#shellybell

Black Poets Speak Out, Shelly Bell, Secret Shopper 

I am black

I am a poet

and I will not remain silent while this nation murders black people.

#BlackPoetsSpeakOut

Secret Shopper: 

You must be black

male

between the ages of newborn and forever 

Must have questionable behavior

like stealing cigarellos 

wearing hoodies

going to clubs

smoking cigarettes

and/or getting bad grades

Must have skin the color of danger

able to absorb at least 6 shots

be able to make officers feel threatened

from at least 20 feet away

with voice

with your hands up

or in your pockets

or by your side

Police departments all across America 

are now seeking black men as secret shoppers 

A good secret shopper is always anonymous.

You should be able to be harassed by the same

Officers several times without growing disdain.

You should appear to “fit the description” 

Your humanity must remain secret

You must have slave flesh 

Believed to have been built for beating

your body may need to lay in the street 4 hours

handcuffs may need to control your asthma

fist and flashlight may need to test your tough

police may need the butt of a gun to say goodbye

to what really happened.

During a shopping assignment

aka altercation 

with police

Wear a hoodie

grab your wallet

Say things out of the ordinary like

I’m just a few feet away from my destination.

Why am I being stopped?

I can’t breath!

don’t shoot!

You must submit your most innocent looking

adolescent pictures for media use

the “almost made it to community college” 

or “was about to marry the love of his life”

narratives are preferred.

Reliable shoppers appear on police reports 

within 24-72 hours after interactions

Give new meaning to meeting “dead lines”

Bleeding is a formality

If caught dead on assignment

have witnesses

America believes Black boys can outlive excessive force. 

You will help us prove  

our money well spent.

Our police chiefs well vetted. 

We will secretly assign you a stereotypical black male profile.

mismatch the demographics in your community with the proper police

Send you into the arms of officers

to see if they’ll bag you, barter with you, or let you live to shop again.

Here at www dot secret shopper dot com

we employ all black males whether they apply or not.

Help us improve police efficacy

by being target practice

Help us analyze trends in police brutality

by continually living with black skin

looking police in the eye

and pleading for your life

Help us evaluate the static in 911 calls

by testing the amount of shots we can hear in the background

scream a little louder 

hit the ground a little harder

Use video to help us verify 

that black life doesn’t matter

  While we know that every

black male can stand a beating

Not everyone will make it through their assignment

Lucky for you

The compensation

is living long enough to see your son 

become a secret shopper

By Shelly Bell, NullSet Chief Curator

WARNING: This video may contain scenes that could be possible triggers for emotional trauma. Please watch with caution. 

*TV channel changes to figure skating*

Shelly: "Look! Figure skating!"

Sahee: "Did you see that butt? That was a nice butt!"

I tried to be on the ceiling of my boyfriend's bedroom once.

at the edge of scream and moonlight.

ricochet my spirit from dark corner to corner.

The floor was cold.

The bridge between his thumb and pointer finger chained words to the back of my throat.

I winked at the moon,

it did nothing.

The window rattled as if it cared to save me.

The room was hot.

His hips never gaped my limbs so forceful.

limbs never laid so flimsy. 

5 plus 5 multiplied by two.

the number of times I consented

minutes I've counted

His body is heavy

spell "consent"