Why I’m Not Protesting

I refuse to put a target on my back for the time being for self-preservation

Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash

So, on April 5, 2025, the day that organizers in the United States decided to do “Hands Off” protests to protest Donald Trump’s horrendous policies, I went to the movies and went out for pizza.

So why aren’t Black people protesting?

People may or may not have noticed, but there were likely fewer Black people in the streets than there otherwise might have been. Where I live, the day of the protest was chilly and damp. However, the weather wasn’t why many Black people stayed away. It never stopped them from protesting before.

Days before the protests, various Black content creators on social media suggested that Black people avoid that protest as well as other protests in the near future due to fears that their presence would give police an excuse to annihilate them, with the possibility of Donald Trump enacting martial law as a result.

Remember, under Trump’s America, the police now have 100% immunity from prosecution if they engage in any wrongdoing, which includes murdering unarmed Black citizens simply for going about their business or for exercising their right to protest under the First Amendment.