A few hours after they accuse you of playing the race card for merely mentioning the word race, the powers that be execute a Black man, Troy Davis, though there seems to be ample room for doubt that he was the one who committed the crime. Nevermind, for the time being, your opinions on the death penalty and the criminal justice system as a whole.

Instead, if they want to talk about facts, let's examine some facts:

In 1982, two white men, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz, murdered Vincent Chin with a baseball bat in a racially motivated hate crime. They blamed "japs" like Vincent Chin for the declining American auto industry, though Chin was Chinese American and had nothing to do with the auto industry. This act was witnessed by two off-duty police officers. Ebens and Nitz, to this day, have not spent a single night in jail for Vincent Chin's murder.

In 2006, Officer Jason Andersen, an officer with a troubled record, shot and killed Hmong teenager Fong Lee. Officer Andersen claims Lee had a gun. There has been inconsistencies regarding the case, including lack of forensic evidence linking Lee to a gun reported on the scene, video footage analyzed by a video expert stating Lee did not have a gun. Officer Andersen was acquitted of use of excessive force.

In 2009, Oscar Grant was executed point blank by Officer Johannes Mehserle, while he was prostrate. He was unarmed. The murder of Oscar Grant was witnessed by dozens and caught on cell phone cameras. Officer Mehserle was sentenced to two years minus time served.

A few hours ago, Troy Davis was executed for allegedly murdering an off-duty police officer. 7 of 9 key witnesses against him disputed or recanted all or parts of their testimony. Some asserted that they had been coerced by police. The murder weapon was never recovered.

My people, we know that they accuse us of playing the race card because they always stack the deck in their favor.


If you look at this logic, it's clear who is really playing the race card. Our unfortunate history, and our struggle, tell us this.

But this is not about them. They get to voice their opinion all the time. Their comfortable hate already takes up too much room. They are the only ones responsible for their hearts, their souls. Let this space not be about them, but something else. Dare I say – let this small space, and any small space that you may have, dear friend, be a space for us. Take a breath.


Like you, I don't quite know what to do, or feel. It's a sad night, in a history thick with sad nights. Forgive me, all I have is this, my thoughts and my writing. And this little space. But it's yours.