I do not put much stock in Charleston White, but I guess I should. In this era of an attention-driven society, people will do just about anything to get you to stop scrolling and watch them. White is no different. This time, I felt like he was trying to specifically get under my skin, even though I know he likely knows nothing about me. Still, the the second he evoked George Zimmerman’s dumpster juice name, it was evident that that the bar was lowered once again.
If you don’t know, Zimmerman is a homicidal, racist lunatic that is responsible for the heinous slaying of Trayvon Martin. He is a thug that abused what little power his security guard, cowardly self could muster. Even President Obama came to the defense of 17-year old Trayvon that was carrying candy and a can of ice tea when he encountered this wanna-be cop on his way home. You know how the story ends (in the death of a Black teenager), and remains one of the most infamous, reprehensible and disgusting moments in history…unless you are a racist piece of sh#t.
Charleston White decided to evoke, double down and gaslight saying, “Say, T.I., listen, if your boy jump on me, y’all will bury that yellow muthafu##a. I’ll shoot him right in his g###### throat. I wish a 18, 19-year-old ni##a would jump on me. Boy, I’d Trayvon Martin that little muthaf##ka, I swear to God. My right hand to God. I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. If T.I.’s son jump on me, I’m gone George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin his little muthaf##kin’ ass.”
He also informed Atlanta-area police authorities that King Harris supposedly threatened him. Today, calling the cops is almost like calling a death squad on a Black person in America. T.I. – the father Tip Harris – is understandably upset that somebody basically said he’s going to kill his son if they have a physical confrontation. White’s description could be considered self-defense, but does it matter when he is pulling from a racist’s most cowardly act?
I have personally worked with T.I. on a number of fronts. We have tried to stop people from becoming victims of Covid-19 when all hell was breaking loose to giving out thousands and thousands of dollars to students at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities). And it extends beyond that with his non-profit Us Of Else, which I am a board member with other fine people. I even revamped the logo. At this point, Tip has a storied history of serving the community, whether you like it or not. I know this first hand and you can google to find out more.
I feel his pain as a father, because we know he has been fighting for his son’s well-being. I am also pained in other ways. Charleston White is indicative of Black people injecting shameless, unabashed White Supremacist ideologies in our community. When Kanye West put on a “White Lives Matter” shirt recently and brought numerous others along with him as if that was artsy and fashionable. It’s actually racist, plain and simple. Kanye West – like Charleston White – is a habitual line stepper, in this cold social media climate, where checks and balances have deteriorated into nothingness.
King Harris turned 18 on August 25, 2022. I have read the comments online. There’s a strong contingency of people that see no wrong in a 52-year old former Crip, turned internet troll threatening a young man’s existence. In fact, I saw people advocating on the Texas native’s behalf despite the use of George Zimmerman has the gauge for what he planned to do if he was confronted by King Harris. At the end of the day, this is where we are. Trash communication. No empathy. And a big, a$$ pig pen.
We have enough issues with so-called regular racism.
But this is the sort of distracting programming that takes down cultures and alters elections. Black people are in ruins right now. Like it or not, it’s people like T.I. that are affecting the elections (Georgia, anybody?) and impacting the community in a positive way. Would I engage with Charleston White on social media? I don’t think so, but if you say you are going to “George Zimmerman” my kid? I don’t know what I would do. The issue is, Black people have yet to reconcile with these insurgents inside and outside the community. Social media gives Candace Owens a voice with us. Do you have a voice with the KKK, Proud Boys or Patriot Front?
T.I. deserves grace. Point black period. And, you don’t have to love him or agree with everything he does to give that compassion. If you don’t feel King Harris should be granted time to grow up, you have issues. Kanye West, for example, has violated so many codes with the Black Delegation that if he was fined for them all, he would be a thousandaire. But he made some songs people like and appears to be a “free thinker.” Candace Owens, Charleston White are pro-White traitors to Black people. They do nothing to improve our conditions, they align with our enemies and they pepper their rhetoric with just enough sensible thought to bait basic folks in. Enough is enough.
It is probably time for me to tap in like this was the WWE. Shaun King said something to me that struck a chord in a post, “Why We Can’t Simply Ignore Kanye West.” See, I have been ignoring Kanye West for years, as I have with Charleston White. Meanwhile, my little cousin (who is now a senior in college) has repeatedly sent me YouTube videos of White. I have repeatedly refuted or rebuffed the posts, correcting him before he becomes a follower of this fool.
An old man offering to shoot a teenager in the throat is acceptable? NAH. We can’t ignore or excuse this, which is why Instagram has given him and Kanye the big Yeezy boot off their platform. Shaun King says, “Harmful public rhetoric has to be confronted publicly – as an act of public education.” Right now, we are fighting for our bodies, our minds, and, whether you admit it or not, SO ARE THEY. We know there are known racists in government, our police departments and within social media. Like Malcolm X said,“Racism is like a Cadillac, they bring out a new model every year.”
Don’t let them win.
Fight TF Back.
