On the Baltimore Riots, and WHY

After all of this mess that has been going on, you'd think people would understand the message. I mean, history tells us that Black people have been killed by various methods, lynched, burned, beaten, killed, spat on, and countless other morally reprehensible things done to them that postcards and footage from the Civil Rights marches didn't capture. They have been kept out of schools, the opportunity to own property and get loans with FAIR rates only to be met with a fake meager attempt of forced integration when it came towards getting employed.

Not only that, any time some sort of perceived success has been made, all the shade gets thrown by various methods, be it getting pulled over,somebody accusing said Black person of being an Affirmative Action case,or somebody damaging your property as a passive aggressive attempt to put you in your place. And when that isn't the case, their intelligence gets ignored, undermined and snubbed.

And THEN people want to say things like "I don't understand why they tear down where they live... I don't get it." I refuse to engage with people who don't "get it". They "don't get it" because they refuse to look at it. They don't want to get it. They just want to perch up in their chairs and survey the situation and play stupid.

Then they say " What if that was your business getting looted?" I'd say the following:

If it was my business getting tore up, I would defend it. BUT I would also make sure I am a part of the community by hiring people in it, and I would invest money into it, and I would invest in the product I bring into the community. Not only that, I would make sure the people know me, and appreciate me. That should be basic business etiquette.

People tore up the neighborhood because they pay taxes anyway and are still not being treated fairly. They figured, why pay for mistreatment, and disrespect after they've asked for it to stop over the course of many years. They don't actually own any of the stuff in the neighborhood, so they realize it isn't theirs. Taxes pay for that. Their taxes.

So a combination of paying for a bunch of shit that isn't even theirs, that's owned by people who make sure they keep reminding people about their lack of ownership, while harassing them whenever they DO get a little bit of ownership (car, decent job, etc), to the possible point of getting beaten up or killed because of it. And having to raise their children in that environment << THAT'S why they tore it up.

Last time I checked, it sounds like the people are rioting because of taxation without representation. And as long as it continues, shit will get tore up. I'm just saying.   

"This is NOT your hood. You don't own that"... << On Protest Chants.

For those who don't know. I've been active on the social justice front. Two particular chants that had been circulating around the Ferguson protests have made me cringe. That chant went as follows:

This is what democracy looks like! Whose streets?! OUR STREETS.

Newsflash people...


This article is what democracy looks like. Pay attention. These are not your streets.


This article is exactly why I cringed so hard when people were chanting about democracy and who owns the streets. Read this article and read it carefully. I've been trying to tell people about my feelings towards those chants and why people think I've "changed" a bit. I have not changed. This article clearly explains my thoughts. Think about that the next time (because we KNOW damn well, there will be a next time, after all how many people have died after Mike Brown in Ferguson?) you go to a protest and decide to chant with the people, or come up with your own chant. Think about it. That's why that chant could GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE WITH THAT BULLSHIT.That is all.

Baltimore and Freddie Gray

I will spare you from the typical rhetoric regarding riots, MLK, "destroying where you live" and "respectability politics".  All I have to say is this:


Remember how the media will portray you.

Watch how you move. Be swift, be calculating, be deliberate.

Be Smart.

Watch how people move, and move accordingly.

Consider all angles before you react, and do so with precision.

Stay safe, and follow that method, Black people (and anyone else who may be out there protesting).
Learn from everything that happened in Ferguson.

That is all.