jasmined:

“Tension swept all corners of this vast city as officials considered ramifications of a not guilty verdict. Chicago Public Schools canceled games and homecomings. Chicago police officers waited on alert in various neighborhoods. Downtown businesses sent people home early on Friday, as if Armageddon loomed inside the rainy clouds. Friends shared fearful messages employers sent them, including some in the suburbs. Curiously, so-called pleas for peace never addressed police accountability or demands from activists. There’s a difference between caution and fear mongering. And just as the jury determined that Van Dyke’s fear of McDonald was unreasonable, perhaps the same was true of those who feared catastrophic black rage in response to an acquittal. At no point did activist groups threaten to riot or any other form of upheaval. In fact, in anticipation of the verdict, the Westside Justice Center announced it would open its doors in a community healing space. On the South Side, the Let Us Breathe Collective promoted in advance a “We Love Laquan” event in which people could drop by for healing, or to share expressions of grief and rage. Those who craved strategy and community support could receive that, too. A guilty verdict didn’t result in dancing in the streets. The focus remained on the long view of justice.”

— Unreasonable Fear Blocks Our View of Black Humanity | WBEZ (h/t @ourmaninchicago)