The Black Libertarian

Monday, May 26, 2014

The most dangerous monopoly: When caution kills

Why Aren't There More Black Libertarians?

Throughout the history of the United States, government at all levels has been an oppressive force on people of color, especially black people. The republic was founded with African chattel slavery implicitly recognized in the Constitution. After Reconstruction, state and local governments enacted harsh laws and stripped rights from freedmen, ushering an era of white American terrorism that was aided, abetted, and sometimes perpetrated by law enforcement itself.

 One hundred years after Emancipation, police sicced dogs and firemen turned fire hoses on men, women, and children alike who were peacefully appealing for equal treatment, dignity, and individual rights. Today, police officers sometimes harass, profile, and abuse black people in cities all over the nation, contributing to the disproportionate number of blacks and other minorities in jails and prisons in the country that leads the world in incarceration.

 Given this historical experience with the government, why aren’t there more black libertarians?

Read more: http://www.libertarianism.org/columns/why-are-there-so-few-black-libertarians