Priorities for 2021 Seattle Budget to Address Public Safety and Health Based on Preliminary Community Feedback from Black Brilliance Research Project 10.22.2020 In our Black Brilliance Research project, the number one priority that people have identified when we ask what produces safety is: housing, followed closely by mental health supports. The tables below reflect these conversations and priorities. People generally report that they want to shrink the police, deprioritize the role of government workers as the first responders (and instead use trained and hyper-local community teams as the first line for addressing harm in cases that are not emergencies), and design thoughtful and nuanced plans for next steps. In many instances, we’re learning there are several people who already do front line work addressing harm themselves, because of the fear of police making situations worse or lethal. In our research, we’re exploring more details about dignified pay and working conditions for people doing this work. We will also continue to discuss how community-led teams should be integrated into crisis responses that may need the support of a government employee to help resolve safely. At the end of the day, community members state they do not trust the current status quo where police budgets have grown unchecked and unquestioned for so long, at the expense of primarily Black and Indigenous lives. For this preliminary update from the Black Brilliance Research Project, we have seven community organizations and over 100 researchers who have engaged in local and digital community events, teach-ins, surveys, and interviews to inform the findings. Researchers are primarily Black and surveyed people from many racial, ethnic, and linguistic communities, with a focus on centering the lived experiences of Black people. Teams use a variety of methodology- including arts-based methodology like photovoice, digital storytelling, story-mapping, message-testing, archival research, geographic information systems, and more. In nearly all cases, these results reflect specific feedback from community members about topics related to what creates true community, safety, health, and thriving. Some of these findings are also from the community needs assessment survey. This survey is available in fifteen languages and includes a question about what community members would do with $200M to invest. For this preliminary report, we focus on the big picture takeaways from the research so far. We anticipate reporting on more specific details and nuance in early November. Today, we’re highlighting the specific feedback we have heard from Black people - although there are many other communities to report about once the funds are released. In most cases, even though we focused on the priorities for Black people, we do not anticipate big changes in these preliminary findings. NonBlack community members have largely recommended the same big picture ideas and typically provided fewer details about how to implement these priorities. The ease, speed, and details by which Black community members voiced their priorities informed the current highlights we share below. Black community members are imagining safety for the first time, and they are excited to share their vision and build out new research to test and develop actionable recommendations. Many have been doing grassroots and relational work for years to set the foundation for this research project’s creation and success. They have seen the devastating impact of policing on vulnerable communities, including Black and Indigenous communities. This working document is designed to quickly organize the themes and information we are initially hearing in the Black Brilliance Research Project. Key divestments that people want to see Big Picture Community wants less investments in policing systems (including police, court system, etc). Currently community is less interested in detailing which police functions to keep but instead want to focus on shrinking the role of police and limiting police contact with the public. Priorities from Black community members • • • • Community wants less investments in government employee responses to harm, including social workers. Currently, community is more interested in investing in local and self-determining responses to harm. • • • Important contextual notes Many community members are fearful of police contact because there are far too many stories and experiences of Black community members being murdered and harmed, families separated. When people are harmed by police, community members do not grieve any less when we learn the police officer is a woman or a Person of Color (POC). There is strong consensus on the need to reduce investments in police, and there is a diversity of thought about what this might look like. Community members prioritize reinvestments that will reduce crime and increase safety by prioritizing the specific needs of Black communities. • There are some Scale up existing Black-led crisis intervention teams, violence preventions programs, health relationships programs, and intergenerational supports Create infrastructure where community members are deployed before a government employee to address situations, when possible Create, supplement, and sustain investments in local and federal Black-led harm • There is a recognition that generational differences in Black community voices, but the data to date are clear that reducing the size of the police has broad intergenerational support. • Some communities within the Black community have strong consensus about the need to divest money from police- especially the Black disabled community and the Black trans and Black queer communities. • In many cases community members feel so unsafe with police that they avoid calling them altogether because police do not prevent harm- they show up after harm has been done (and often don’t provide a helpful service that resolves the issue) many issues are best resolved proactively or at least before they become a full crisis - but there is currently no clear mechanism to engage those systems or supports- and not many people know about a lot of them. • Neighborhood-based teams are a model that community members describe as being helpful for creating safer, healthier communities. A interruption, prevention, and diversion programs that do not rely on coercion, shame, punishment, and control. Local examples include collaborations like Restorative Community Pathways. rapid response that is based on accountable relationships is more effective than powerful armed strangers, which is often the current status quo. • People are eager to build and scale up organizations immediately. • Many Black people reject the idea police can somehow reform or improve themselves, even though some of these same Black people have advocated for reform in the past. • Black people also reject the pitting of BIPOC communities against each other when there are substantive wins for Black communities. One of the biggest takeaways from the research so far is that community members are eager to imagine in detail a world with less policing and more investments in the things that actually keep us safe (e.g., getting needs met and looking out for each other). The table below offers preliminary findings from the research for investments needed to generate true public safety that could render policing obsolete if fully implemented. These include housing, mental health, youth services, intergenerational supports, and access to thriving economic and employment ecosystems. Housing Reinvestments Big Picture Housing-first models and noncoercive case management Priorities from Black community members 1. Communities are eager for non-coercive and non-punitive ways to help people secure housing- that way they can work on other needs in privacy and with dignity and rest. 2. Even people who work in criminal legal system roles or processes want alternatives that would connect people to supportive housing Important contextual notes • Black people want autonomy over our lives and the ability to selfdetermine what will be most effective for our communities, without having to justify it to nonBlack communities. • Ending homelessness is a key priority for many Black people. • Black people are generally supportive of Black people having access to dignified non-congregate housing (read: not shelters) as much as possible. 3. Black people report that in the current status quo, they feel coerced to engage in anti-Blackness to get their needs met. This may mean having to focus on trying to please the case manager or reinforcing white savior narratives just to get their needs met. 4. In some cases in order to get case management and help navigating supports, Black people have to make difficult choices to remove people from their household or add people to meet some eligibility requirements Homelessness services that actually account for legal and illegal housing discrimination 1. Many housing support services actively practice anti-Blackness. These practices include: discriminating against Black trans people, Black people who are homeless, Black people with disabilities, Black people who use Section 8 or subsidized housing, Black people with criminal records, Black families fleeing violence, and Black youth in foster care or similar precarious housing situations. • Black trans people, Black queer people, and Black people who work stigmatized jobs or with criminal records all speak about the need for non-coercive and dignified housing that is culturally affirming. 1. In many instances, people were in precarious situations before they became homeless, and early intervention would have made a big difference in their lives. 2. Property managers have a lot of discretion about what paperwork they will accept. Claiming the paperwork is not good enough creates a context where people can be denied housing in ways that are not easily provable as racist. It is very difficult for many Black people, particularly the people in precarious situations to have the resources to get adequate and dignified documentation (especially during COVID). 3. Black people with disabilities face unique challenges to accessible housing and transportation and wellness. Community members tell stories about the struggles related to mental health and neurodivergence - including the fear of police causing harm or death to people with disabilities. 4. People with disabilities face unique challenges related to accessing homelessness services, and some Black people may choose to try to mask their disability to reduce the risk of additional discrimination or institutional violence. More “Right to Return” or similar processes to address gentrification and bring Black people back into Seattle- especially the Central District 1. Specific policies and practices that explicitly prioritize restoring the cultural connection to spaces are important. 2. Most Black community members from the Central District want to return there if there is an opportunity. 3. There is strong interest in learning more about what the City and County to do to facilitate more return of Black people to their family and community homes. 1. Communities speak about how there is over-policing and over-surveillance but not a similar level of energy at making sure that Black people are welcomed and invited into spaces- even spaces that have historically housed and benefited from the unique brilliance of Black people and creatives. Housing as a means to create healing community and thriving 1. In addition to the above points, many Black community members talked about the need for transformative healing practice and the value of sharing space as part of our ancestral practice. 2. Community members often describe housing as a way to heal harms- and gentrification as a harm that is being done to Black communities. 3. Black trans community members describe how housing can create a safe community for sharing and healing from the harms of 1. Some people we’ve talked to describe addressing gentrification as a public health priority. Seeing it as one manifestation of institutional racism and antiBlackness. 2. Elder-specific housing considerations are an important topic in many conversations, including the need for housing that allows communities to heal intergenerational traumas 3. Black trans and Black queer communities are eager to have collective housing that creates safety from harm and death while also allowing transphobia and as a way to prevent the disproportionate deaths of Black trans women, in particular. community members to create art and healing living spaces togther Housing alongside business development and transportation projects 1. Many community members speak about the need for economics to be integrated into housing development project - with a focus on creating housing near the jobs and transportation that people need to be safer, healthier, and to thrive. 2. Some projects that Black community members support includes the thoughtful repurposing of commercial buildings into mixed-use development with more housing- but for intergenerational families. 3. Many community members discussed how important it is to bolster and support a successful ecosystem of Black-owned businesses and services. 1. Some community members point to how some transportation infrastructure signals upcoming gentrification (e.g., bike lanes or residential streets closed to thru traffic) 2. One of the effects of gentrification is the closing of relevant shops- like beauty supply stores, hair salons, braiding shops, and barbershops that have the skills to offer stellar service and wellness to Black clients. Some people shared stories of how these cultural anchors serve as important sites for rites of passage and therapeutic conversation and relationship building. Housing that is designed and built by Black community members 1. Workforce diversity, including in high-paid and unionized jobs like those available in construction is a strong consideration for community members. 2. Workforce diversity for new development, construction, transportation, and public work projects was a common theme when people talked about how changes should be implemented. 1. Like many other areas in this document, community members are open to including non-Black allies in this work, as long as the process and work is centered on improving the material conditions of Black people - including Black workers. Creative uses of existing properties to foster art spaces and other 1. For some community members, there is a strong interest in learning about land use policy and how 1. It is common for Black people to open their homes to other people and to nonresidential purposes, like community practices and growth zoning may foster black homeowners being able to keep their homes - by allowing these homes to also serve as sites for artists and other creative uses. 2. Some large buildings may just needs repairs and remodeling but could serve as a community space. creating mini-community spaces for community organizing. 2. There are some properties that are underutilized because they need investments to increase safety (e.g., add elevators for accessibility) - and many programs that are actively looking for space. There are too many vacant houses in Seattle, and too few Black people living in Seattle 1. Black people express concern that we have a housing crisis, with so many Black people experiencing homelessness while wealthy people use vacant homes as tax perks instead of housing that could be used for community 1. There are questions about how to effectively approach stopping the hoarding of resources, and no consensus on what can be done to address this. 2. Some community members mention perhaps a tax or other budgetary tool can be deployed - but we are still collecting data on what this might look like or what specific recommendations people have towards this goal. Mental Health Reinvestments Big Picture Mental health providers, clients, and families report that the current service model does not serve them well Priorities from Black community members 1. There is strong consensus that non-coercive and nonstigmatizing mental healthcare is one of the most important investments towards healing for Black community 2. Black mental health providers can’t make dignified living wages and hone their specific expertise for caring for Important contextual notes 1. There is a strong desire for a low-cost subscription model of healthcare with a physical space that is designed so that people can go there to be cared for and supported holistically. 2. Many of the people advocating and training community members on how to effectively address this are Black queer women and Black femmes. 3. Black people with disabilities and neurodivergence face Need more Black healers Black people - because the current model does not charge rates that Black clients can afford. This creates stress for providers and clients. 3. There are providers who are already trained and ready to deliver this model but they need space 4. There are also people who are actively building healing spaces, but need financial investments to rehabilitate existing spaces or develop new ones. unique challenges to accessible housing, transportation, and wellness. Community members tell stories about the struggles related to mental health and neurodivergence - including the fear of police causing harm or death to people with disabilities. 4. The unique concerns of people living with trauma, mental health concerns, and who use drugs is another set of experiences we’re doing deeper dives on and will be reporting on. 5. Trans-competent mental health care and transitionrelated supports remains elusive for many Black trans people. Having providers who are experienced providing hair removal services on dark skin, surgery support that avoid hyperpigmentation or problematic scarring, and who have experience using culturally specific terms or understandings is a challenge for many Black trans people. 1. Ancestral knowledge and intergenerational cultural practices are essential to healing 2. Healing needs to be approached from investments in housing, wellness, education, and more. 3. While many community members talk about medical doctors and mental health service providers, people are also interested in connecting with people who have expertise in spiritual wellness, natural and 1. People do sometimes mention specific spiritual or healing practices they may want to see supported. 2. The need for more Black and culturally specific providers is strong. 3. Black trans specific ancestral practices are also important considerations, including connections to spirituality and reclaiming gender-diverse practices and experiences. food-based healing practices. 4. Black grief and Black joy are often intertwined - and incorporating both as part of Black healing experiences is one of the most important strategies to create more community safety and health. The specific harms caused by the prevalence of Black deaths, the attempts on Black lives, and the normalization of Black death negatively impact Black community 1. The repeated and preventable deaths of Black community members hurts our mental health and overall wellness. 2. Several community members report that government decisions to prioritize other investments (instead of those specific to addressing harms done to Black community) fosters mistrust in government interventions and employees 3. Many community members talked about the feeling that there is little control over whether or not someone is killed by police, and that they fear someone they love becoming a “hashtag”- meaning a temporary placeholder until the next Black person is killed by police 1. Black community members are not overly concerned about the race or gender of the person who might kill them- when talking about harm done by police, community members do not differentiate the race of the police perpetrator of harm. Instead, they discuss how the fear of knowing we can be killed with impunity exacts a toll 2. The specific ways Black people can be dehumanized in death was also discussed by some people- whether that is being described in terms of alleged gang involvement, inaccurate reporting of a Black trans person’s name or gender, or the omission of positive or dignified information about the Black person. 3. There is an inaccurate but oftquoted statistic about the expected lifespan of a trans woman. This problematic statistic causes a unique grief that is difficult to adequately name. Racialized ableism - which reflects the unique experience and struggles of Black people with disabilities - is 1. Racialized ableism is an important framing because it amplifies the work being done in disability justice and restorative justice communities 1. The infantilization of Black people with disabilities is one of many examples of how racialized ableism is able to operate. 2. The labeling of typical feelings like grief and outrage to be important to consider. 2. The weaponization of mental health in the service of racialized ableism results in the deaths of about half of the people killed by police, and many people who experience harm don’t report it when the only mechanism to report harm involves police. instead mental health conditions is a problem that some community members are deeply concerned about. 3. There are many Black people who are disabled and also have lived experience with institutionalization or institutional violence. Their experiences are crucial to having a full analysis of what needs to change to create a safer, healthier world where people can thrive. Youth Reinvestments Big Picture Priorities from Black community members Important contextual notes Hire Black youth and create job pipelines that sustain the work beyond just this 2021 budget cycle. 1. Approach youth employment as one strategy to reduce youth contacts with police 2. Create more jobs for young people 3. Design and create more training and apprenticeship programs for Black youth 4. Create unrestricted grants and other investments for community organizations that specifically support Black liberation and work with youth. 5. Pay youth to make art about what they want to see from the City’s process 6. Supply software and technical expertise for data science and related technology jobs 7. Intentionally tailor programming to youth who may face additional discrimination, including trans youth, disabled youth, youth with criminal records, youth in unstable housing situations, and youth who are immigrants or refugees. 1. Youth are eager to contribute to create a more just world, and want the job skills and experience to start their careers. 2. In the current economic downturn and with schools closed, many youth are concerned about their future prospects and are eager to have employment to help support their families Improve the material 1. Protect Black youth 1. There are youth who march everyday, conditions of youth’s lives 2. Pay youth organizers who participate in steering committees and other formal processes 3. Honor youth demands for changes to education and other institutions that can support positive youth development, civic engagement, and youth leadership 4. Eliminate and abrogate School CSOs and invest in expanding youth programs like ethnic studies, Kingmakers, and other culturallyspecific supports 5. Advocate for schools to become sites for Black liberation - including places where youth can show leadership and ownership of the education process 6. Create low-barrier funds that allow youth to access emergency or earmarked cash assistance especially for unaccompanied or unstably housed youth. 7. Ensure every single youth has highspeed internet so they can access education. Right now, we still have more than approximately 8,000 Seattle Public Schools students without access to adequate internet. This is a huge equity concern. Without the internet, so many children are denied access to the education they are entitled to receive. sometimes twice a day. In many ways, without their tireless work, we would not have had the wins we currently have. One participant noted, “The youth right now, are the truth right now”. 2. Foster care youth and youth in similar situations have noted that the child welfare system has not been serving them for a long time and that this rethinking of public safety offers an opportunity to fix it. Intergenerational Reinvestments Big Picture Investing in families and in strong interpersonal and inter-generational healing is key to Priorities from Black community members 1. Home is one of the first places where people navigate healing, trauma, and oppression. Investing in Black families and home life ensures that more people have a safe spaces to heal Important contextual notes 1. Immigrant and refugee families have unique relationships with policing as part of their experiences in their countries of origin - this produces a difficult to Black well-being and safety from trauma and create healthy relationships. 2. Need to address institutional racism in how criminal legal systems and child welfare systems separate Black people from our communities and families. Many community members talked about how these two systems deprive children of access to their parents while simultaneously depriving elders from access to their adult children. In many cases, this results in homes where grandparents must raise their grandchildren or where children are predominantly placed into the homes of white strangers. 3. In some instances there is significant healing that must take place to create the space for more effective community collaboration 4. Black elder art can help connect and build relationships across generational divides. navigate position for many families. 2. East African youth and middle-aged adults are navigating difficult conversations with some elders about why police do not keep them safe and why their children and grandchildren are racially profiled, harmed, or worse. 3. Intentionally focusing on the experiences of trans and disabled elders is key to helping to foster authentic and full relationships. Invest in Black-led elder care in close proximity to family, friends, and contexts 1. It is important to elders to not feel isolated or abandoned 2. When possible families would prefer to stay together 3. Creating trans- and queer- specific housing is important for elders who are accustomed to having to choose between safety and being fully who they are 4. Compassionate support around aging-related concerns and plans for one’s transition into death is important. Normalizing Black estate planning can be a helpful strategy for breaking taboos while passing along elder’s wishes and wisdom. 1. There are very few Black-led eldercare facilities. 2. Developing buildings to include a mechanism to accomplish Black-led care is something we’re exploring more in the research. 3. The digital divide or digital redlining, has hit Black communities very hard, especially Black elders who are less likely to have access to adequate internet. Create supports to allow Black elders to age in place, 1. Retirement, including pensions, are not keeping pace with the cost of living 1. Black elders should be compensated for their including financial resources to support Black elders 2. Many elders provide childcare and other supports to community 3. Elders hold institutional knowledge and archival materials. Elders can provide insights into what was promised and what is still owed to Black communities 2. 3. 4. 5. labor, expertise, and leadership. Aging in place requires home improvements in most cases. Elders may have more disabilities or a change in their disability severity as they age. Black elders may find driving more difficult, and may become concerned about police targeting them if they experience age-related declines in their driving capacity. Currently because of COVID-19, many driver renewals and other resources are online. Black elders are less likely to have access to high-quality internet and so are less likely to be able to renew their licenses. Depending on their specific health needs and medical context, some Black trans elders may need support specific to their changing medical needs. Economic and Employment Reinvestments Big Picture Hire accountable Black people to be advisors and decision-makers on decisions that affect us Priorities from Black community members 1. The 2021 Participatory Budgeting process should be designed and informed by Black community using this data alongside other tools from the Black Brilliance Research Project. Important contextual notes 1. Nothing about us without us - but also don’t use Black people as decoration. Seek out our expertise- many of us bring several skills and experiences that can be directly applicable. 2. Police Labor Contract review decisions should be made in partnership with community members who have been incarcerated or who have been affected by incarceration. 3. When seeking consultants to weigh in on what policing systems should look like, ensure that those consultants are Black and that they include Black people with first-hand experience navigating incarceration. 4. Black experiences are diverse, so we would expect to see as many people reflected in the decision-making process as possible- and avoid positioning one person as the spokesperson for all Black communities. 2. There is deep and earned mistrust of non-Black people who position predictive modeling as more valuable evidence than the lived experience of Black communities. 3. Many Black community members are skeptical that elected officials will honor their commitment to prioritizing Black wisdom, leadership, and expertise, but are hopeful these officials will prove them wrong. Slowing down processes to allow for robust participation and consultation from Black community members is crucial for starting to repair past harms done to Black communities. 4. When asking community members about their priorities for who should inform an accountable process, it typically includes Black people who are: from Seattle, multiple genders- inclusive non-binary and trans experiences, people who are diverse in terms of orientation, language, national origin, youth, elders, people with lived experience with incarceration, people who do not have conflicts on interest with the police, people who typically have limited access to political power, recognized community organizers, people with disabilities, people with very lowincome, professionals, retirees, students, people experiencing homelessness or who are experiencing housing insecurity, working class workers and creatives. While the above categories do not guarantee a diverse enough group, the list shows the breadth of what is needed to truly capture Black community feedback. Support more Black-owned businesses 1. Collective economic and financing models 2. Buy Black-owned products and services 3. Build infrastructure -like diverse supplier lists and supports 4. Unrestricted grants and lowbarrier grants for new and existing Black-owned businesses 5. Access to capital and culturally responsive business development training for small businesses to grow their businesses by participating on public projects 6. Technical assistance resources for Black contractors, to ensure equitable participation opportunities in the development of projects in their community 7. A displacement mitigation fund for property owners and small businesses that have endured redlining 8. Establish a $1 Billion antigentrification, land acquisition fund to help Black community acquire property and support economic development. With more transactions moving online, it is imperative Black owned businesses have 1. Broadband access for all, available as a utility 2. Technical support and resources to address digital equity problems- including assistance programs that will 1. Many Black business owners become business owners out of necessity, not out of choice. So targeting direct needs that we can solve will help increase community capacity for greater health and safety. 2. Public projects can be an important mechanism to invest in Black-owned businesses Private investments in important services like broadband lock people into sub-par systems or in cycles of economic deprivation access to highquality internet pay for internet and phone data plan services 3. Websites and digital support Pay Black people living wages 1. When contracting services out Strong consensus about this point. so that community can fulfill the deliverables (e.g., translation), pay people living wages. 2. Many City jobs are better paid than positions at non-profit community organizations. Work with nonprofits to remove institutional barriers to higher pay, and prioritize contracts that pay their staff well for the expertise, leadership, and wisdom they bring. Provide highquality and culturally specific healthcare for Black people 1. There are many healthcare service providers who may already provide healthcare services, but aren’t funded at a level where they can do this sustainably. 2. Employers need support getting coverage for their employees. It can be more affordable than business owners might think - a fund to support this process could be helpful 1. Healthcare is described as broad, and community members note that a general mistrust of the current healthcare system is wellearned. 2. Voucher-based system (e.g., we’ll pay for 6 sessions) are experienced as less helpful than a service model that focuses on alternative pricing models that aren’t based on a certain number of sessions. Transfer land and property to Black ownership 1. Nurturing Roots is seeking a City-owned 47-acre currently vacant property called Red Barn Ranch to create a Blackled farm, healing space, and foundation for youth empowerment 2. King County Equity Now recently halted a block of predatory development in the Central Area. A mutual aid collective will leverage the Keiro site’s existing structure for turnkey accommodations 1. Capital investments present a powerful lever that governments can pull to increase access to resources to support Black communities. 3. 4. 5. 6. for up to 200 community community members experiencing homelessness. Black-led direct social service providers will implement a service hub and shared resource core to help replant roots, reconnect, and rebuild community. Decommissioned Fire Station 6 on 23rd & Yesler will become the William Grose Center for Cultural Innovation & Enterprise, per the City of Seattle Equitable Development Plan Vacant Sound Transit Lot on Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. & S. Angeline St. to become Youth Achievement Center Seattle Housing Authority Operations Site on Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. & Dearborn, to become affordable housing Paramount Nursing Home, formally Black-owned and recently acquired by Washington State, to revert to Black-community ownership Additional notes: • “While sending out the community needs survey, a member of our community shared a touching poem that directly speaks to some of the afflictions we as members of the black community face. After reading this poem, I couldn’t help but notice the disconnect— we have people creating policies to fix a problem they don’t understand. “ a Black Brilliance project researcher from the Freedom Project team. Modern Day Negro by Dila Gebre The drive home seemed weary and longer than usual. The moon shined bright and my eyes worked hard to stay open. It felt like an infinity away, the bed that is, those soft silk sheets. I thought it was a dream, those bright majestic looking lights that flashed in my rear view mirror. The lights were so beautiful, a beautiful nightmare. My eyes adjusted, my body woke up and fear hit. My palms started to sweat as I gripped the steering wheel harder than usual. I thought to myself, “God is today the day I die? Please don’t let me die.” I couldn't move, sudden actions means death. I couldn’t talk, speaking could be threatening. I suddenly remembered it's not what I did, or what I do, it’s what I am. I can not be Black or i’m going to die. This is it. I couldn’t breathe. I can’t breathe. The officer casually exited his vehicle, not once taking his hand off of his weapon. I know i’m going to die. As the officer strolled closer, with a look of complete disgust, I cried. I looked at the sky and soaked up the moonlight and the stars for what I thought would be the last time. “If you aint got nothin’ on ya you have nothin’ to worry about” I silently prayed. I prayed for my family, for my mom, for my dad. “License and registration boy!” As my hands gripped the steering wheel tighter than ever, I knew my next decision could be my last. Consciously, I couldn’t follow his instructions, legally I had to. “Yes, sir. I am slowly pulling my I.D out of my left pock……” ……………………………………………. “Unarmed 16 year old student gets shot and killed by police.” “Drug dealer gets shot and killed by police.” Young man your fate is predetermined, premeditated. Melanated and feared. To be black is criminal, convicted of being you. Black lives matter, we matter, please hear our screams, our cries, please.