By Sabyne \u201cFree\u201d Pierre<\/p>\n
Sabyne \u201cFree\u201d Pierre is an organizer, law student, and poet at heart. Free uses art to process their personal experiences to advocate for legal, systemic changes. In their poem, \u201cwe been knew the cops\u201d, they interact with a younger version of themselves, who still exists somewhere and grapples with the lasting effects of police presence in their elementary and middle school in Irvington, NJ.<\/p>\n
We been knew the cops<\/strong><\/p>\n so tyrek was mad again and and felix was a big boy me, I never said nothing what if there was a wrong way to say good morning?<\/p>\n\n\n
\nthe principal let him be handcuffed and
\nsit inside the cop car to
\nsee what it was like. and nobody
\nsaid nothing
\nhe cried
\nwe laughed
\nwe was all red and loud<\/p>\n
\nbut that lunch period you\u2019d a
\nmistaken boy for bird
\nkid for kite
\nfor threat
\nsomething you let go of and forget
\nthen BOOM
\nBOOM
\nhe came down and that year we
\nfound out a body slam get you a transfer to the High school<\/p>\n
\nI slid through metal detectors with rocks
\non my tongue and pebbles cascading through my ribcage<\/p>\n