Fear

The cats at Jack & Jill Politics have begun to catalog a rash of noose sightings. To wit:

Hanging a noose, like burning a cross or blowing up school children (whether on a city bus or in a church) is an act of terrorism. It forces people to change their habits, quit their jobs and live in fear. It is a threat on one's life. Black folks in America have been living with some form of terrorism since we arrived here, but somehow, I don't expect the government will be sending the troops to Hempstead and Louisville and Pittsburgh anytime soon.

If I had to deal with crap like that, I know exactly where I'd go; to Doc. Doc is my brother in the LAPD. I know a lot of blackfolks got inspired by movies like Rosewood and Posse but the chances for a modern-day posse to be successful are very slim - something the police chief in Philly ought to know. In America, if you are going to take this nonsense seriously, and yeah I understand some of us must, the the only reasonable alternative is to find out who in the infrastructure has got your back. It's going to be blacks in the Establishment. Try not to forget it.

In a recent trip to Pop's house, I was rummaging through some slides. I found photos of the inauguration of Tom Bradley, LA's first black mayor. As you might expect, when this happened in the 70s we had neo-nazis show up. I was there, a kid, and I had no fear whatsoever. In fact, Pops had to restrain me from making some snarky remark. I'm sure at the very least i rolled my eyes or stuck out my tongue at the swastika wearing knuckleheads. I'm going to scan that slide and bring to mind that context again and again as we find retro black partisans making their little points about the racist backwaters in Sherwood Forest America. There are those of us alive who dealt with bigger enemies and bigger stakes and we are not afraid.

We are not afraid.