The definition of “police” is, according to Merriam-Webster, “to supervise the operation, execution, or administration of to prevent or detect and prosecute violations of rules and regulations.” The ambiguity of this definition allows the act of policing to be transformative, and therefore have the ability to operate on both the micro- and macro-level in several… Continue reading Police Are Protecting and Serving. Just Not Us.
Category: Police Brutality
Freedom (a short story)
“Next up to the mic…” A voice over the PA system announced to the crowd anxiously awaiting the next poet in the Open Mic lineup. Langston sat in the back, remembering what his first time felt like. “Next up to the mic is a young man who goes by the name of Langston. You know… Continue reading Freedom (a short story)
Strang(er) Fruit
Strange fruit, now covering the streets Juice bleeding black, dripping at my feet Black bodies dropping with each new day Quickly becoming the amerikkkan way Blatant bleaching of the stars & stripes Profiles to fit all stereotypes Cries for justice fall on deaf ears We be the victims of their fears Here is the fruit… Continue reading Strang(er) Fruit
A Few Words About the Police
The fallout following Mike Brown’s murder is a couple of days old now and I’ve seen many give their opinions of various topics related to this heinous crime including racism, classism, the ineptness of the NAACP, the backlash behind President Obama’s official statement, respectability politics and the role of police in our community/police brutality. The… Continue reading A Few Words About the Police
The Quiet Revolution
The quiet Revolution of being Black in America Where our bodies are always on auction blocks We are bought and sold for fragile egos Where our defiance is listed under justifiable homicide Justice is a word we don’t know and we are told to just go along Even when the police are hell-bent on violating… Continue reading The Quiet Revolution
Maybe She Should Have Just…
I deleted and wrote this essay over at least twice. It was difficult to write because I was still sorting out my emotions. I didn’t want to vent and write an angry piece or feel compelled to have something encouraging to say. I also wanted to make sure this essay had a clear purpose, given… Continue reading Maybe She Should Have Just…
Campaign Zero
“We can live in a world where the police don’t kill people by limiting police interventions, improving community interactions, and ensuring accountability.” So reads the hopeful, matter-of-fact vision statement of Campaign Zero, a momentous, sweeping initiative focused intently on ending police violence in the United States. Organized by four social justice leaders from around the country… Continue reading Campaign Zero
Traumatized Bodies, Desensitized Minds
As more footage of the late Sandra Bland’s final hours of life spirals onto the desks of talking heads and news channel producers, I think it’s important to acknowledge the ability of film to distort and desensitize us to the abuse of another human being. We live in an age and culture where we have… Continue reading Traumatized Bodies, Desensitized Minds
Take the Shot, LeBron
This past summer, when NBA superstar LeBron James announced that he was returning “home” to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he wrote an essay to express why he decided to return “home.” LeBron wrote, “I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where… Continue reading Take the Shot, LeBron
I Have a Nightmare
I am saddened to join with you today in what may go down in history as the most depleted cry for freedom in the history of our nation. Two score years ago, a great American stood in the shadow of another great American who, years before that, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. That decree that was… Continue reading I Have a Nightmare