If you want to kill a black man with impunity

If you want to kill a black man with impunity December 4, 2016

Ronald Gasser, who shot Joe McKnight in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Ronald Gasser, who killed Joe McKnight in Jefferson, LA, and was released without charges

If you want to kill a black man with impunity…
You don’t need a badge anymore.

The black man doesn’t need to have a gun;
He doesn’t even have to throw a punch;
He doesn’t need to be running towards you;
He doesn’t even have to be facing you;
He doesn’t need to be shouting;
He doesn’t even have to be standing up;
He doesn’t need to be high;
He doesn’t even need to have a criminal record.

Because every white man over the age of thirty
Has been deputized for the sake of law and order;
And every white man over the age of thirty
Is due respect; if they do not say yes sir
You have the license to escalate;
And every white man over the age of thirty
Has a right to be paranoid and resentful
Because they riot when they don’t get their way;
They aren’t civilized like we are.

When they shoot each other which happens way more often
than all those fake videos they circulate on facebook,
they run away like cowards before the cops arrive,
Instead of sitting calmly in front of their deed
With sober, humble eyes, holding their gun casually
So they can hand it to the officer and say yes sir
I didn’t mean to sir you understand what it’s like don’t you sir.

And the officer will understand what it’s like;
He’ll say I’m sorry I have to take you downtown, it’s just procedure;
Because you know their lawyers are watching us;
But I won’t put you in handcuffs;
I won’t even lock the cell door;
Because I know you’re a good man and I can trust you.

And the officer and the shooter will joke around
On the way to the station about their favorite athletes;
The ones who stand up for the pledge of allegiance;
The ones who shut up and sell their shoes;
They might even go out of their way to make sure
The other one knows that their favorite quarterback is black
And even though he’s having a rough season
At least he stands up for the pledge.

Because if they all started kneeling
There would be even more riots;
Law and order is about more than just crime;
It’s about respect for white men over the age of 30
Who are right to be paranoid and resentful
Because kids today don’t say yes sir and yes ma’am.

None of this would have happened
If they hadn’t taken the prayer out of our schools;
There would be no riots;
There would be no shootings;
There would be no misunderstandings;
There would be law and order.

None of this would have happened
If they hadn’t taken the prayer out of our schools.

None of this would have happened
If they hadn’t taken the prayer out of our schools.


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