for whom the bell doesn’t toll – sean, unarmed black man

i'm not sure what that descriptor even means any more – ‘unarmed black man’ it seems like because you’re black, you are armed by default. clearly, not in the literal sense but armed with melanin that isn’t the right kind.

i know…it’s easy for me to sit at my computer and write about this in my privileged, sterile setting and i do have a hard time verbalizing the actual hurt i feel when i hear about racially motivated hate crimes like this (note crimes committed by those entrusted to ‘protect’ us.)

i could go on into an academic rant about the subjugation of people of color, and the kinds of baggage that are forced upon us because of a lengthy, ongoing imperialistic colonial presence that is inherently lethal in its consequences.

or i could just describe the visceral response that this kind of stuff elicits in me…and how it just makes me really friggin sad.

background:
Democracy Now's account of the incident
A very(!) contrary perspective