RIOT

We rational whites are quick to condemn the rioting.
Someone died, so let’s loot buildings and burn them?
Who is that helping? Absolutely nobody, right?
It just hurts the economy that’s already screwed up.

We rational whites
haven’t been systematically oppressed for four hundred years.
We don’t feel the pain, the hurt, the suffering, the injustice.
Often we don’t even see it or think about it.
We think ourselves colorblind, anti-racist,
when actually, we’re just blind. We don’t get it.

And we have no right to say what’s needed,
because it isn’t our hurt. We understand intellectually
(we’re very good at that)
but we can’t feel the pain, the hurt, the suffering, the injustice.
We just know that we don’t want looting.

And then there’s the whites that are opportunists.
They seize onto the chaos of our time and they lead the arson,
they lead the mayhem, because they want free loot.

To them, I can truthfully condemn them and their rioting.

But to the people of color who have been beaten, downtrodden,
trampled under the crushing weight of freedom,
who watch with outrage as Floyd and Brooks are shot dead
for minor offenses,
it isn’t my place or anyone’s place to decide what’s appropriate
for others to do in response to so unspeakable a crime.

Peaceful protests to make your voice heard,
violent riots to demonstrate that IT IS TIME TO CHANGE.

Peace must be achieved,
but so must justice prevail.