Hard to believe I didn’t touch nothing

Photo of protesters in Lafayette Square

Photo courtesy of Benjamin Burgess.

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I seen it when these protests start in D.C. and I’m still seeing it today. It’s like a nightmare being homeless and being out on a bench, sleeping out, seeing all this. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

Me being an ex-con, it was hard for me to get over the things that they were doin’, like breakin’ in stores, breakin’ in CVS, breakin’ in jewelry stores. It was just a sight that really made me tremble. I trembled so hard.

They ran by, a group of ‘em, “Get up OG, get up off that bench! Come get some dis money.”

I said, “What kind of money? Green money?”

He said, “No Gucci, Versaces. Man, we hittin’ all these motherfucking stores. Forever 21. All these stores.”

I said, “Aw man. I don’t need no items, I need some green.”

As I walk around in this city, D.C., it’s a mess. It’s a mess. But no one thought about it as they tore it up.

Now they’ll think about it. You mess up all the pharmacies, now your mother, your aunt, your sister, or brother — somebody at home in pain — won’t know where they can get they medicine from.

THINK before you do that kind of thing.

I’m not saying “Don’t.” But people need to be able to get help and medicine. Many CVS locations downtown initially closed in fear of continued looting.

Now, where do we go from here with this protest?

Like I said, I’m an ex-con, I been in the street. Honestly, if I kill a person today or tomorrow, I’m behind prison for the rest of my life. 

But they do it, always be they free.

You gotta look not just at the thing that happened with George Floyd and the police officer. Look at the pressure they puttin’ on you. You got him down, what more can you do?

I seen some crazy stuff happen all the time I been in prison. I never had ’em really beat me up. They pressed me out, but never beat me up.

But one thing you never want to go to prison for: Putting your hand on a cop, a deputy, the prison man, or whoever.

You do that, they beat you from sunup to sundown. Every shift come on, whoop you. It’s they way, or no way.

I hope and pray that everyone be safe through the protest, and we can get the city back together, everyone go back to work, things go back to working right.

We just ask for Peace and Justice. That’s all. Thank you.

Also, I want to thank Jaleo, the restaurant on 7th and E, behind CVS. Zaytinya, Pi Pizzeria, Ella’s, and all the restaurants that been holding us down during the coronavirus, for the homeless people, feeding us.

But Jaleo, I tell you one thing. It was on a Sunday. You made a meal that made me really cry, feel like I was at home. It was mashed potatoes, fried chicken and corn. I tell ya.

Pi Pizzeria, you holding me down. Shout out to the GM, to all the coworkers. It’s amazing. Thank y’all for all y’all food, all y’all support. And everybody be safe, take care. Peace and love. 

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