DEAR FELLOW WHITE PEOPLE

We seem to talk a lot, especially in 2020. I know.

Now, you weren't raised in a barn...most of you. And those who were still have manners.

When you're in someone else's home, you follow their rules. If they want your shoes off, you remove them!

If you want/need a drink and one has not been offered, you ask them for a drink (preferably water since they didn't offer and may not be blessed with extra in the 'fridge to offer, but water is free).

You don't take food without asking.

You don't even take a shit in their bathroom, unless you are D Y I N G

These are basic fucking manners. You say please when asking, you say thank you when receiving.

WHEN WE GO INTO A COMMUNITY THAT IS NOT OURS

WE ARE IN SOMEONE ELSE'S HOME.

When you are protesting for BLM, even if you're from that area? Do you LIVE in that neighborhood? Are YOU the one who has to live with consequences of:

graffiti
property damage
harassment
noise
etc

?

I am not saying any of the above is always wrong, it's not.

BUT IF IT IS NOT YOUR HOUSE? IF IT IS NOT YOUR HOME?

You fucking listen to your hosts, your community organizers, who are Black leaders in their community.

Be a good guest, or get the fuck back to your own home.

Because you CAN do all that fuckshit you want to do.

In your own home, in your own neighborhood. Go nuts.

Be respectful. And if you're protesting BLM, you don't center yourself, fellow white people. It's not about us.

Let's do better.

PS: This is also labor white people should be doing. When you see other white people at BLM protests engaging in conduct that is not helpful and may indeed be harmful TO THE COMMUNITY

You ...yes YOU need to engage them. Ask them *what* they are doing, and *why*. ask if they've

talked with community leaders. Ask if they fucking live within walking distance (if you can't walk to it, it's not your fucking community, unless your mom/aunt/grandpop/etc lives there and you're there all the damn time or something)

When it's clear that they don't live there,

that they can't name and haven't spoken to ANY local leadership, that their heart is in the right place, and they're just MAD...but are using that energy in bad, bad ways...

you redirect them. Tell them to stop, because OTHER PEOPLE are going to pay for their fuckery, not them.

DIRECT THEM where to go, who to talk to. Making sure that person (and there's always plenty) is the person who's teaching the noobs and is the RIGHT person to be teaching the noobs.

if there's no one available to direct ppl too, because shit is busy...then it's you.

And figure out if they should be shamed and sent home, or sent to more productive things.

Are they just there to instigate? Is this a 'WOOOOO FUCK THE MAAAAN!' fun ride? Out. Bye. Go.

Or do they *care*? If that? Maybe take them with you. Get them to some better kids.

I mean, we hopefully all get at this point no one is coming to save us, we have to do this.

Which means, you get to make some things your job, your problem. That's how you ally, that's how you help.

Black labor is often taken for granted. And Black people right now have so much

PAIN because of WHY we're protesting Black Lives Matter. They're told daily, at the point of a fucking gun, their lives...don't.

So any labor we can do? We do. And what we try NOT to do is make more labor for them. They need OUR shoulders and our BACKS, not our centering.

And if that's not okay with you, then you have serious work to do on you.

Again, let's continue to be better. We can all do better, every day.

#BlackLivesMatter

PPS: You see someone who is SOLO being a bad person, or instigating, make sure you at the very least inform community leaders about it. As they can be an outside agitater rabble rousing nooblets to bad deeds.

Not a huge issue that I've heard or seen, but good to be wary.

Oh, like umbrella man. If you remember that asshole who was smashing the windows to try to provoke riots/looting?

And they handled that really well, those who saw. We hopefully all learned from that. (And huge respect for those who pegged him and filmed and confronted)