This week, 87 people, including football player Kenny Stills, reality star Porsha Williams, and rappers Trae Tha Truth and YBN Cordae were charged with felonies in Kentucky while protesting outside Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron‘s house. They were advocating for the arrest of the cops who killed Breonna Taylor. The moment is a reminder that the movement is still going even if it doesn’t have a stranglehold on the corporate media headlines.
I see people complaining on Twitter that they don’t see demonstrations and protests on their timeline anymore, but there are accounts like @protest_nyc that chronicle day-to-day demonstrations. We have to rely on them. Mainstream media outlets aren’t going to focus on protests after the “worst” occurred, when there’s no opportunity for them to frame flaming police stations as uncivilized action. Reporting that people are still protesting over a month after George Floyd’s death (and months after Taylor’s) would force them to discuss the issue at hand, which is still white supremacy — and all their complicity in it.
This may be a weird metaphor, but I feel like some people view their social agency like babysitting a child. If the child is screaming or crying, they’ll run urgently to see what’s going on with them. That’s what we had last month. But once there’s a feeling that they’re back under control, just watching TV or playing videogames, we act like it’s all good and go back to do us.
That’s what I feel like is starting to happen now with some people. Like maybe things are back at a “manageable,” “this is how it is” level of oppression for them. We see people clamoring to get back to “normal” from Coronavirus, planning parties and what not while people are still dying. And now people’s endurance may be waning in a similar fashion when it comes to antipolice advocacy.
I hate when people project the “distracted” card, but I also know what I’d rather see trending on top of the news cycle these days. I’m probably not talking to you, but if this applies to anyone in your life, tell them not to let the zeitgeist win, don’t be lulled into “normalcy.” Encourage people to keep reading, keep contributing to movements, and keep abreast of what’s going on around the country.
quick takes
I’ve been rewatching The Wire lately. It’s always been my favorite show, but I’m seeing it with brand new eyes in light of discussions about abolishing the carceral state. Most of the show’s moments that are cutely framed as cop culture are actually abuses of power. We learned to love these characters over the years, but I find myself cringing more than ever. In time I want to explore The Wire policing in this newsletter, season by season.
I wrote about Black people and antisemitism last week via Desean/Stephen Jackson — then Nick Cannon aired his comments with Professor Griff. I have a lot of new subscribers after the Akademiks piece, so I’ll just repeat this:
“Maybe, as cishet men, it’s too easy to sidestep a mountain of contempt to salute a grain of truth. Maybe it’s morbidly empowering to believe that it’s not just whiteness, but a mystical Jewish cohort beyond them that’s responsible for our plunder. Maybe making your enemy ineffable makes it easier to accept their atrocity.”
After Coloring Book I thought it was a foregone conclusion that Chance The Rapper would be rap’s next commercial superstar. I don’t think that’s happening. Not only is the music not hitting, he’s continuously making himself look foolish defending Kanye for no good reason. I guess even people with stans can be stans.
bars of the moment
“As prison industrial complex (PIC) abolitionists, we want far more than what the system that killed Breonna Taylor can offer – because the system that killed her is not set up to provide justice for her family and loved ones.”
- Mariame Kaba & Andrea J. Ritchie in We Want More Justice For Breonna Taylor Than The System That Killed Her Can Deliver piece.
“Nature loves courage. The way nature responds to courage is by moving obstacles.”
“representation matters politics will run us into the ground if we’re not careful. it’s one thing to rightfully critique mainstream media which is, often, just the underwriting of violence and power. but at some point we have to ask: who is the work for?”
“They lie to you and make you think the devil rules over hell. Family, the devil rules over NOTHING and this is why he wants you to inherit the same.
artifact
I recently wrote about Max B’s inhouse producer Young Los for Microchop. Max B is a cult hero. Aside from his mastery of melody, he exhibited a specific brand of ridiculousness that would have made him a must-watch on IG live. It looks like he may come out sooner than later and get a chance to be exactly that. But for now, here’s a flashback to 2009, and a hilarious Fader interview that I put on when I’m having a bad day.
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Venmo: Andre-Gee