Hey rabid, angry Trump supporters, I have a question for you all:

What does it say about you that when African-American men protest police violence, you take it personally? Assuming you’re not a violent policeman yourself, don’t you find your vitriolic response to be an indictment of your own complicity in the problem they’re protesting?

Shit, I got all East Coast Elite on you guys. Let me write that again, this time for my friends and family for whom “big words” are triggers:

Why the hell y’all gettin’ all out of sorts about some Black fellas saying they want the Law to stop killing them when they ain’t even doing nothing? Y’all ain’t the ones killing them, are you? No? Well, when you get all up in arms about it, it sure does make it seem like you’re in cahoots with the Law on this one here.

When I get in fights with my girlfriend (I mean me vs. her, not when she and I go out and pick fights with strangers…that’s a different situation for another blog post), there’s something we remind each other:

We are on the same team. If we are fighting you versus me, we’re going to keep fighting and hurt the team. If, however, we team up and fight “you and me” versus “the issue,” we’re going to win.

Cops blocking our way as we look for trouble.

Whose team are you on, Trump supporters? Are you on the side of violent, power-tripping, scared-shitless-for-no-reason cops? Or are you on the side of the overwhelming majority of African-Americans who feel unfairly targeted for potential death by those cops?

It’s scary that you see the innocent man protesting the deaths of his friends and family as your enemy.

It’s much scarier, though, that you see the bad seed cops who blindly shoot into cars, shoot people in the back, shoot people legally carrying a weapon and telling the cop as much, choke people to death, and throw people unrestrained into the back of a wagon, as your allies in need of your passionate defense.

Instead of getting all riled up by the Annoying Orange’s pandering, stop and ask yourself: why is it so easy to pander to me on this topic? Do I actually agree more with violent, poorly trained, angry, Yosemite Sam cops? Or is L. Ron Hubbard’s reincarnated spirit in a McDonald’s crafted vessel appealing to my racism and tribalism to fire up an “us against them” mentality? Is this what I signed up for?

 This whole issue should be US—you, me, Colin Kaepernick, Jerry Jones, Steph Curry, Lebron James, Donald Trump, and everyone else—against the issue of inequality in the justice system from top to bottom. And to quote Sean Spicer, “PERIOD.”

Want to read more of my thoughts on the national anthem protest?  Check out Shut Up & Play, Unless I Like What You’re Saying. Or, read No Justice, No Peace. Or At Least No Football.