THE FLASHING LIGHTS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ILLUSION
They say the law protects,
but it targeted me before it even listened.
I’ve seen uniforms mistake justice for domination,
handcuff my dignity while proclaiming themselves guardians of the Republic.
Their stray bullets always find the same kind of flesh to pierce.
They shoot at our truths,
then write reports to disguise the corpses.
Their justice is a shattered mirror
where our faces can no longer be recognized.
They claim to serve peace,
but they sow fear in neighborhoods they don’t understand.
Impunity has risen to the rank of colonel in their ranks.
When a young man dies under their blows,
it’s always he who’s accused of provoking his own death.
Their sirens drown our cries,
not their faults.
Under their helmets, some confuse authority with racial hatred.
They tell us to respect the law,
but their boots crush it in our streets.
Their silence after the crime
is louder than the gunshot itself.
Police blunders are not mistakes,
they are institutionalized habits.
Their motto should be:
“Freedom for them, suspicion for us.”
They want us to believe in human error,
yet it’s always the same kind of humans who die.
The cameras always turn off
the moment truth begins to bleed.
They wear the Republic on their chest,
but contempt in their eyes.
Our lives hang from the trigger
of a man who doesn’t see us as his equals.
The law is strict on our faults,
but lenient on their crimes.
They speak of maintaining order,
but it’s our disorder they maintain.
Their violence is always justified,
ours always condemnable.
They demand the respect they refuse to give.
They say they defend the nation,
but they fracture it with their batons.
When they shoot, justice shuts its eyes
and the media cleanse their conscience.
Their uniform doesn’t wash away their faults,
it renders them invisible.
They say they serve the homeland,
but they serve fear.
A badge should not protect lies,
yet it has become their shield.
The dead keep piling up,
the apologies keep repeating,
the truth keeps fading.
They want us silent in the name of peace,
while they kill in the name of law.
Their weapon says “danger,”
their mouth says “regrettable incident.”
They don’t see citizens,
only suspects in the making.
They say we should trust them,
but their trust kills our children.
Every arrest is a game of Russian roulette
for those who resemble them the least.
Their power acts without remorse,
their justice without witness.
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