The US as cops of the world
Look like the Rodney King beating
Violence meted out
With impunity
With malice
Dragging a black man from his car
beating him half to death
his face badly cut and bruised and swollen
no consequence
no ramifications
for the officers
designating themselves as “the law”
a brutal gang, brutal bullies
with no morals
Striking kneeling people across the face with batons
Jolting them with stun guns and
Then joking and bragging about the number of times
They hit their victim
And the damage they caused.
The US as cops of the world
Look like a scene from a Ted Lewis novel
Drunkenly snorting cocaine
watching porn with gangsters
While being blown by sex workers
Then busting kids with a used foil and pipe
Sent down for two to life
While taking payments
From the dealer.
The US as cops of the world
Are a pastiche
Of John Ball’s “In the Heat of the night”
A violent, inept and unintelligent Chief Gillespie
Prepared to beat an innocent man to have him confess
To find solutions that fit their narrative
And meet their ends
Without integrity
With no concern for the truth
not heeding the wisdom of a logical Virgil Tibbs
Himself judged and condemned
For the colour of his skin
threatened with death
For striking a white man
When white men lynch, rape and burn
With a blind eye turned
The US as cops of the world
Protect their friends
Supplying them with guns
Ignoring, excusing and defending the crimes of those friends
Watching while crimes are committed
Aiding and abetting
whilst summarily executing their enemies
Planting throw down guns with the body
And pleading self-defence
The US as cops of the world
Sparing the scrutiny and cost of a trial
By deciding good and bad
For themselves
Taking the law into their own hands
Mocking their oath to “protect and serve”
So that it means only to protect and serve their own interests
Labelling any dissent as criminal and terrorist
So that the Fred Hampton’s of the world
Running literacy and free breakfast programs
Are painted as evil
Are executed in a hail of bullets
In cold blood
When unable to defend themselves
These “cops” able to do so
With impunity
As they are protected by politicians and the media.
May the actions of these “cops”
Lead to the same consequences as brother King’s beating in ‘92
(and brother King’s death in ’68)
Let’s rise up, shouting
“No justice No peace”
“Burn baby burn”, and
“The revolution has come”
Let us have solidarity with each other
Recognizing that we must make our own decisions
Define our own justice
Our own “right” and “wrong”
We need rid ourselves of these “cops”
And the thinking, attitudes and systems
That allows them to exist.
