WHY NOT PRETEND?

neutral milk hotel // where you’ll find me now

and out in the dark, the world is still rolling

kids in their cars, cigarette smoking

The news won't say the word INFANT, but I will. Kohen Kartier Wiley was 1 year old.

KOHEN KARTIER WILEY WAS ONE YEAR OLD. HE WAS A GOD DAMN BABY! AND THE POLICE KNEW!

The following is from Mississippi Free Press (links preserved; emphasis mine):

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety released a statement on June 14, alleging that the shooting happened in response to one of two subjects driving “in the direction of” officers. A clip of cellphone video obtained by Fox 13 Memphis shows a car driving away from officers, but it does not appear to show the shooting itself. A photo of the car shows multiple bullet holes in the windshield, including a bullet hole on the passenger side of the front windshield.

Notably, the DPS statement appears to acknowledge that police witnessed the presence of Kohen Wiley prior to the individuals entering their vehicle, and before the officer discharged the weapon. The officer has not been identified.

“Law enforcement officers responded to a shoplifting call at Walmart on U.S. 51. Upon arrival, officers encountered two subjects and a juvenile child fleeing from the store into a vehicle. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one,” the statement read in part. “An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene. The subjects arrived at a local hospital where one juvenile child in the vehicle was pronounced deceased, and another subject had critical injuries. No law enforcement officers received any serious physical injury.”

Members of Kohen Wiley’s family have denied that any shoplifting took place. WREG reported that, before the shooting, a witness saw two women exit the store: one carrying a single box of diapers, and one carrying the infant child. Family told WREG that Kohen’s mother was riding in the passenger seat holding the child when the officer shot him and that the aunt, who was driving, was in critical condition. Another witness told the news station that she saw the car driving away with police officers chasing after it on foot just before hearing gunshots. At present, no arrests have been announced in the incident.

“Senatobia Police Department get away with too much stuff,” WREGH reported Kohen’s great-grandmother Carolyn Stokes, as saying. “I hear about it all the time. It’s in the news all the time. Y’all probably down here all the time, recording this stuff, but it’s just too much.” Members of the community plan to gather at Senatobia City Hall at 5 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon to call for accountability for Kohen Wiley’s killing.

So let me get this right: It's legal to attempt to murder two Black women for bringing their child to the store for a diaper run. It's legal to attempt to murder two Black women for trying to flee your gestapo as you harass and threaten them for a crime they did not do.

Jonathan Joss was an Indigenous, gay man who was murdered on the first day of Pride month as well as Indigenous History Month. He died protecting his trans husband. Homophobia and racism aren’t marks of the past, and this is a heart breaking reminder of that.