Shoot to Kill or Die Another Day

‘Welcome to L.A.,’ says on a T-shirt in Venice Beach.
‘You’ll be treated like King….Rodney King!’
Remember the beating? The world on fire.
And headlines coat to coast.
Abne Louima. Excessive force.
Police brutality. American fatality.

At Danny’s, Whataburger and Jack ‘n the Box,
cops gone wild is the topic of the day.
Which logo befits police, ’Serve and Protect’ or
’Go Ahead And Make My Day’?’

‘You be the judge.’ It‘s all I have to say.

Madison Square Garden, Bruce Springsteen, ‘Born in the USA’.
“ 41Times! An unarmed African- America! Killed in the USA!
How many bullets it takes to shoot a man?!’ he asked the audience.
A US citizen, ladies and gentlemen?!”
Ms. Diallo, next to Al Sharpton, did not say a word.
She was choking. She could not reply.
In a testimony, her son, Amado, was ‘reaching for the wallet.’
He did not have to die.

‘Don’t tazer me, Bro!’ begged a student at a Florida University.
He was tazered, whisked away and put under lock.
The auditorium wanted to know why as they remained under shock.

An Albanian mother, age 42, died in front of her ice-cream truck.
Husband and three kids watching helpless and awe-struck.
People said, ‘She was tazered. She was calm. She was not a fret.’
Henderson Police said,’ She was armed. She had a knife. She was a threat.’
What do we know? Who do we trust?
Three witnesses on the ground, or a rooky, the upper crust?

Before you answer just ask why.

How many people must die,
Before Police hear them cry?
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind,
The answer is blowing in the wind.

Idriz Ajeti

Shoot to Kill or Die Another Day

‘Welcome to L.A.,’ says on a T-shirt in Venice Beach.
‘You’ll be treated like King….Rodney King!’
Remember the beating? The world on fire.
And headlines coat to coast.
Abne Louima. Excessive force.
Police brutality. American fatality.

At Danny’s, Whataburger and Jack ‘n the Box,
cops gone wild is the topic of the day.
Which logo befits police, ’Serve and Protect’ or
’Go Ahead And Make My Day’?’

‘You be the judge.’ It‘s all I have to say.

Madison Square Garden, Bruce Springsteen, ‘Born in the USA’.
“ 41Times! An unarmed African- America! Killed in the USA!
How many bullets it takes to shoot a man?!’ he asked the audience.
A US citizen, ladies and gentlemen?!”
Ms. Diallo, next to Al Sharpton, did not say a word.
She was choking. She could not reply.
In a testimony, her son, Amado, was ‘reaching for the wallet.’
He did not have to die.

‘Don’t tazer me, Bro!’ begged a student at a Florida University.
He was tazered, whisked away and put under lock.
The auditorium wanted to know why as they remained under shock.

An Albanian mother, age 42, died in front of her ice-cream truck.
Husband and three kids watching helpless and awe-struck.
People said, ‘She was tazered. She was calm. She was not a fret.’
Henderson Police said,’ She was armed. She had a knife. She was a threat.’
What do we know? Who do we trust?
Three witnesses on the ground, or a rooky, the upper crust?

Before you answer just ask why.

How many people must die,
Before Police hear them cry?
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind,
The answer is blowing in the wind.

Idriz Ajeti