NWA

Those famous rap icons from Compton were the first to say it.  Years later, Ice T took it a step further.  Rodney King, I don’t think, ever recovered from that beating–emotionally or mentally.  Blue uniforms replace white uniforms.  Squad cars replace horses.  Yards with burning crosses and burned down houses are now replaced by over- crowded houses with friends & family, wreaths, and obituaries.  Proverbs 29:2 reads, “when the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan”.  Those groans turned into songs. We invented the blues. We’ve been:  slaves, oppressed, done wrong, victimized, raped, brainwashed for far too long.  You can only beat a dog but for so long, until it barks.  Then, as it grows tired of being abused, you’ll feel its teeth–shortly after seeing its teeth.  How do you like them canines? Protect and serve? I don’t know about the protecting part, but they did serve us with K9’s. They served us with Billy clubs. Then, to wash that down, they gave us fire hoses. Some didn’t want our seeds to grow with fathers, so they planted drugs on us. What a beautiful garden! Those things you planted bloomed into hatred and distrust. Some hate cops so much, they would rather die in their dirt than to get a good, clean officer. We would rather police ourselves. Unfortunately, many are already held captive in the courtroom of the street. People already abhor a lot of rules, but they hate the rule enforcers. We dislike the master, but we really can’t stand the cracker. I don’t drink so that’s not a slur. That’s the guy with the whip; which snaps, cracks, and pops like that cereal in the blue box. Some of us are a wreck, mentally, so they steer clear of the “angry black” caution signs on the highway to heaven. All the while, we go through hell and hailstorms. Looking up at the sky, our current conditions seem inclement. Some storms we cause ourselves, when we brainstorm on illegal activities on how to eat. We can’t excuse foolish or destructive behavior. I can just trace the roots down to Earth’s core. That place is fuming. Red with hostility and anger, the ‘boys in blue’ don’t make us feel royal, or purple to be exact. A Lot of my mentors are strong and resilient though. A Lot of us have kept it pushing, with our head down. Yet, we hold our head up after prayer then smile. But those guys in the corner, with the: black baseball caps, Raider Jackets, black shades, and Jheri curls; have attitudes and their going to let you know about it. Parents…be advised.