Dear Derek Chauvin's knee

June 8, 2020

Dear Derek Chauvin’s knee,

               You have been blamed for cutting off the air of George Floyd, of leaning on his neck while he begged for breath and his mother, and Derek Chauvin now stands accused of murder in the second degree. We are now entering the third week of growing protests to what your uninterrupted eight minutes and fortysix seconds mean in this country, the long minutes of “I can’t breathe I can’t breathe” ignored by Derek Chauvin and three officers who didn’t stop you from Floyd’s neck as bystanders said you’re killing him you’ve probably killed him get off do something, a kneeling that would later call to mind Colin Kaepernick’s knee protesting uninterrupted brutality of police that absurdly and eventually lost Kaepernick his job after the President said Get that son of a bitch off the field right now he's fired, and later, Derek Chauvin’s knee, after you stopped George Floyd’s breath, the President and his approving 42% angrily decried movement on the streets saying Why can’t you protest peacefully, and the protesters say to the police but also to you, I can’t breathe.

               I learned about unarmed Michael Stewart being strangled by transit police who were acquitted of his absurd murder. I learned about unarmed Amadou Diallo who was caught in a hailstorm of 42 bullets by police acquitted of his absurd murder. I learned about woodcarver John Williams who was shot multiple times by police never charged with his absurd murder. I learned about unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin shot by neighborhood watch who was acquitted of his absurd murder. I learned about unarmed boy Tamir Rice who was shot playing in a playground by police who were cleared of his absurd murder. I learned about unarmed hands-up Michael Brown who was shot six times by police who was acquitted of his absurd murder. I learned about handcuffed Freddie Gray who died from a rough ride delivered by police who were acquitted of his absurd murder. I learned about armed but not reaching Philando Castile who was shot seven times by police who was acquitted of his absurd murder. I learned about unarmed Charleena Lyles shot in her apartment by the very police she called and who were then cleared of her absurd murder. I learned about unarmed Botham Jean who was shot in his apartment by police who at last was charged with his absurd murder. I learned about unarmed Breonna Taylor who was shot in her apartment by police in a no-knock midnight raid under current investigation. And I learned about unarmed Eric Garner who begged the same fucking thing we heard six years later from George Floyd when police didn’t let up and killed him and who were never indicted for his absurd murder, even after he said, and George Floyd said, and thousands and thousands and thousands of African Americans on the streets begging for air said, I can’t breathe.

               That was you on George Floyd. That was my knee on America’s neck, for far longer than eight minutes and forty six seconds, Black America gagging as I did and said nothing.