Killer Mike is speaking out again after another black man died at the hands of police. The rapper shared a passionate message on Instagram on Saturday (June 13) regarding the death of Rayshard Brooks, who was shot in the back and killed by Atlanta police after he was initially found asleep at a Wendy’s drive-through.
“#RayshardBrooks should be alive this morning. He should be waking up (hungover or drunk in the tank depending on whether he was apprehended) and not dead,” he began his lengthy post.
The Run the Jewels rapper went on to write about how he’d be feeling if he were the various people at the scene on June 12, when 27-year-old Brooks died. “If I’m the Wendy’s worker who called the police, I feel like s–t this morning because a call for a man sleeping in a car should not have ended with his killing,” he penned. And if he were the child in one of the cars? “I’m scared s–tless of anyone with a uniform or gun.”
“I’m mad as hell and I am saddened beyond consolation,” continued the artist. “At a minimum, we need a law that prevents shooting a person while they’re feeling. If there is no weapon, fleeing from an officer should be a foot chase and a radio race.”
Killer Mike ended his message by noting that he’ll continue to support organizations “who are doing the work,” and urged his followers to “#PlotPlanStrategizeOrganizeMobile.” The latter is the same plea he conveyed at his speech after the death of Minneapolis’ George Floyd, who died after an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
“I am duty-bound to be here to simply say that it is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy,” the musician said tearfully during his now-viral appearance at the May 29 press conference with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom. “It is your duty to fortify your own house so that you may be a house of refuge in times of organization. And now is the time to plot, plan, strategize, organize and mobilize.”
Since Brooks’ death, Bottoms has announced that Police Chief Erika Shields is stepping down. The officer — a white man — has also been fired. The killing comes as Black Lives Matter protests have been sweeping the nation, calling for police reform and an end to systemic racism.
Read Killer Mike’s complete post below.