the feminist librarian reads

The truth is, the death of Mike Brown is not unusual. Black bodies appear to be disposable in the American psyche, and black men are major targets of police violence. Most of the time when a black man is the target of violence at the hands of the police, few of us outside their communities hear about it. But when cases are elevated to the mainstream, they are usually men or boys who are deemed “innocent” — which then is called into question by media outlets who seek to construct them as thugs (see #IfTheyGunnedMeDown). But an important question here is who is even allowed the privilege of being constructed as an innocent, ever?