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Ever since I joined Twitter a few weeks ago, the world has literally descended into chaos. Or at least now it’s more in my face than ever before. We’ve all been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, but then Ahmaud Arbery’s death became viral, then Breonna Taylor, now it’s George Floyd — and there are countless other innocent Black people we continuously hear about being murdered at the hands of police and white folks.

The fact that I know George Floyd won’t be the last is exactly why I’m exhausted, and I know many other Black folks are fed up as well. So when I hear the bulls**t some of y’all are complaining about in regards to the protesting and looting, please know that protesters, from the bottom of their hearts, do not give a flying f**k. I’m genuinely confused as to how people value property and material items more than Black human lives being killed at disproportionate and alarming rates. What’s even crazier is that not only do we have to worry about Miss Rona taking us out, but we also have to worry about police and white people killing us. Like, can we get a break?

But what about all liv — shut up! We’re not talking about all lives, we’re talking about Black lives. And if you don’t understand that, well then, sis, I’m not going to take the time to explain it to you. It’s 2020, figure it out.

The fact that even the Amish community in Minneapolis came out to protest in solidarity of George Floyd’s death speaks volumes.

Just stop killing us. It’s that simple. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

I was talking to a family member of mine on the phone recently and they asked how I was doing with everything going on. Honestly, I feel numb, angry, tired and sad all in the same breath. As the conversation went on, my relative jokingly said they wanted to make sure I wasn’t protesting because they didn’t have bail money. I explained to them I’m not protesting right now, but that could very well change and there’s nothing they could do about it. They went on to say, “It’s no point in protesting, it doesn’t do anything. They keep killing us.”

I ended the conversation in a heartbeat because policing Black folks on how they should feel and react to racism is trash.

Here are my thoughts on that particular mentality: While I do understand the frustration and hopelessness right now, that should not negate the power of protesting. People on the front lines of this are a necessity. Just because you do not see an immediate result does not mean you should stop striving for something, especially when it’s for the greater good. Also, historically, if folks didn’t protest and rise up to the occasion, then no one would have the audacity to say such a simple-minded statement such as, “Protesting is pointless.”

To the people out there protesting, I completely support you and understand your purpose. We need brave souls like you.

Now, for white people and non-Black POCs, if you’re going to protest, do not just start going rogue and destroying things for the hell of it, living out your weird Purge-like fantasies. That is not allyship. It’s dangerous and reckless to Black protesters, because at the end of the day it’s going to fall back on us, not y’all.

For those who haven’t protested or do not foresee themselves protesting, there are things you can still do:

– Sign petitions.

– Call the Mayor’s office and demand action.

– Donate to organizations such as Color Of Change, ACLU, The Minnesota Freedom Fund, The Bail Project etc.

– Provide supplies to protesters.

– Bring awareness to any police brutality/misconduct you witness. (The ACLU Mobile Justice app is perfect for this.)

Remember, silence is violence. You don’t get to opt out, and if you do, we will remember. Especially Black Twitter, so good luck.

One more thing — please stop with the “peaceful protest” banter. In many instances, it’s the police instigating and inciting violence, as well as white folks pretending to be down for the cause when they’re really wolves in sheep’s clothing.

And since I know white people love bringing up MLK Jr., here’s a quote to consider: “A riot is the language of the unheard.”

Black people want to be heard. We want to live in peace and flourish. That is all we are asking for. But since the systems in place won’t allow us to do that, we must speak another language for you to understand. And if that means burning your precious capitalist society to the ground, well then, so be it.

Maalik Evans

Writing since February 2022 · 2 stories contributed