American Skin
There's nothing More American than 19 out of 41 shots piercing your skin with racism
And Nothing like NYPD getting away with it
You've Become
Mass Media.
Foundations
A starting point
3 Million Dollars
And all you have to show for it is
Your Life
It's funny your worth more dead than alive
As you hit the pavement in front of your Bronx apartment
You can't help but flashback to your Guinea homeland wanting a better life
So you sold socks and hand bags during the day
And studied at night
Its an epidemic
Police stereotypes in the 90's have grown
And you've become another statistic
Amadou Diallo
In America Being Black and intelligent
Is the same as being
A Rapist
Drug Dealer
or Murder
Either way you've fallen under one category
Being Colored
And Being slain execution style in front of your home just happens to fit that criteria
There's a difference between not being able to see and being color blind
Confusing a wallet with a weapon
And not being able to see past the complexion of a profile is neither
They've been acquitted in Albany
When they quit in the Bronx
New York City is just like the suburbs
Albany knows exactly what goes on
Trying to Avoid Pre-trial publicity
When all you get is verdict Aftermath
More Like obstruction of Justice
Feb 5, 1999
4 plain Clothes officers approach you As you pull out your rectangular wallet for identification
Shot 1:You've never expected the lead offer to fall down
Shot 2:Prepare for 18 more to hit you
Shot 3:Having no criminal record will lead you to
Shot 4:Are you bulletproof?
Shot 5:Miss
Shot 6:Miss
Shot 7:Where's Al Sharpton
Shot 8:You've become a figure of racial profiling
Shot 9:Miss
Shot 10:You've become the subject of songs
Shot 11:Miss
Shot 12:You've become a target
Shot 13:Miss
Shot 14:Miss
Shot 15:Automatic weapons don't stop firing when there's four men
Shot 16:You've got something in your skin
Shot 17:Miss
Shot 18:Miss
Shot 19:Miss
Shot 20:Miss
Shot 21:Sorries will never measure up to losing a son
Shot 22:Mistakes Happen
Shot 23:Miss
Shot 24:Sidewalk Cracks are soiled with your existence
Shot 25:Unmarked, but dangerous
Shot 26:Miss
Shot 27:Miss
Shot 28:Three years in America and you haven't realized don't move when addressed by police officers
Shot 29:Miss
Shot 30:Call this police brutality
Shot 31:Miss
Shot 32:Call this policy
Shot 33:Miss
Shot 34:Miss
Shot 35:Miss
Shot 36:Miss
Shot 37:Miss
Shot 38:Miss
Shot 39:Miss
Shot 40:You're lying in a pool of scarlet blood and still being shot at
Shot 41:Are you dead yet?
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