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| Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Sun/2014 |
by Sylvester
Brown, Jr.
Sept. 27,2017
Right now, on this
day, at this moment, there is a kid….
He
or she may be 12 or 22. This kid no longer believes in his parents, his president or his country. She/he now understands that “democracy,”
“freedom of speech,” “protect & serve,” “due process” and “justice for all”
are all convenient, regurgitated, adult lies.
Right now, this kid
grapples with the memory of a 200-pound cop’s knee pressed against his, her or a
grandmother’s neck, roped like a mad steer outside the Gap’s door.
She
has seen the trusted “man in blue” gleefully, willfully, tactfully, militarily
and purposefully surround her, trap her, spray her, shoot at her, assault her, ridicule
her…and then, arrest her for doing the “right thing.”
Right now, this innocent,
brave, bold and righteously rebellious kid no longer relishes in the comforts of
childhood. She/he has been thrust face-first into the bowels of hypocrisy, smeared
with the 241-year-old shit of the Founding Fathers.
Right now, this kid
who is black…or not, who is poor…or not, who is gay…or not, now knows their rights,
their “freedoms,” are not as sacred
as that of a Nazi or a Skinhead. He/she can’t understand why the “very fine
people” with torches and guns, blabbering racist, anti-sematic sounds are better
received than a football player who placed a knee on “hallowed” ground.
Right now, a kid
has been teleported to the 1960s. This time, however, the tools of vicious, slathering
dogs, skin-blistering water hoses and raw, naked aggression has been upgraded with left-overs from middle-eastern excursions. This time, “the occupiers” occupy
their streets, steal their narrative and relegate their principles below
profits.
Right now, compromised
adults teach their young to compromise. Children must now figure out their place in a country that’s vowed to be “GREAT”… again. These pubescent
souls must make the premature decision to become rebels, outsiders or mindless
followers. Right now, today, at this moment, they must choose to be someone who
stands for something or falls for anything.
Right now, there is
a kid…
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