It's not often that there is overlap from Dagblog, where I contribute, and this blog but almost everyone that I know of are am connected to in the hip-hop world has been talking about the Trayvon Martin case.
This was written by Michael Maiello over at Dagblog:
Dear White People,
I understand through the Internet and mainstream media that some of you are "deeply concerned about urban riots," as the Zimmerman verdict approaches. Please, white people, keep this deep concern to yourself. Your concerns sound quite patronizing to the, um, no doubt multicultural assemblage of rioters that you imagine is gathering informally on the streets of Miami.
I suppose that people might erupt into riots at pretty much any time. I'd just point out that the people interested in seeing George Zimmerman stand trial for the shooting of Trayvon Martin didn't riot when Zimmerman wasn't arrested and didn't riot when it looked like he wasn't going to be charged with anything.
All in all, Zimmerman's fellow citizens have been calm and eager to work within the confines of the law even knowing that Florida's laws make the guilty verdict that some people are hoping for an unlikely outcome.
Fretting about riots that haven't happened is talk of too low a frequency to count as a dog whistle. Stop it. My prediction, if Zimmerman is acquitted, is that there will be demonstrations over Florida's gun laws and its self defense laws and then we will have to see if those demonstrations are accorded the same respect that Occupy Wall Street got, or if they are talked about as if they are scary riots by, you know, "those people."
Until somebody riots, let's cool it, okay?
-Mike
Thank you, Michael, for having me here. Ugh... too many white blood cells in politics sometimes.
ReplyDeleteNo problem, Mike. Almost all of the BOI followers on Twitter were talking about this. I personally have tried to avoid it as much as possible. It does really seem to me like alot of people in this country seem follow the alternative reality of racialism.
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