ON BURNING BUILDINGS AND FEAR OF FIRE.
By: Wendell J Tucker
Tags: Protests, Youth, George Floyd, Looting, Revolution

I keep seeing this one statement that irks my South Side Chicagoan Soul…

“If we do _____ then we ain’t no better than them.” (“Them” being racists.)

BULLSHIT.

There ain’t enough stores to loot to even begin to put the actions of the people protesting white extremism on par with the actions of racists in this country.

Did they go and kidnap White People from their homes and sell them into slavery? No.

Have they been systematically oppressing people through economic starvation, repressive lawmaking, and state sponsored murder? No.

Did they kill ANYONE in the name of Black Supremacy? No.

They haven’t even destabilized THIS nation, much less any other. They didn’t make it so that you only had ONE grocery store in your whole community. They didn’t create any of the issues that have been plaguing this country for centuries.

Looting businesses in our community was a tactical failure and it hurts to see. But, don’t you fucking dare equate that to what we are fighting against. Those businesses can be rebuilt. Those products can be found elsewhere. Not a single life lost to police brutality can be brought back. Not a person who died from Covid-19 due to the absolute failure of leadership and disregard for American lives from this administration will ever get a chance at seeing the America that could be. The fault of all of this lies solely at the feet of the police and White Extremism. Full stop.

Had the police involved done their job properly, this would not be an issue. Had the police fired and prosecuted Derek Chauvin for any one of his previous 12 complaints, this would not be an issue. Had the police immediately fired and prosecuted Derek Chauvin and the other three officers involved, when they MURDERED George Floyd, this would not be an issue. Had the local and state government not been so unwilling to prosecute ONE White man for his MURDER of a Black Man, that they would let the entire country burn, this would not be an issue. Had White Extremists not been so hateful that they would infiltrate peaceful protest with the explicit intent of inciting riots to get Black People killed by the police, this would not be an issue. If racism was not so intrinsically ingrained into law enforcement, this would not be an issue.

Most of the trauma caused by White Extremism and racism will NEVER heal. The moments of joy and peace stolen from our people can never be recovered. The damage they have caused has spanned hundreds of years, and be felt for hundreds more.

At our worst, we are still better than them.

And you older Black Folk need to start acting like it. They moved without a plan because WE failed to provide the leadership and guidance they needed. We can’t try to share in this younger generation’s victories, and then distance ourselves from their failures. It’s dishonest as hell. If it was WE when they were burning police stations, then it’s WE when they burn a Target. We owe them more than to turn up our noses and wag our fingers when they have a misstep. They are trying to finish the job that frankly, we did not get done. We owe them our guidance, encouragement, and grace.

To all the young people on the front lines, know this: You are loved, and we will have your back. Be careful of the traps the opposition will set. Focus your energies on getting your message out. I know the excitement of looting and chaos can be intoxicating, but you have to stay on point. You are creating your playbook, and there are people intentionally trying to distract you from your goal. They want you to look like criminals, but you are NOT. You are not thugs, animals, savages, or any of that shit. YOU ARE LIBERATORS. Your rebellious spirit was encoded in your DNA long before you existed. This is your world, and you do have the power to free it from the antiquated thinking that has held us all captive for centuries. From the ashes you’ve left behind, we will arise again, BETTER, and it will be thanks to you. But we need you to focus in and not let outsiders divert you.

The future is yours to create.