the car crashed with the driver still in the car, several police shot multiple times, killing the driver.

That driver turned out to be a 34-year-old dental hygienist named Miriam Carey, from Stamford, Conn. She was shot so many times that it took longer than usual to identify her. This African-American woman and mother of a 13-month-old toddler — who was also in the car but reportedly not hurt — had lost her job in 2012. Her family and boyfriend reported that she had a history of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, head trauma and postpartum depression.

For all the talk about the police being threatened, only two police officers were hurt, and those with only minor injuries. This was a lynching, pure and simple.

Throughout the day, the press was speculating that maybe this was a terrorist attack. One question that the media have not asked: Why didn’t the police shoot at the car’s tires, instead of at Carey?

After Carey was shot to death these same media, quoting the police, stated that the incident was “isolated.”

But was it really an isolated incident? Not really. There are many current cases and many more to come of people suffering from mental illness who, instead of receiving the adequate treatment they deserve as fellow members of humanity, are locked up in prisons. One National Public Radio report estimated this number at 350,000.

This lack of treatment is due to the systematic closing of hospitals coupled with unemployment, low-wage jobs, homelessness, deadly cuts in food stamps, etc. These problems bring many to the point of committing anti-social behavior, because all positive outlets for leading healthy lives have been eliminated under a profit-driven system now in crisis. For all the talk about “Obamacare,” there are millions of people, especially African Americans, the undocumented and the poor in general, who as of now will continue to go uninsured.

There are also others, like Miriam Carey, who because of erratic behavior — even if not threatening — have wound up at the mercy of the shoot-to-kill mentality of the police and other repressive forces on a local, state and federal level. These victims and those imprisoned far outnumber the tiny handful of mentally ill people who actually have been a threat. And those threats — think of the recent massacres — might have been prevented if the individuals had received adequate mental health care.

Miriam Carey does not deserve to be demonized. She did not exhibit criminal behavior. Any erratic behavior that she may have displayed did not warrant her slaughter.

The criminal behavior belongs to the police and the big-business media that defend the cops’ actions when it comes to protecting the status quo of private property and its puppet politicians.

In the meantime, another child loses its mother in a split second of senseless state violence. Justice for Miriam Carey!