"Memphis"

a poem I wrote exactly a year ago after Tyre Nichols was killed

Someone in the back
of the room
had come late.
He raised his hand,
and when summoned,
he suggested,
              Body cameras.
              You can’t really count
              on shit like this going down
              outside a convenient store	
              or near a traffic light. And 
              cell phone footage is
              always shitty.
              But put a camera on them,
              and you’ll never miss the 
              action.
An agreed murmur
floated around the room.

So, another one,
inspired now,
raised her hand and 
when called on,
she said,
              Tell them not to
              use their guns.
              Make it a fair fight.
Applause
filled the forum

So, a final one,
spoke up from the back
without being called on
              Put Black people,
they said,
              on the police force. 
                            cheers erupting 
                            after each line
              It’s not fair 
              to have white cops
              duking it out 
              in Black neighborhoods when
              Black cops 
              could be doing that.
___________________________________________

So yesterday,
I accidentally saw a video. Only a second of it really. 
I scrolled away 
as fast as I could. 
But from what I hear,
a Black man
was beaten to death
by five Black officers
in a city 
with a Black police chief.
              They didn’t even
              need to use
              their guns.
And you won’t believe 
they caught a thing like that on body cameras!