Thursday, April 22, 2021

the verdict

Guilty on all counts of depraved murder

And actually in prison for now 

Kept in solitary to protect this cop

From the wrath of the other inmates 


But the sentence is up to the judge

And the appeals will go on for years

So while we celebrate this one victory 

The never ending war on the oppressed continues 


Every day brings news of other deaths

Another person of color executed 

Another killer cop terrorizing us

Doing what the police do


Even the President declares it now 

Systemic racism pervades this country 

While talking as if it can be reformed 

When every institution perpetuates it


Good intentions cannot change the fact 

To protect and serve is about money and property 

When preserving the established order

Means enforcing exploitation and dispossession 


So many families regret having ever called the cops 

A lesson learned the hard way 

We need unarmed members of the community 

Who will not be afraid of us


Would another civil rights act be any better 

Than the last one leading to mass incarceration 

And all the ways the badge is a license to kill 

And all the practices that manifest injustice


No we must be modern day abolitionists 

To really destroy the institution of slavery 

We must reconstruct the legal system completely 

Starting with abolishing their police