For the midterm essay, I think that I would like to write about Christopher Dorner's Manifesto. Dorner is a Black man who was fired by the LAPD in 2009. Today, there's been a lot of news circulating about a large scale manhunt to find Dorner after he killed a policeman and some other individuals. In terms of the manifesto, Dorner writes deeply about how his name, life, and identity overall were taken away from him by the lies of the LAPD. Furthermore, he discusses how the LAPD is still corrupt and hasn't really progressed since the Rodney King incident. In terms of racial identity, he expresses a lot of anger regarding the reality of injustices he's experienced and witnessed. For example, he talks about being called the N-word by schoolmates growing up and White police officers during his time in the force. He also directly criticizes officers of various races for contributing to the cycle of racism and police brutality. He ends the manifesto by speaking on his determination to fight back when he says, "This will be a war of attrition and a Pyrrhic and Camdean victory for myself."
I'm not all the way sure yet about my thesis. However, I think this is a relevant primary source for thinking about America historically with regards to racial identity, institutionalized racism and criminalization, reconciliation, retaliation and more.
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