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I am writing this with tears in my eyes, as I have tried to avoid social media for my own mental health and I have failed. I failed because “the President,” who I refer to as Number 45, has put yet another target on Black backs in a time of grief. Although, I must admit that we are always grieving because we are always dying at the hands of those meant to protect us. But then again, most laws were never really meant to protect us (Black people) at all.

Around midnight on May 29, 2020, Number 45 tweeted, “I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right …”

I reported this tweet, as many others also did, because it was a direct threat to American citizens, which is terroristic. I told Twitter that I reported the tweet because “sending the National Guard to stop Black protestors who are asking to stop being killed by this white supremacy society is like sending out a hit list for any Black person that steps out of line. It is murder. It is racist. It is unacceptable.”

As if that one tweet wasn’t enough, Number 45 also followed it up by posting, “….These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”

When the real thug, Number 45, refers to thugs, he means Black people. However, the dictionary definition of thug is “a violent person, especially a criminal.” Number 45 is backing a country that has recently killed non-violent Black people like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. According to criminal law, he could be considered a conspiracist, an aider and an abettor. Number 45 is also advocating that people speaking up against the centuries of injustices in our laws and law enforcement be murdered for their American right to speech, even though many white people have done the same when they wanted to hang outside with their friends during a national pandemic.

In actuality, when white people were having riots, with AK-47s and other guns in tow because they couldn’t spend time at their favorite restaurants and spas, even though the stay-home order was to protect them from dying from a disease that ravaged the world, Number 45 protected them. In a tweet on May 1, 2020, Number 45 said, “The governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.”

The tweet and understanding given to white people is what should have been reserved for Black people. Black people are angry. Black people want to stop dying. Black people need better protection. But instead, Number 45 wants to punish and kill Black people for fighting for their lives. #FOH. Number 45 is the real thug and should be held accountable as one. But, I digress.

In the previously mentioned tweet, Number 45 said, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

This sounds like a creepy ass lullaby for white supremacists.

“When the looting starts, the shooting starts” is a racist rhetoric coined by Miami Police Chief Walter Headley. Similar to what Number 45 has done, Walter advocated for more violence on Black people. He said “We don’t mind being accused of police brutality. They haven’t seen anything yet.” The fact that Number 45 is quoting a racist and advocating for the same violent response furthers the understanding that America hates Black people. He should be jailed and punished for hate crimes and terrorism, but when we tried to impeach Number 45, it didn’t work.

People are tired of Black people “complaining.” They are tired of us “looting” and not talking about our own issues of “Black on Black crime.” These people are ignorant at best but more than likely just plain old racist. Black people are not complaining, we are responding. There are silent protests, fundraisers and Black people crying for help. “Looting” is a way to take out anger without physically harming another person. It is what happens when we feel helpless. It is what happens when we reject injust systems. But he would rather do more to protect property than protect American citizens.

Black on Black crime is always bought up when we talk about Black people being killed by white law enforcement. The fact of the matter is, white people kill more white people and Black people than the other way around. Period. Less than 1% of Black people and only about 2% of Black men commit a violent crime in any given year, according to the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. Furthermore, poor urban white people have a 56.4 per 1,000 rate of violence toward each other than poor urban Black people at a rate of 51.3 per 1,000, according to the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. Even more statistics will show that these crimes between the same races are statistically similar. Bringing up Black on Black crime minimizes the issues that are prevalent and is a victim-blaming tactic.

America needs to be held accountable for its crimes against Black people on a deeper level than only prosecuting those who happen to be caught on camera and whose murder happens to become social media famous — because we all know that not all of these murders are reported, or even known.

I just graduated from law school, yet, I still feel helpless in these times. I was supposed to avoid social media so I could stop seeing videos of people, who look like my family, getting murdered. However, I had to stay on social media so I could know what was happening. Yes, ignorance is bliss, but I, as a Black person, do not have the privilege of staying ignorant to this.

Nadijah Campbell, JD

Writing since February 2022 · 1 story contributed