i will represent myself, Your Honor.

Judge: So you’re on trial today for shooting a sworn officer of the law and shooting at more. Highly decorated law enforcers. Some of the very best we have in the city. It appears that Officer Jake, the initial officer, politely asked for your papers. Waited for back up. Asked for you to get out the car slowly and put your hands on the hood. Then when you did, you called them pigs and the officer calmly asked you what was the deal? You yelled, got agitated, threatened all of the cops. Swung at Officer Jake. As possessed as you were, you charged at the officers with such rage. You got into a scuffle then somehow made it back to your car, pulled out a gun and fired. You hit one. They shot you. They subdued you. And here we are now. These are officials of the law. They are here to protect you. Not for you to be alarmed and to disrespect. There were 4 other officers present to confirm this story. Do you have anything to say for yourself?

Black Man: Let me back it up a little bit, Your Honor. The story does not start that night. After slavery in amerikkka, police officers were encouraged and paid to keep Black people in line. Their duty was not to keep civilians safe, their purpose was to solely make sure Black people did not act like 1st class citizens. They made sure Black people stayed in line. They made sure Black people remained in the back of the bus. And if a white person wanted that spot, police were called to remove them. Police were called when Black people were thirsty and wanted to drink water from fountains but said “wHITE ONLY” above. Again, this is after slavery. This is 50 years ago. My father was a teenager then. Police were called for Black people who wanted to eat chicken and waffles at a diner but didn’t want to get their food at the back door so they remained seated at the tables. Police were called when Little Richard was playing music and there was a rope in between the crowd to separate Black people from white. Police were called when Black people were in relationships with white people. Move forward to today. Police are called when Black people are having bbqs at the park (BBQ Becky in Oakland). Police are called on 8yr olds for selling water (Permit Patty in San Francisco). Police are called in North Carolina when a resident of an appartment complex are at the pool and another resident doesn’t recognize that person so they call police (Adam Blood). Police are called when Black college students at Yale (Lolade Siyonbola) are tired and exhausted so they take a nap at their campus and it upsets a fellow white student. Police are called when Black men go to Starbucks (Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson). When a decorated Black professor from Harvard (Henry Gates) is trying to get into his own house in an affluent neighborhood and they don’t believe he belongs amongst them so the only option is to call police. And the prestige of these institutions has no value to me at all. It can be at a community college. But they matter to white supremacists because they feel we don’t belong with them. They want to keep us in check. These incidents are not exceptions, but evidently the rule, Your Honor. These occurrences are decades apart yet seem eerily similar. Police were called to investigate Fred Hampton in 1969 at 5am after his speech. 14 Chicago police officers entered his room while he was asleep and shot 86 shots at him and his pregnant fiancee and his bodyguard. Killing him and his bodyguard. None were charged. In 2006, Sean Bell was shot 50x in his car the night before his wedding. No gun or weapon was found in his car. They were found not guilty.

Judge: You’ve made good arguments, Black Man, but let’s get back on topic…

Black Man: This is the topic, Your Honor. 1 in 3 Black men will see prison in their life time. 1 in 3. You see, police are not called to protect. They are called to correct. They are not called to defend anyone. They are called when one is offended. You must understand the climate we have been in since we were enslaved. People do not call cops on Black people without the intent of that Black person being harassed or killed. Period. Understand what we go to sleep with daily. Black people have never been free and it’s the cops DUTY to make sure freedom is not ever accessible for us. The reason a lot of Black people are late to events is because we hate being told what to do and when to do it. It’s engrained in us. We were bullied for centuries. Time is a social construct. Authority has never been on our side. And never will.

Judge: So even Black cops?

Black Man: I never excluded Black people from cops. A cop is a cop. There might be fine Black people who are cops… but there is not one fine cop who is Black. No matter how high the position or how Black the person is, being a police officer is committing to the institution that controls and intentionally enslaves Black bodies. Black people who are cops represents no progress. They represent the illusion of inclusion.

Judge: Are you saying there are no good cops? Not every cop is crooked. Not every cop is bad. Not every cop has ill intentions.

Black Man: Are you familiar with Traids? MS-13? Crips? Bloods?

Judge: Get to your point.

Black Man: There are good people who are Bloods. Not every person who gang bangs is bad. But by default, being a Blood puts you in a box. I MIGHT know many good people who bang. Now, all of those people who i MIGHT know, they have seen murders. They have seen drug deals. They have seen crime. They also did not do anything about the crime they have seen. By default, the gang bangers who have witnessed crime, makes them “bad”, right? Now if they do speak up, they will get killed. I understand. That doesn’t make it less evil. Every cop on the force has witnessed something done foul by other cops. Every single cop. Your dad. Uncle. Auntie. Cousin. And cops have an allegiance. Cops will not speak up to protect us. They follow the No Snitch code just as people on the street do. Maybe even more. They will remain silent in order to protect their job and families. Just like Bloods and Crips.

Judge: Can you recall what happened the night in question?

Black Man: I was driving after dropping my girl off after dinner. We have been together for 5 years. I have had the same car for 5 years. She has been living there for 20 years. Her neighbors have been living there for 2 years. I had thought she forgot her charger in the car so I turned around. It was mine. So I turned back around and headed home. Moments later, I was pulled over. Officer Jake followed me for roughly 3 minutes. I was nervous….

Judge: Why were you tense if you know you didn’t do anything? That’s part of the problem. So many Black people already have a bad taste in their mouth and they haven’t done anything wrong.

Black Man: … I was nervous because of that. I knew I did nothing wrong and yet, I was getting followed. I was nervous because I have been pulled over 14x and I’m only 25 years old and have never received a ticket. If the cop was Black, I would have looked him in the eyes and tell him “you’re no brother of mine. you have no loyalty to me. you know the plight of us here in amerikkka and you know i did absolutely nothing but here we are.” But it wasn’t a Black person. So when I get pulled over, officer says “License and registration and insurance. Are you on probation?” I didn’t say a word. Just handed him the papers. I was scared. Not intimidated. Never intimidated by anyone. But scared. There’s a difference. The only thing I could think of is my momma lastly telling me “whatever you do, make it back home” and my lady telling me “call me when you’re home” and my dad telling me yesterday “be safe.” So yes, I feared I would fall short on all of those requests. I fear that every time I get pulled over. He came back and told me to wait a minute. This will be over shortly. 10 minutes go by and 2 cop cars pulled up behind me. 5 officers total now. All out the car with one hand on their holster and the other hand on their vest. All of them. Seemed like a firing squad was assembled and then assigned to me. Cop said “well a neighbor called and said someone was driving by her house, looking and stopping. She said it looked like the person was scoping the neighborhood out. She said it was a Black male, early twenties. You fit the description.” After that, I said “man naw. This is not right. Yall are all abusing your power. All of yall.” He said “watch your mouth, boy.” Threw me on the hood of my car and started patting my down. I directed my next statement towards all of them and said “You guys are protected by that badge. You know you aren’t helping anyone by what you’re doing now and none of you guys are going to step in and right this wrong.” Then Jake decked me. Gave me a 2 piece combo. With a biscuit on the side because he hit me with his night stick after. I fall to the ground. They all swarm around me, jump me. Kinda resembling a gang. Like the Bloods or Crips. Then one race soldier told me I was gonna die tonight. In my own self defense, I got up with da strength of deh pantha, reached in my car and shot my licensed fire arm and shot at the thugs who were on the mission to kill me. In Plummer V. State, the case proves that the defendant had every right to protect and use necessary force against the officer who used illegal and excessive force against him. I wish I would have hit them all. I was lucky enough to clip one. They then shot me. I fell. Arrested. Here.

Judge: …….

Black Man: I rather spend years in prison than life in the grave by some cowards. Tell me, as a man, a grown man, if someone attempts to bully you and you have the means to stop it, WHAT WOULD YOU DO, YOUR HONOR? TELL ME, IF YOU GET PULLED OVER 14x BEFORE YOU HIT 25 AND YOU SEE COPS BEHIND YOU, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL, YOUR HONOR? I MAKE DETOURS EVERY TIME I SEE A COP KNOWING I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG, JUST TO AVOID THE POSSIBLE EMBARRASSMENT OF SITTING ON THE CURB IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. TELL ME, WHAT YOU WOULDA DID, YOUR HONOR? WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR SON ABOUT COPS AND RACE SOLDIERS LIKE THE ONES WHO CONFRONTED ME, YOUR HONOR. WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR NON BLACK FRIENDS ABOUT THE SYSTEM, YOUR HONOR. WHAT WOULD YOU DO WHEN THEY TELL YOU TO SALUTE A FLAG OF A COUNTRY THAT HAS BETRAYED YOU, YOUR HONOR. TELL ME HOW MUCH LOVE AM I SUPPOSED TO HAVE FOR THE GREAT UNITED STATES OF AMERIKKKA. TELL ME. THE COUNTRY I LIVE IN HAS NEEEEVER DID ANYTHING FOR THE BETTERMENT OF BLACK PEOPLE. TELL ME WHAT YOU WOULDA DID, YOUR HONOR!

*confidently standing, looking at the judge and then the officers in the eyes like such

There IS footage and audio of this, correct?

Judge: why does all of the officers who were present seem to have the same story as the one presented by the arresting officer? This is your last chance to own up.

Black Man: Birds of a feather flock together. They are all trained to stay together. All cops are brainwashed. All cops have pledged their allegiance to the badge. They will not disband to save or come to the support of one person. The position of being a cop does not require morals. Ethics is not a prerequisite of being a cop. Having the ability and heart to kill at will is a prerequisite. Being able to lie at the drop of a dime is. Having the innate desire to emulate Hitler and Stalin and other white supremacists who flex ultimate power is a prerequisite. Black, white, Asian, Latinx, Indian… Does not matter. By accepting the role of a cop inserts you into the community of furthering and advocating for white supremacy. A police officer is a protector of white supremacy. A police officer is a necessary piece in the agenda of white supremacy. Not every person who’s a cop is crooked. But every cop is crooked.

Judge: okay Black Man. I actually agree with everything you said. And evidence shows you’re correct. Audio on the officers uniforms match everything you’ve said today. Dashboard and body camera proves everything you said today. In fact, the jury also agrees with everything you said and does not believe you belong in jail. These cops should be in prison. But, because I reign supreme, Black Man, I get the last call. Because I must continue to help recipients of white supremacy move ahead, I must rule against the jury. Because I am the JUDGE and I represent what the majority of people in power want, I rule against the jury. Because I must keep you niggers in control, because I can’t make it seem like you niggers won, because I can’t make it seem like we have lost control of law and order here in amerikkka, I rule against the jury. Because white supremacy is how this country got centuries of free labor and we are here today because of the mistreatment of you niggers and if we stop it now, we won’t have any other control, I rule against you. Black Man. You came here with facts. With confidence. With poise. Black Man, you came here with knowledge and swag. You came here with hope and love and promise. Black Man, you came here with what we want people to model after. You, Black Man, are strong. You are powerful. You are inspiring. And for that, Black Man, I must not let you win. In fact, we will go out and tell the media to fabricate stories. Later today, the news stations and newspapers and social media will all say that you were high off drugs. That you have tattoos all over your body. They will say you had an alcohol level higher than legality. The media will bring up pictures of you from when you were 12. The media will bring up your father being a drug dealer from 40 years ago. They will bring up your mother growing up in Compton. They will bring up how you love Jay Z and DMX. They will twist how you support Colin Kaepernick and wouldn’t stand and pledge allegiance to the flag. The media will make you hate yourself. You will regret standing up and doing the right thing. You will go to sleep every night wishing you didn’t put up a fight. The media will make you sound like you’re crazy and wild. Not the cops. Now see, you’re not an exception. You’re a rule. Tomorrow, 4 more Black men will get killed by police around the states. And nothing will happen because of how we’re going to make you look now. Matter of fact, we’re gonna kill a Black man in HIS house in Dallas (Botham Shem Jean) and get away with it. He’s a smart guy so we will KILL him so he won’t have the opportunity to speak in court, like you. If these officers were any good, you’d be 6 feet under right now. But since you’re not, you’re going to be used as an example. This is what happens when you’re young Black and smart (Sandra Bland). We can’t afford Black men like you. It’s not healthy for our economy. There are Black men who we don’t care about. There are tons of Black men we can just give some weed and True Religion jeans to and they’ll be silent on their own. They’ll really think they made it because they have a gold watch and a pair of Jordan’s and a Ralph Lauren white shirt on that costs $39.50 for a 3 pack. There are Black men who will kill their own community without our help. There are Black men who simply don’t care about Black people. They will abandon and abuse Black women. They will abandon their children. They will fight their own brothers in the streets. They will publicly denounce all of their Blackness. We love those Black men. They’re helping us promote white supremacy. They are doing our jobs. THEY WORK FOR US. Fools. So Black men like you must go. There is no room for Black men like you. We must silence you. And we are.

Black Man: *big sigh. can’t say I didn’t try. Let’s get this show on the road.

Judge: Before I ruin your life forever, what is your name?

Black Man: first name: Every Courageous; middle name: Black Man; and last name: Dead or Alive.

Judge: *bangs gavel

Black Man: in prison. tries to be strong. sees no point. commits suicide. family and community mourns. repeat the process.

Judge: So you’re on trial today for….

end.

Rest in Power

Kalief Browder. 19.

Botham Shem Jean, 26.

Sean Bell, 23.

Alton Sterling, 37.

Philando Castile, 32.

Sandra Bland, 28.

Tamir Rice, 12.

Trayvon Martin, 17.

Nia Wilson, 18.

Mike Brown, 18.

Akai Gurley, 28.

Ezell Ford, 25.

Rekia Boyd, 22.

Aiyana Jones, 7.

John Crawford III, 22.

Eric Garner, 43.

Yvette Smith, 47.

Jordan Baker, 26.

Jonathan Ferrell, 24

Larry Eugene Jackson, Jr., 32

Oscar Grant, 22.

Fred Hampton, 21.

Jordan Davis, 17.

Walter Scott, 50.

Freddie Gray, 25.

listen to the YG song Police Get Away With Murder. watch the movie Blindspotting. must watch.