**This is not a piece promoting violence**
My city is burning. And I understand it.
Faced with oppression and violence again and again, how can we expect to be heard through a peaceful protest?
For so long, lack of civil rights, freedom, and the inability to live without fear has been the experience of People of Color in America.
The land of the free and brave. Taken from First Nations, colonized with African Americans seen as less than human, taken from their country to work as slaves to help build up the white man’s worth.
My city is burning and I understand it.
I know white privilege and I live it.
I also understand abuse, fear, and harassment. In the face of years in an abusive relationship and years of being molested I demand any person to tell me I wasn’t appropriated in fighting back.
And using whatever force I needed to use to save my life.
I don’t believe violence is an answer to pain and hurt.
I do understand ferocity as an act to save my life and survive.
What I see and feel right now from the community I live in is a desire to act, to save lives, survive, and create enough noise we don’t forget.
It’s not pretty. It’s awful. It’s destructive.
But what we’ve been doing in our world and how we’ve been continuing to perpetuate racism is killing anyone who isn’t white.
It’s time to save lives. People are acting with ferocity. And it’s a response after innumerable years of disregard and brutality.
Kneel on my throat in front of witnesses while my breath leaves my body. You’ll go to jail.
The report of it is enough you’ll be taken into custody.
Justice isn’t alive as long as we allow what we’ve all seen to go without action.
So my city is burning, and I understand it.
Please email district attorney Mike Freeman and tell him to arrest the officers involved in Floyd’s murder until further investigation. This is what would happen in any other murder case.
This is a murder case. We all witnessed it. Things will continue to burn until we rise up and demand change.
His email is: citizeninfo@hennepin.us