By Beleaf in Fatherhood
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In partnership with YouTube Originals’ #BearWitnessTakeAction 2: Continuing The Movement.
Black Joy is Magic. It lights up the room and brings warmth to places that were once cold. It is built up by the presence of Black excellence, and Black family, which are what most of you have come to know here at Beleaf in Fatherhood. But today, we want to show you something different. We want to show you what happens when Black joy is stolen, and how it feels lately to be Black in America.
We’ve marched. We’ve cried out for justice. We’ve raised our voices. What’s next? Join Common & Keke Palmer for #BearWitnessTakeAction 2: Continuing The Movement on December 5th. It’s time to raise the heat.
Transcript provided by YouTube:
00:14
( alarm beeping, phone vibrating )
00:40
( music playing )
01:47
Ah! Ah!
01:56
Reporter: We’re just now learning more about the unarmed young black man
02:00
who was gunned down by police in San Diego last night.
02:02
Graphic footage shows him by the officers,
02:05
at which the officers yell at him to get on the ground and draw their weapons.
02:08
After approximately two seconds, he was shot over 15 times…
02:14
( music playing )
02:38
( phone vibrating )
02:47
– Yo, what’s up? – Yo, did you see the news yet?
02:51
Good morning to you, too.
02:53
Bruh, stop playing for real. Did you see the news yet?
02:58
Nah, man, what’s up?
02:59
Bro, the cops just killed some black dude
03:01
off of 42nd and Martin Luther King Street.
03:04
You remember Samantha’s party last week?
03:06
Bro, same spot. We were there.
03:10
Um, that’s– that’s crazy.
03:16
Why did they shoot him?
03:17
I don’t know. Probably a drug bust gone bad
03:20
or robbery or something.
03:22
I just feel like if you played stupid games,
03:24
you win stupid prizes, but that’s just me.
03:29
Man, that’s– that’s– that’s crazy.
03:32
There is super crazy. I– I just had to hit you.
03:34
I mean, we were literally there, bro.
03:36
It was so wild.
03:39
Yeah, man, well, I’m getting ready for work, bro.
03:41
I gotta– I gotta go.
03:43
All right, sounds good.
03:44
All right, bud.
03:49
( phone vibrating )
03:58
( car alarm beeps )
04:08
( sighs )
04:13
Ridiculous.
04:29
You can run, but you can’t hide.
04:31
– Come again? – You know what I’m talking about.
04:34
Poker, my garage, Friday night.
04:36
Little pay back for you cleaning me out last time.
04:38
– Is that right? – I mean, probably not, but it’d be fun to try.
04:42
All right, man, well, I’ll see you Friday. My Uber’s almost here.
04:44
Uber? What did you get an Uber for?
04:46
Man, I must have hit a nail or something yesterday.
04:48
I checked my car this morning and my tire was completely flat, so…
04:52
Man, you should have just asked me. I’d be happy to give you a ride to work.
04:54
Thank you. I appreciate that, but I don’t want to be a burden.
04:58
Man, it’s no burden. Come on. What are friends for? Jeez.
05:05
Um, you know what? I complete– I forgot this thing.
05:08
I got this thing on Friday. I completely forgot. I don’t know if I can make it.
05:10
Yeah, there you go making excuses again.
05:12
– I’m getting my money back. – No, I– it’s– it’s–
05:14
( horn honking )
05:16
– I gotta go. – All right.
05:24
Hey, Devon?
05:26
Close enough.
05:45
Fantastic.
05:48
That bad already? Want me to put on some music?
05:51
Yes, that– that would be fantastic.
05:53
What are you into?
05:56
Doesn’t matter. You can throw on some…pop.
06:04
( music playing )
06:15
Man: It was a reminder that this DJ Soul Train on 103.7,
06:18
San Diego’s hottest radio station and that was Carlene Crawford
06:20
with “Night and Day.” We are covering the shooting that happened downtown
06:23
in San Diego last night. Everyone’s talking about it.
06:26
We’re talking about it. We got people on the ground.
06:28
We got people in the field. We’re going to be covering this all day,
06:31
so don’t turn away. 103.7, San Diego’s hottest radio station.
06:36
( music playing )
06:43
Crazy what happened in downtown last night, right?
06:48
Yes, that’s– it’s crazy, man.
06:51
I mean, I just– I just can’t understand
06:54
how someone can do something like that, you know what I mean?
07:00
Yes. Yes. That’s– it’s messed up. That’s what I’ve been–
07:02
Like, you know, if– if you just obey the law
07:05
and do what you’re supposed to do, you won’t have any issues.
07:07
You know what I mean? Like, is it really that hard?
07:12
I mean, next thing you know,
07:14
they’re gonna have protesters out in the streets.
07:16
They’re gonna be going crazy.
07:18
I won’t be able to drive anywhere ’cause the routes
07:20
are gonna be all disturbed and blocked.
07:24
All because someone didn’t follow the rules.
07:27
Yeah, I actually have another stop to make.
07:28
You can let me out up here at this corner.
07:30
Are you– are you upset or something?
07:32
– I was just trying to have friendly conversation. – No. No, yeah, you’re–
07:34
you’re good. I just– I forgot about this stop.
07:37
All right.
07:43
( music playing )
07:55
Man: This is Alex Johnson from the scene reporting for KBIF News,
07:57
as we are reporting live from downtown San Diego
07:59
as we have breaking brand new footage
08:02
from the shooting that happened downtown in San Diego last night.
08:05
Now we must warn our viewers this footage is disturbing,
08:07
– but it shows 32-year-old… – Sir? Sir?
08:11
– I’m so sorry. – No problem. What can I get you?
08:14
Uh, can I get a… bacon and egg sandwich and some orange juice?
08:19
Of course. And can I get a name for the order?
08:21
Yeah. Devante.
08:24
Okay. That’ll be right up for you.
08:27
Thank you.
08:30
Man: Police are not giving a lot of answers right now,
08:31
and the public is demanding
08:33
that the police release the body cam footage.
08:36
However, the San Diego police department has not responded to those requests.
08:40
The two officers that were part of the incident
08:41
were placed on administrative leave this morning,
08:43
and their names have not been released to the public.
08:46
But it shows a man being approached,
08:48
and there seems to be some kind of altercation here.
08:50
Order for…Daniel. Order for Daniel.
08:56
For Daniel?
09:02
– Can I just get that in a bag to go? – Oh, yeah. For sure.
09:05
Man: Footage also shows a lack of resuscitation attempts given to…
09:10
Here you go.
09:13
Thank you.
09:16
And it’s Devante, actually, but thank you.
09:31
( yelling )
09:33
( panting )
09:37
Come on!
09:42
( groaning )
09:46
Yo, Devi D. What’s up, dude?
09:49
– What’s up, man? – Hey, why are you so late?
09:51
– Car troubles. Did Mr. Harrison notice? – No. Nah, baby. I got you.
09:54
I told him you were doing reports down in accounting.
09:57
– Thank you. – Mm-hmm. Hey, man, uh,
10:00
we’re friends, you know, we’re homies.
10:02
I want to be honest with you, right?
10:04
You smell really, really bad.
10:07
I literally had to run here because I missed the bus.
10:09
Why didn’t you just take an Uber?
10:11
Well, I did take an Uber, but my driver was being an idiot,
10:14
So I bailed to take the bus and that was obviously the wrong move.
10:18
That’s crazy. I feel like I never get bad Ubers.
10:21
What was he saying?
10:26
Honestly, I was just a little shook this morning
10:28
after I saw the video of the dude that got shot last night.
10:32
He was just going on and on about how he deserved it
10:35
and– I don’t know. It put me in a bad mood.
10:39
– Like, that could have been me. – Mm-hmm.
10:41
You know, like, I was just there a couple of weeks ago.
10:45
Is that what– what he would say if it was me that got shot?
10:48
Honestly, dude, can I be honest? I wouldn’t worry about it at all.
10:52
– What you mean? – I mean, you’re like one of the good ones, you know?
10:56
You’re not like one of them, right?
11:00
Dude, look at you. You got, like, a legit job.
11:03
You’re one of the best dressed people in this entire office.
11:06
You’re almost always on time and you, like, talk normal, right?
11:10
Dude, trust me. Hey, D? Look at me.
11:14
You’re fine, okay? Okay, you’re stressed out
11:17
about pit stains on your nice $50 dress shirt, okay?
11:21
( chuckles ) Dude, here’s the thing.
11:23
I live by one rule. Don’t check the news,
11:26
and don’t trip over the small things.
11:28
It’s that easy.
11:32
You know what? My– my shirt actually does stink pretty bad.
11:35
Can you– can you cover for me for a second?
11:38
– I’m gonna try to go wash up. – Hey, remember, I’m your guy.
11:42
Yeah. You’re my guy.
11:53
( indistinct muttering )
12:03
Woman: Now this is my opinion, but frankly,
12:06
I’m tired of the media turning these criminals into martyrs.
12:09
He is not the best of us. He is not the best that the black community has to offer.
12:13
We do not need to cry. We need to understand that at the time of the incident,
12:18
he had marijuana on him. He was obviously resisting arrest.
12:21
He should have stayed calm.
12:23
– When I get pulled over, I never ask the policeman why. – ( toilet flushing )
12:26
Because I remain calm, show my identification, and proceed accordingly.
12:30
If you don’t want a problem with the police…
12:38
Oh, Mr. Williams.
12:42
Mr. Harrison.
13:09
( microwave beeping )
13:21
I swear…
13:24
if one more of these white kids try to talk to me
13:27
about these cops killing black folk,
13:30
oh, they gonna find out just how ratchet I can be.
13:34
I got one half of the office sending me Candace Owens videos,
13:38
and I got the other half crying white tears
13:41
begging me to give absolution.
13:44
But what they don’t know is that I don’t want their sympathies
13:47
or their apologies. I want their gun.
13:51
I want to take their power and their privilege and pass it to my son.
13:54
And my idea of a safe place is to blow them all away.
13:59
And I know they don’t really care.
14:02
They’re gonna post about it for two more weeks just so they don’t feel bad.
14:06
Meanwhile, I can’t even open up my feed because the trauma’s too deep.
14:11
I’m just trying to enjoy my Thursday.
14:15
And on top of that, I can’t even post about the bomb-ass cookies
14:18
I made this morning.
14:21
Got suckers out here asking me have I heard
14:24
about the cops killing yet another black man.
14:28
( sighs )
14:30
And I have to laugh just so I don’t yell back.
14:33
Like, oh, yeah. ( chuckles )
14:35
We’ve been trying to tell you about this for,
14:36
I don’t know, 50-something years.
14:38
And if I were to show you my inbox,
14:41
I swear I was about to call the IT department.
14:44
( scoffs )
14:47
I guess you just– you gotta ta–
14:50
or rather, fake it.
14:53
Crying on the inside, laughing on the out.
14:59
They don’t know that I am as cynical as it gets.
15:03
That if I were to have it my way,
15:07
I’d burn all of this to the ground.
15:16
( microwave beeping )
15:48
( sighs )
16:06
( music playing )
16:17
Hey, D, do you have a minute?
16:22
– Yeah, what’s up? – I just– ahem.
16:26
I just can’t believe what happened last night.
16:30
And we were just there for my party,
16:32
and…I–
16:36
I can’t even bear the thought of, like, what if that happened to you, you know?
16:41
Like, I literally would just never forgive myself.
16:46
( sobbing ) And I– I can’t even go more than five minutes…
16:48
– Hey, it’s– it’s fine. – …without crying. No, it’s not.
16:52
I’m so sad and hurt.
16:55
And– and people are dying.
16:58
And– and it would have been my fault.
17:03
Okay, sorry. Sorry.
17:05
No problem, Mr. Williams.
17:07
I understand how hard it must, uh,
17:09
I understand how hard today must be for you.
17:13
Yeah.
17:16
As a matter of fact, today has been hard on all of us.
17:19
Not just you, Mr. Williams.
17:22
I think I speak for everyone in this room
17:25
when I say that we are hurting alongside you.
17:30
We can’t imagine how you must be feeling,
17:33
but we imagine it’s hard. ( chuckles )
17:39
We’re here to support you, and we believe that all lives matter.
17:46
– Thank you. – Of course.
17:50
So, has everyone had a chance to go through sexual harassment training this week? No?
17:56
( music playing )
18:12
( door opens )
18:18
Devante?
18:23
Yeah.
18:32
It’s been a long day, man.
18:35
I’m gonna play you something.
18:38
( music playing )
18:39
Man: I don’t know about you,
18:42
but when I woke up this morning,
18:45
I thought today would be a great day.
18:47
I mean, yesterday was fine, but today, I had joy.
18:52
And you probably don’t know that you have stolen it from me.
18:57
You robbed me of my joy.
19:00
Ad the influx of information bombarded me,
19:05
your guilt, your thoughts,
19:08
your ignorance dripped on my timeline
19:11
like an IV filled with poison.
19:15
And I tried to stop the consumption,
19:17
but as soon as I got to work, I got hit with the same thing.
19:22
My joy, my black joy disappeared.
19:26
Now you see me, now you don’t.
19:30
I wish I could be as elusive as black joy,
19:33
but I’m forever caught off guard
19:36
while you think off beats, missing the timing.
19:40
You may think your thoughts are weightless,
19:42
but they’re actually heavy.
19:44
Have you ever been given something heavy
19:47
when you weren’t expecting it?
19:49
It can make your knees buckle, make you short of breath.
19:53
Timing is everything.
19:55
I didn’t even know I needed the time to grieve.
19:59
Not till I was alone.
20:02
I felt free, then abracadabra,
20:05
you introduced me to my nightmares to make conversation.
20:10
I came to the conclusion that black joy is magic.
20:15
At the end of the day, what you got,
20:19
they can’t have it.
20:32
( phone vibrating )
20:40
( music playing )
—
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Photo credit: Screenshot from video
