"Don't talk to cops. About anything. Ever."
Black parents, if you don't read a single line further, please speak these words to your children. Say them early, and repeat them often. The police are an occupying force in Black communities that exist to protect the property and political interests of the rich and to feed our bodies to the criminal punishment system.
They even tell us their intent upfront: "Anything you say, can and will be used against you."
When they came for Fat
Cornelius McFarland-Potts was affectionately known by his loved ones as "Fat". This is likely the first time you've ever heard that name. It's a name etched in my heart since 1999, even though I never met the young brother. I never saw his smile or heard his laughter, but I was told that he had the kind of personality that could light up a room. And that is precisely what he was doing the night before his life was stolen. After partying with friends, Fat came home and plopped down on the couch in his Southwest Atlanta apartment, exhausted from turning up all night with his folks. A few hours later, the silence of the night was broken with the abrupt sound of his door being kicked in by the Atlanta Police Department conducting one of their infamous no-knock raids. As a result, Fat never woke up.
After hearing a vague story about a police-involved shooting on the evening news, a comrade and I decided we should find out what really happened. We pulled up at his apartment complex and asked neighbors standing outside about the shooting. They quickly took us over to Fat's apartment. It was there that Fat's family informed us that he was shot while sleeping on his stomach on the couch and that the cops were claiming he pulled a gun on them. Multiple neighbors confirmed with us that it was no more than 3 seconds after the door was kicked in before they heard several gun shots. It was also confirmed later that they raided the wrong apartment. It was outright murder, and the cover-up was already underway.
We knew that if the cops lied, at least the autopsy would tell the truth. So we went with neighbors to the coroner's office, demanding the autopsy report. To our surprise, the coroner handed over the report, and it confirmed that Fat was shot in his back with bullets traveling upward - making it clear he was still lying down on his stomach when he was shot. The evidence was so damning, in fact, that we were followed, and the autopsy report was stolen from our car later that day. But that's a story for another time.
The evidence was on our side, and so was the community. Neighbors packed the recreation center as we rallied to support the McFarland-Potts family and started a campaign for justice. The energy was high and we were ready to fight.
When we move as a collective, we can feel that nothing is outside of our reach. However, it's in the quiet moments on our own that despair takes a choke-hold. One evening shortly after the rally, I sat next to Rick, Fat's father, at a small table in their kitchen. The TV played in the background as we sat quietly feeling the weight of the situation. Rick looked towards the TV, and then at me. He expressed that he'd seen many stories of Black people getting killed by the police and he never did anything about it. He concluded that it was naive - perhaps even unfair - of him to expect that people would do anything different just because it was his son this time. At that moment, the Justice for Fat campaign was put to rest. I wanted to say something, to offer some retort that could ignite a glimmer of hope. But I could not find any words to inspire him to continue fighting the good fight.
When they came for Karmelo
27 years later, in February of 2026, I found myself on a plane headed to meet with Drew Anthony, Karmelo Anthony's father. Karmelo was being charged with homicide after defending his life against two bullies at a high school track meet. Community Movement Builders was in touch with Karmelo's father for months at that point. There were multiple phone calls, text exchanges, and private meetings with CMB members in Texas and with CMB's founder, Kamau Franklin.
Mr. Anthony seemed hesitant about embracing our support in helping him publicly advocate for justice for Karmelo. His hesitance was completely understandable. By this time, the Anthony family had been doxxed and already received a myriad of threats, even people showing up at their home and at work. They also had people offering conflicting advice on how to best navigate things leading up to the trial. I have no intent here to dump on the decisions they made. They were under tremendous stress and navigated the situation in a manner they felt would lead to Karmelo being set free.
Community Movement Builders organizers traveled to Texas from various cities in the South and Mid-Atlantic region to meet face-to-face with Drew Anthony. We needed to build trust and show him that we were earnest in wanting to commit our time and resources to build a public support campaign for Karmelo. We also discussed a comprehensive safety plan leading up to the trial. Sensing his hesitance to speak publicly, we offered media training, practice interviews, and assured him that we would arrange for him to interview with trustworthy media outlets who would be supportive of helping him get the truth out about Karmelo.
As I sat on the plane heading to Texas, I thought about that past experience with Fat and I decided that this time I would have the words. I thought about my son who is the same age as Karmelo. During our meeting with Mr. Anthony, as the conversation was winding down, I seized the moment to say what I wasn't experienced enough to say nearly 30 years prior.
I looked at Mr. Anthony and told him the story of my experience with Fat's father, Rick. I told him that as a father, his voice - much like Rick's - carried a lot of weight and that him speaking out publicly was essential to building a campaign for justice. I expressed that they were attempting to steal his son's life, but - unlike the situation with Fat - they hadn't done it yet. I stressed that no matter how it turns out, he would have to live with the choices he makes today; that he and his family needed to do everything they could to tell the world who his son is and how loved his son is. I told him about my son being the same age as Karmelo and there was no way a lawyer could convince me (as Karmelo's attorney had advised) not to stand up publicly and clear his name. This time around, I said all the words that I could muster to break through his hesitance. And my words failed to move him.
Ultimately, Mr. Anthony decided to take the advice of the defense attorney and other people who were advising him, some of whom explicitly told him he shouldn't work with CMB. He was advised that speaking to the media, holding local rallies, and organizing a larger public support campaign the way we suggested would upset the judge presiding over Karmelo's case and could negatively affect the outcome of the trial.
Mr. Anthony chose to heed the advice of others and to keep us at a distance. CMB Members based in Dallas still kept in touch continuing to offer support leading up to the trial. And during the trial, members were present outside of the courthouse every day. Shortly after the unjust verdict, sentencing Karmelo to 35 years in prison, his parents publicly reflected on their experience and concluded that they shouldn't have followed the advice of Karmelo's attorney to remain quiet and trust that the truth was enough to set him free. I deeply appreciate their willingness to be vulnerable and speak this truth publicly during one of the darkest moments of their lives.
Had things gone differently, there is no guarantee that our efforts to help the Anthony family would have led to a different outcome. However, what we do know is that keeping quiet and treating this like a run-of-the-mill self-defense case was a strategy doomed to fail. We understood something the defense attorney did not: This was not a criminal case, but rather a politically charged and racially motivated legal lynching.
When they come to steal another life
It will happen again. In fact, it already has. Tender, vulnerable Black lives will continue to be stolen, embers snuffed out before they ever have a chance to share their full brilliance with the world. We all know this, and most of us accept it as an unchangeable fact of life.There will be more Black mothers and fathers under that same weight as the Anthony family, caught up in the cloud of unsettled dust that lingers in the wake of white rage. We know this. And we must be better prepared to navigate the fog with clarity of purpose. To do this, we must understand just how this cycle tends to unfold.
The State will converge
The State is all of it, the government and the corporations. The State is the police, the courts, and the military. The State is all of the institutions that oppress black bodies, that seek to limit us to being mere shadows of our true selves. It's the supervisor looking over your shoulder, the teachers blindly spreading lies, the judges and the prosecutors offering the farce of a justice system. But what we often fail to understand is that it’s also many of the supposedly "good" institutions and the Black (mis)leaders too. The State is the defense attorney who advises you to take a plea deal or who sits right next to you in court and lobs a half-hearted defense at your trial.
While some members of the mob will yell and spit at us, there are others who will stand by our side with smiling, encouraging faces as the noose is tossed over the branch. These people are there to lull us into accepting the white supremacist version of our fate.
When I was an investigator for a public defender office in the Bronx, NY, I got a first-hand glimpse into the court and penal system. I found it’s aptly named: It is indeed a "criminal" justice system. I worked alongside a crew of dedicated investigators, social workers, family advocates, and lawyers. Most of them firmly believed that everyone, no matter what they were accused of, deserved a competent defense. Some of them understood that the system was fundamentally corrupt and made it their mission to reduce the harm that the system was able to cause to their predominantly Black and Latino client-base.
And yet, they all were merely cogs in a machine. For instance, at any given time I had a case load of 70-100 cases I was assigned to investigate. On top of that, at least once a week, I would be handed 2-5 more cases that had to be investigated before the end of the week. It was impossible.
I was truly confused when I found out that some of the lawyers would set up lunch meetings with the prosecutors at the D.A.'s office. Over a glass of wine and some avocado toast, they would go through the cases that they had in common and negotiate over the cases that they both were assigned to. I imagine conversations like "I'm willing to accept a 5-year sentence on this one. But come on, this other case here is shaky for you. You gotta dismiss this one for me. At least offer him probation?" Years of people's lives discussed casually over appetizers and cobb salads.
Black mothers and fathers, these people who are official representatives of the State - the ones who smile and the ones who snarl at you - care nothing about your child. They will, at best, do nothing to protect them. They will, at worst, advise (or force) you to stand back and watch as they actively participate in destroying your child's life.
The mob will call for blood
Black mothers and fathers, I need you to also know that the "system" does not stop at the people professionally employed by the State to control and destroy our existence.
Just like there are volunteer firefighters who help lighten the burden of the institutional firefighters who are paid, there is a nation of "Karens" and "Zimmermans" who accept it as their responsibility to police Black bodies, to remind us that to be Black and breathing is in itself a crime.
Anyone can play this role, but as the primary beneficiaries of White hegemony, white people are generally raised from a young age to understand this as their duty.
People reading this in bad faith will read the first few lines and relent, "Here you go again, playing the victim." Let them. Ignore them. They want you to center them, to be blinded by white rage to the point you lose sight of yourself. Black mother/father, I need you here, right now, listening with me. We need to understand that their perpetual violence towards us does not make us victims. It proves that despite all they've thrown at us, they still see, feel, and fear our power.
Karmelo Anthony was not trespassing. He was not illegally carrying a weapon. He was not outside looking for trouble. He was sitting quietly under an awning with his happily natural twisted crown of hair. A bright Black boy seeking temporary refuge from the elements outside. His mere existence at ease could not be tolerated; it needed to be interrupted and policed.
I need you to know that the seeds you carry, water with your love, and mold with the warmth of your hands can not be seen for who they are by those who view the world through the lens of white hysteria. They want to believe the worst of your child. And they believe, based on lived experiences, that they can act with impunity when deciding the fate of your child.
The vultures will circle
We must be clear that where there is Black death on the horizon, the vultures from within "The Culture" will circle. The controversial influencers, celebrities and famous social justice lawyers looking to boost their popular appeal - and their account balance - will miraculously show up in your DMs, on your phone, and at your door. With the charisma of a pimp, they will offer you assurances that they will go the distance with you for justice.
They will offer no specific plans, only promises. And when you show any resistance to fitting neatly into their agenda, they will leave you hanging. Because they know what we all know: there will be another one. There is always another one. And the next one might be star-struck enough to not ask as many questions as you.
I deeply empathize with the Anthony family. However, I can't say that I truly understand the pressure they were under. Shortly after Karmelo was found guilty, a comrade who was present at the courthouse during the trial called and asked me who I thought was at fault for things not turning out as we had hoped. I told him immediately and unequivocally, the State is at fault. To a lesser degree, the opportunists who converged on the family are also to blame for the Karmelo support campaign not being conducted in a more impactful manner. I cannot imagine the level of stress and fear that the Anthony family have been under as their son's life is dangled from a rope in front of them. Aside from the harassment and threats they faced amplifying the trauma of this predicament, they had people in their ear who presented themselves as experts offering conflicting advice on what was best for Karmelo's case. We are encouraged to worship the faces who are granted a large platform on our screens. We believe that they are special, powerful. They did what they felt was right, and are continuing to fight the good fight for Karmelo.
We have to decide
Black parent, you have to choose to fight back. As a matter of survival, we have all been conditioned to compromise on our values, to let injustices slide. Many of us go along with the flow, despite all of the wrong we see and feel, with the hopes that tyranny and terror will not touch too close to home. Someone’s child will be next. Whoever you are, Black parent, do not be lulled into believing that, “this time” it’s different; this time, the system will serve justice. Let every ear that will listen and every eye that will look know full well who your child truly is and how much they are loved.
We are all indoctrinated to believe that the truth can conquer all. We are conditioned to have undying faith, to believe that because we are on the side of what is righteous, our fate will somehow defy the norm. We believe in MLK Jr.’s famous words, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." While this saying does ring true, it is only so because we, as human beings, have agency over our own lives. We, as subjects in our lives, hold the power to collectively shape the world around us.
There is another simple truth that we need to accept. The State will carelessly steal the life of one Black child after another, until we make the cost too high for it to bear. A right does not exist until a community clearly defines the right, builds its own institutions to normalize the right, and develops the capacity to protect the right by directly holding violators accountable. This is the assignment of community organizers of our generation. Empires do not fall. They are felled. As we dismantle empire, we must build infrastructure for the liberated world that we are determined to birth into reality, within our lifetime.