7 shots in the B(l)ack vote
Milwaukee will always be a place of fond memories and deep scars. A hostile home to me for 18 years. A place where I danced with the devil of white supremacy as a student enrolled in a suburban racial integration program from age 8 through high school. During my 10-year master class in white supremacy in Brown Deer, Wisconsin I learned:
- White people are afraid of “The Black” - people, families, neighborhoods.
- White parents simply cannot hide their racism when it comes to racial integration of schools.
- White police officers are scary, extremely racist, and look forward to assaulting/beating/killing Black people…especially Black men.
- White teachers are scary, extremely racist, and look forward to suspending/expelling Black students…especially Black boys.
- White kids are scary, extremely racist, and believe they are more intelligent, smarter, and simply better than Black kids.
It is the worst kept secret that white, Milwaukee natives deeply despise the mere existence of Blacks in their city, state, country, planet. Sundown-suburbs are still a thing. Aggressive policing, rampant incarceration, underfunded schools, and invasive gentrification are the tools of the trade to keep Black Milwaukee in bondage.
Oh, and, remember this guy:
Yeah, he hates Black people too. Sheesh!
In this season of once again talking about “The Black Vote” we need to remember our votes alone won’t save us. The political fodder of the democratic party as one for Black people is a farce. I, much like many of my Black friends and colleagues, have voted democrat for as far back as we can remember…all the while living in complete terror at the site of killing after killing after killing of unarmed Black people at the hands of law enforcement.
Yesterday’s execution was yet another timely reminder of the perpetual state of danger Blacks in America live in. A Black man, after exhibiting the best of our society and helping to bring peace between two feuding citizens, was brutally shot 7 times in the back by the people who have sworn to protect and serve….and in front of his kids nontheless. Jacob Blake is his name.
Real change comes from real action. Yeah, we can and should vote….but also remember the false hopes for liberation promised by the democratic party are not yet delivered. Let’s put a moratorium on the tearing down of confederate statues, renaming buildings, and painting BLM in the middle of streets, and whatever the hell train-wreck-amidst-a-clusterfuck of a photo-op this was…
Instead, let’s pass meaningful legislation that dismantles our current forms of policing. Our current form of law enforcement was founded in deep racism and white supremecy. It cannot be reformed! Reforming law enforcement is akin to passing laws to make slavery more palatable for the enslaved. Ridiculous right? Slavery, like contemporary law enforcement, must be abolished so we can rebuild anew.
So, vote, remember voting won’t save Black people, stop with all the performative anti-racism, and abolish the police. Thank you.
Justice for Jacob Blake and his family
BLACK LIVES MATTER
