not near enough

since 2017, i’ve read this essay every june 12th, to mark every unfortunate anniversary of the pulse shooting in orlando. justin torres published it in the washington post the day after it happened, when i still had the image of a dance floor vibrating with cellphones in my mind—vibrating not with music but with call after call after call of people trying to reach their beloveds after hearing the news.

every year, i read it in silence, i read it out loud, i read it while crying, i read it angry. i read it, and i wish it was in spanish, and i read it and i know the translation, in any direction, wouldn’t suit because we can’t always be translated, anyway.

I cannot believe this is the town I have to live in, just full of paramilitary thugs and wannabe paras who just want to throw their fucking weight around.

But nothing will be done, the government here already constantly bow down to the sectarian cunts who just constantly destroy their own communites. The same fucks who are trying to say "we are uniting unionists and republicans" will be burning the tricolour on the 11th night like they always do and the gormless, racist cunts from down south and Catholic areas in the north won't care if it means they can attack more brown people with impunity.

Trying to find what links I can for those that need support, or for people to try and help. There are good people here, I know that in predominantly Catholic areas the people living there have protected the communities of colour living there in the past and I can only hope they continue to do so today.

https://www.familysupportni.gov.uk/Service/2161/ethnic-minority-support/migrant-centre-ni--belfast

https://righttoremain.org.uk/directory/northern-ireland/

https://www.trussell.org.uk/support-us/donate-food

Level 2: We shouldn't treat mental health facilities as objects of horror because it stigmatises mental illness.

“Fist” by Minnie Bruce Pratt