UNAPOLOGETIC

Dear world,

This is response to the state of America and the murders that have happened on camera and continued to be swept under the rug by the system of justice that favors only those who control it.

We are fed up.

Over the past few days we have seen what everyone needs to see - that the time for action is now. As black business owners we are truly indifferent when it comes to the results of peaceful protest ending in burning cars and buildings. From what we have seen in videos and know from personal experience is that white people are a HUGE portion of the looters in most of the scenarios. We continue to point out and hear egregiously altered versions of accounts by reporters of pretty much every outlet. AGAIN showcasing how systematic the oppression is that we can’t have the truth EVEN when there is visual PROOF of injustice and simply wrongdoing by the police and everyday white people. The constant profiling and police calling for reasons that never really come to light mostly because “they feel like it”. And the police men (of all colors, black too) consistently take their side when their job is NOT to take sides but instead identifying the issue and fixing it. That is the service they are suppose to provide and do correctly very seldom.

United States police men SHOULD NOT HAVE GUNS on duty. That should be reserved for SWAT teams. The average police man is simply not smart enough to make tactical decisions to save lives. The proof behind this is 1,000,000 times over and the ONLY reason we are in a civil war with them right now. So why are we letting them attempt it?!?! Everyday we spend hours conversing over critical thinking about world issues and the ways to mend and end problems that we have seen since we could see. Classism and racism are still at the top of the list. Far too many black women being beaten and killed by the police combined with stories and details that never add up and remain a mystery in our minds and we are left to fester on what ungodly nonsense has happened to another mother we cherish dearly. It's daily.

NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

And now we are on the hunt for solutions. Before writing this I spent a couple of days watching videos and reading about what is happening in Minnesota and elsewhere. It was an eerie feeling, something similar to deja vu; didn’t this just happen in Fergueson?? Didn't we see a black man lose his life and the pain of the people pour into the streets in retaliation only be met by force instead of solidarity from the system of justice that considers us unworthy of its efforts??

We did.

We saw it, felt it and from the far left side of the country we did our part to stay in the know and bring awareness via parts of our social media. In all honesty it felt fruitless then and feel fruitless now but it is totally necessary. Without that awareness we might be lost to what is happening and unable to form our own opinions on what is happening to us as a race and how to get to a solution. I’m writing this because that has been our conversation as of late. What can we do to really stop this from happening in the future?? Is there a non-violent solution?? Is there a violent solution?? Thus far our beliefs are fairly aligned with Cardi B. She made a statement that spoke to politics, her belief is that identifying and voting for our people/minorities with right “for the people” mindset and getting them into office . We partially agree with her, our thoughts went to lawmakers also known as legislators. They write and pass laws. They seem to be a significant key to changing the end results. But the rabbit hole does get deeper. Once they write and pass laws that actually protect us and treat police officers as they should when someone dies under their watch or responding to their call, they should be treated like criminals. The only reason for using force should be “UNDENIABLE” self defense and the person writing the definition behind the word “UNDENIABLE” needs to be non-white.

Our belief is we need to make a black legislator famous and understand that prior to getting them in a position of power that they are not going to be perfect but as long as they genuinely have our best interest in mind then that is the biggest step forward we can take right now. That feels like an action plan that can be initiated and facilitated by the black vote. The real question is do we know how to organize on a massive level in order to make it happen, CAN WE ALL AGREE FOR ONCE on something other than being tired of watching our loved ones die and systemic oppression being a reality? Can we agree collectively in decision making for not our future but the future of our children’s children?? AFTER we release our angst, we would like to see it.