Come Riot With Me

Let’s be clear, law or not wear a fucking mask!

I’m sick and tired of hearing people say that they know their “constitutional rights” and how they don’t have to wear a mask because this is a free country, blah, blah, blah.

Get real, the United States is not and has not been a free country. When it was founded it was only free if you were cisgender, straight, white, well-off financially and a man. Isn’t not that different today. According to the Human Freedom Index the US isn’t even in the top 10 freeist countries (In 2019 the US ranked 15). 

Also, the Constitution is not just the Amendments. Those are add-ons to an existing document. A document that gives the States and Governors of those states certain powers. These powers were also written into laws. When a state is declared to be in a state of emergency (pretty much all of the US during COVID) the governor gains the right to create and enforce mandates, which pretty much makes them law (Cal. Gov. Code § 8570). 

In the United States we’re in the middle of a pandemic. Infections and deaths are at an all time high, higher than when states went into lockdown. Why would anyone choose to not wear a mask knowing that they could be infecting (and possibly killing) other people?

It’s legally mandatory in some states (according to state laws, emergency services code, the fucking constitution) and there’s plenty of easy to understand science videos that even idiots can replicate at home that show the effectiveness/importance of wearing a mask. 

I had to inform a family member on some things and I thought I’d share the information here too.

1865/66: Despite the abolition of slavery and the ratification of the 13th amendment, southern state legislators enacted what was referred to as the “Black codes”. These codes governed behaviors, and denied suffrage among other rights.  

1860-1870: The 14th amendment (ratified in 1868), granted citizenship to all persons “born or naturalized in the United States,” including former slaves, and guaranteed “equal protection of the laws”. In 1870 the 15th amendment passed, which stated that voting rights could not be “denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. All of which should have put an end to the “Black codes” and voter suppression of Black Americans. 

However, southern legislators used qualifications like, literacy tests, poll taxes and other discriminatory practices to disenfranchise Black voters in the decades following Reconstruction. And to add to all this manyBlack voters and black officials were faced with constant threat of intimidation/violence/death by the hands of the KKK and other white supremacist. Because of this voter suppression the Jim Crow laws (a re-established version of the Black codes) were passed. 

1950’s/60’s: securing voting rights for Black/African Americans in the South became a central focus of the civil rights movement. 

1965/66: the Voting Rights Act (1965) banned literacy tests and other methods used to disenfranchise Black voters. Poll taxes (which the 24th Amendment had eliminated for federal elections in 1964) were deemed unconstitutional for state and local elections (1966).

2013: The Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, ruling 5-4 in Shelby v. Holder that it was unconstitutional to require states with a history of voter discrimination to seek federal approval before changing their election laws. A number of states passed new restrictions on voting and nearly 1000 polling places were closed in areas that were more densely populated with Black Americans.  

It’s entirely valid to not join protests right now. 

Protests are completely necessary for people to be heard, but not everyone can participate and that’s valid. 

We’ve seen police officers and non-officers alike attacking protesters. Peaceful protests have been met with rubber bullets, teargas, pepper spray, etc. We’ve seen protesters killed and severly hurt by officers. We’ve also seen non-officers show up with guns, bats, and other weapons to assult protesters. We’ve seen protests turn to riots. And behind all this is Covid-19. 

There are a myriad of reasons why it’s valid to not participate; it’s valid to stay home out of the concern for your own life.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t have your voice heard. 

You can donate to any organization that supports Black Lives Matter. Even if you can’t donate there are plenty of youtubers who are monetizing their videos so that they can donate the proceeds (watch their videos).

You can sign petitions. There are different online petitions and signing them shows your support.

Vote. Any time you have the chance to vote, get educated on what you’re voting on and go vote.