HANDS UP DON’T SHOOT by Ayanna Besson
HANDS UP, DON’T SHOOT!
My brothers and sisters whose voices were taken,
I scream for you…..HANDS UP, DON’T SHOOT!
You are the reason we stand here today.
United as a people, we come to together and we say
THIS IS NOT OKAY,
And we refuse to continue to be victims of this system.
HANDS UP, DON’T SHOOT!…….We remember……..
Amadou Diallo, my brother,I scream for you
That winter day in February,
You became a piece of that strange fruit,
Swinging from that tree
As 19 bullets pierced through you.
Pulling out your ID?
HANDS UP, DON’T SHOOT!
Prince Jones, my brother, I scream for you
That autumn day in September,
You became a piece of that strange fruit
Swinging from that tree
As 8 bullets pierced through you.
Mistaken identity?
HANDS UP, DON’T SHOOT!
Rekia Boyd, my sister I scream for you
That spring day in March,
You became a piece of that strange fruit
Swinging from that tree
As 1 fatal bullet pierced through you.
Reckless conduct?
HANDS UP DON’T SHOOT
Because you stood your ground,
I have the right to open my mouth
Yes, I’m tired and…
Yes, I’m angry and…
Yes, I will fight …
for my civil rights that…
my ancestors died for…
Yes, I will fight for those whose rights have been violated.
For those who have been silenced.
Those who have been murdered…
HANDS UP, DON’T SHOOT!
Who will protect us from our protectors?
Who will listen, and recognize our efforts?
Who will stand up and say, I will take no more?
Lie on my back, keep quiet, and kiss the dirt on the “masters” floor?
HANDS UP DON’T SHOOT……..
We refuse to continue to be victims, our lives matter.
Black-lives-matter.
Alberta Spriull, my mother, your life mattered.
Trayvon Martin, my son, your life mattered.
Mike Brown, my brother, your life mattered.
Eric Garner, my father, your life mattered.
Human life….MATTERS.
HANDS UP!…………………………Don’t shoot.
By: Ayanna Dominique Diarra Besson
(C) AYANNA BESSON
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2015
SUSQUEHANNA UNIVERSITY
(C) Iforcolor.org
