ATL Redline, Justice, Police

F**k Calm

Don't tell me to be calm. Calm is off the table.

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(Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

(Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Charlotte erupted last night after police shot and killed another black man. This time police claim that suspect had a gun that they recovered from the scene. That’s as opposed to last time, in Tulsa, where police couldn’t find a gun on the man they just killed, but are now saying he was on PCP. Or the time before that, where they shot a 13-year-old and only found a BB gun.

I could go on, but that’s just the officer-involved killings of black people, that I know about, THIS WEEK.

Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts is asking for calm while the police proceed with their investigation. The Charlotte police chief also asked for calm in a press conference where he talked s**t about the victim, Keith Lamont Scott, for 20 minutes while refusing to release any footage that might corroborate the police story. Scott’s family said that he had a book, not a gun, and was waiting to greet his son coming home from school. Police say they found no book at the scene, but did find a handgun, though they just want us to take their word for it. Super calming.

In ABSOLUTELY RELATED NEWS… officials in New York City sent a message to millions of cell phones this week, instructing New Yorkers to freak the f**k out and report any suspicious Muslim citizens to authorities. When police finally cornered the suspect, a shootout ensued with an armed and dangerous fugitive. HE WAS NOT KILLED. I guess it’s just good luck that the police were able to apprehend a terror suspect who was shooting at police officers without a fatality, but the black guy with a stalled vehicle, the black guy waiting to pick up his child, and the black boy with a BB gun had to die. Maybe if any of these victims had valuable information on where other black people with vehicular trouble might be hiding, they’d still be alive.

I get, conceptually if not emotionally, that indiscriminately throwing rocks at police officers and setting things on fire is not the right answer. It’s not the right answer because, if for no other reason, there aren’t enough rocks. We can’t pelt our way free of the domestic terrorists wearing blue uniforms, any more than we can wall ourselves off from foreign terrorists. Masonry isn’t going to get us out of this.

But don’t tell me to be calm. Calm is off the table. There is nothing to be calm about anymore. The police are KILLING US. Our deaths are being sanctioned by the state. And at least 45% of Americans, if not more, are happy to give aide and comfort to our murderers. What in the holy hell am I supposed to be CALM about?

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If there is no justice, how can there be peace?

So sure, calmly denounce the violence in Charlotte, if you can. Wag a finger a the people who “ruin” peaceful protests, if you must. But don’t go around telling black people to be calm about the situation. America has lost all of her Netflix and chill privileges.

Charlotte faces aftermath of protests ignited by fatal police shooting; 12 officers injured [Charlotte Observer]

Elie Mystal is an editor of Above the Law and the Legal Editor for More Perfect. He can be reached @ElieNYC on Twitter, or at elie@abovethelaw.com. He would vote to fire all police officers and start over.

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