Jasmine Crockett is an American politician and a Texas representative. I first noticed her because of how often she unapologetically checked white politicians and never backed down when it came to Donald Trump.
Some of the shine wore off as I started to question her motives, but I still hoped her heart was in the right place. We need people like that. However, I admit I’m a little disappointed by her recent actions.
Crockett presented Chris Brown with an official congressional honor.
Chris Brown.
This isn’t a piece about Jasmine Crockett. Her actions just opened the door. I’ve been biting my tongue for a long time.
It is wild how much people still love Chris Brown, isn’t it?
Who is Chris Brown?
Okay, I know most Black people at the very least know Chris Brown, but let me give everyone else a quick rundown just in case.
Chris Brown is a singer who blew up in the mid 2000s. I recall him being anointed as the second coming of Michael Jackson early in his career. He was probably at the peak (or what should have been the peak) of his popularity when he started dating Rihanna, probably one of the hottest musical acts at the time.
The only thing Chris Brown may be known for more than his music is beating her. The image of such a famous and traditionally beautiful woman hit home for a lot of people, and Chris Brown lost some support…for a few months.
A year later, he did a moving tribute to the recently passed Michael Jackson. He grew emotional on stage, singing through the tears.The world forgave, and the world forgot.
This could be a redemption story about a man who grew up. 2009 was a long time ago, but sadly this isn’t the case.
Chris Brown is violence
Chris Brown is violence wrapped in a seductive, talented package. I have to believe people can change, but I’m not seeing this in Brown. Yet the world pretends he is a perfectly redeemed citizen with that one little smudge on his record where a mindless celebrity probably just fell on his fist.
Brown has a long history of violence. Just last year, he was arrested for chasing, kicking, and hitting a man in the head with a tequila bottle twice. This was in a nightclub and was caught on camera. (Of course, he didn’t attack the man alone.)
In 2016, Chris Brown was accused of attacking two women. In one case, he attacked a woman who attempted to take a picture of him. When the police arrived, the woman had minor injuries. In the other case, Brown was mad because a woman admired another man’s necklace. He apparently threatened her with a gun. This led to a 9-hour standoff against the police. Of course, Brown denies both of these stories.
In 2017, an ex-girlfriend was granted a restraining order against Brown. He was accused of punching her in the stomach twice, pushing her down the stairs, and basically stalking her.
He even sent her messages like “Bitch I will beat the shit out of you,” “I’m tired of playing games,” and “I promise you I will make your life hell.”
In the same year, Brown punched an unprepared photographer apparently for taking crowd shots.
In 2021, officers responded to another domestic dispute in which a woman claimed Brown smacked the back of her head so hard her weave came out.
This doesn’t touch on the number of women who have accused him of rape. This isn’t even near a comprehensive list of the accusations against him.
It is persistent violence, and let’s be honest. Sometimes…when it is a little smoke, maybe you are seeing the remnants of a fire already quelled. However, this smoke is thick and consistent.
However, sometimes, it feels like I’m the only one who sees it.
The way the world sees Chris Brown
Most of my friends, especially Black women (I love ya’ll, this isn’t a personal shot), are somewhere between loving Chris Brown and being empathetic to him.
I’ve had more than one tell me how he can twist them all up on stage, and they wouldn’t complain one bit. A few months back, I saw a video with a guy talking about getting Chris Brown concert tickets. The number of women (I assume) in the comments talking about being bent over or sending little images of animals with their legs spread was a bit disturbing, but I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum.
Even when my friends gush over him, I keep my mouth shut.
That is, until Jasmine Crockett decided it was a good idea to honor him.Out of all the people in the world, this is who we decide to honor? I think my brain melted a little in that moment.
I decided to reach out to five different Black women to get some updated takes on Chris Brown. Three of them love him; one plans on seeing him in November. One was pretty empathetic, not understanding why people still attack him after he did one thing 20 years ago.
The last one was not as kind, bringing up his history of violence.
It gave me a bit of hope.
Conclusion
People can change. I support celebrating these people when they truly do so. Chris Brown hasn’t. It hasn’t been enough time since his last mishap. The violence has been too consistent, and honestly, the world lets him slide too much.
He hasn’t learned any lessons.