Cole Said It Best

J. Cole

Michael Brown. Eric Garner.
I Can't Breathe. Hands Up. Don't Shoot.

 These are the names and terms that have been heard from the mouths of people across the country and globe for the past several weeks. The tragic shooting death of Michael Brown by Ferguson, Missouri police and the choking death of Eric Garner by Staten Island, NY police in 2014 have resonated in the souls of men, women, and children alike. The shooting death of 12 year old Cleveland native Tamir Rice by a police officer has also ignited fury and calls for justice for those affected by police brutality and a criminal justice system that has at times not acted appropriately towards members of the community.

Hip hop artist J. Cole said it best in the lyrics of his song "January 28", off the album 2014 Forest Hills Drive.
What's the price for a black man life? I check the toe tag, not one zero in sight~ J. Cole
 
African American men are continually dying in the hands of those that have sworn to protect them. There are many correctional officers who are doing a great job of serving their community, however there are a few whom may be doing more harm than good. After grand juries failed to indict the officers involved in the Brown and Garner cases thousands of protests, marches, and boycotts have occurred throughout the nation demanding change.

#WhiteCoats4BlackLives, a coordinated protest on December 10 by medical students in over 70 medical schools in the US and Caribbean was created to not only protest against racial discrimination and police brutality, but to also shed light on the injustice which happens to blacks within the health care system.

"Die-In's consist of medical students in white coats and other individuals laying on the ground, most for four and a half minutes- representing the four and a half hours that Michael Brown's corpse layed on the ground after being shot.

The hope in these demonstrations is to open a much needed dialogue amongst health care professionals, healthcare systems, and the general public about the large disparities people of color face in receiving sufficient health care. Racial discrimination in itself has a direct impact on mental health, leading to increased stress, behavioral issues, depression and suicide. To often minorities are unable to receive the medical help they need due to various socio-economic or prejudicial constraints. The alarming low rate of African-Americans matriculating into US medical schools is also raising concerns that lack of diversity amongst providers will  affect the patients' views and possible use of the health system. 

As student doctors we are obliged to recite the Hippocratic Oath during medical school. The oath is a public declaration of our aim to uphold certain ethical standards. Do No Harm (non-maleficence)  claims a physician will refrain from providing futile treatments or act with malice towards a patient.

I believe that just as physicians are held accountable for inappropriate conduct and malpractice, police officers should be held accountable for improper handling of force and weapons, as well as discrimination. How a choke hold is not considered unlawful is beyond my understanding, but the continual abuse of members of the general public by law enforcement needs to come to an end. Both the criminal justice system and the health care system are responsible for the general well-being of the community at large.If the public can not trust us, we who have dedicated our lives to helping them, then who can they trust?

Look at the nation, that's a crooked smile braces couldn't even straighten ~ J. Cole


Below are photos of various Die-In's

John Hopkins School of Medicine

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine

Morehouse College

Howard University School of Medicine

University of California, San Francisco

Harvard Medical School

Image Source

** OhemaasMD in no way supports the recent shooting death of two NYC police officers, in apparent revenge for Eric Garner