Anger Is a Gift

Anger is a gift. Remember that." She stood. "You gotta grasp onto it, hold it tight and use it as ammunition. You use that anger to get things done instead of just stewing in it.

It's an insidious thing," Wanda said. "It never happens overnight. This kind of thing crept into our community a long time ago. It latched on. It fed on prejudice. Selfishness. Peoples inability to see life through someone else's eyes. And it grew, bigger and bigger, until we got to a point where some people don't even question why a cop should be allowed to shoot first and ask questions later.

But we just wanted to go to school." Her voice broke again. "I'm sixteen. I shouldn't have to beg for that. But we just want to get to class without fearing for our lives.

What should the Oakland Police Department do next?' Next? Moss thought. [...] 'Stop killing us.' Then Moss walked away from it all.

It's like people want me to be this version of a person that isn't me. Like, always ready to fight and march and rally, and I don't even get to be myself.

It wasn't the first time Moss had heard the pop of a gunshot. Nor was it the first time he'd heard the sickening sound of air leaving someone's body. The sound meant the worst.

Oh, Moss," she said. "How little faith you have in others." "Do you blame me? I don't have much faith to go on these days, what with the world ending around us." "You know, sometimes it does feel like we're in one of those trendy dystopian novels," she admitted. "Except a lot less white.

I’m sorry I never understood … until now,” she said, and that got Moss to turn his head slightly, and he looked straight at her, saw the rawness and terror in her eyes, and he inclined his head. It was his way of saying: Now you know. He watched her gasp for breath, watched her lean her head back, desperate for air, watched her cry openly. This was what it took. This was the line she had to cross. He didn’t know if it was enough.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the Movement, Kimberlé Crenshaw, editor Race and Police Brutality: Roots of an Urban Dilemma, Malcolm D. Holmes and Brad W. Smith Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A., Luis J. Rodriguez Brotherhood of Corruption: A Cop Breaks the Silence on Police Abuse, Brutality, and Racial Profiling, Juan Antonio Juarez Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America, Kristian Williams Don’t Shut Me Out!: Some Thoughts on How to Move a Group of People From One Point to Another OR Some Basic Steps Toward Becoming a Good Political Organizer!, James Forman

Moss glanced down at Reg. His friend shook his head. “Not now,” Reg whispered, and his voice sounded so lost, so young, that Moss deflated, the rage rushing out of him, the river of anger gone. Reg smiled at Moss, and then he passed out.

It’s like they can’t avoid it,” said Kaisha. “We were literally there to protest against them using deadly force, so they responded with … deadly force. Incredible.” “You had one job,” Reg joked, but it seemed the whole group was out of laughter.

Moss raised up his water. “To … new possibilities,” he said. “To good food and even better company,” said Javier. “And to dismantling a system of violence in my school,” said Moss