Through Thick and Thin (Anthony Rizzo)

Side by Side

Jazmyn

It was great to be back in the city again. There were a few days at the end of September between the end of the regular season and start of the post season for the guys to prepare for the real thing. This gave me a few days to settle back in and also find some things to put up around the apartment for halloween. I got to be in Mexico one year for Dia De Los Muertos and I've loved Halloween ever since. While they are not the same holidays I don't feel right celebrating a Hispanic holiday not truly understanding what it means or it being a family thing. When I was in Mexico it was fun and they invited me to celebrate but that doesn't mean I should be putting all these things up in my place that represent something that doesn't mean anything to me. I will celebrate the occurrence in my own way, hopefully dressed in something not a army uniform.

So I drag Anthony out and make him help me find decorations. I loved having the option to actually do something this year and I don't think Anthony could care less. But I promised him a whole night of cuddling if he came with so he agreed to come with.

After looking around for a while I send him off to get Halloween Candy since I don't really eat candy but bought a cute candy bowl for the apartment anyway. I keep looking at the lights and signs to put around the place to be as extra as possible.

"Hey, you're the girl that stopped that protest shooter, aren't you" someone asks.

I slowly turn around and see a older white gentleman that was probably in his late 40's staring down at me. He had on some dirty jeans and a "made in the USA" t shirt on. I look him over trying not to jump to conclusions, but I pretty much knew where this was going. "Yes, that was me" I assure him.

His eyebrows quickly furrow as his stare grows stronger. He tries to tower over me, sadly he's got the wrong girl to try and look down on. "You had no right doing that you know, what you did at the protest, he was just trying to protect us" he claims.

"Oh, you were there" I ask him knowing damn well he wasn't there that night.

His face looked a little surprised as he shakes his head. "Well no" he continues.

"Oh! You weren't there but you said that he was trying to protect you. So that has to have been your businesses he was claiming to protect" I try.

"No" he answers.

"Okay, he wasn't trying to help you at all then. That situation had nothing to do with you or what you believe, you're just saying this because you don't like that I support Black Lives Matter and am willing to do a lot to protect the movement and it's people.

You believe it was it okay for him to "protect" these businesses that you couldn't care less about but I am wrong for protecting the people who are fired of watching people being murdered in the streets, and not people like you even though you weren't even there" I conclude.

"He's not the bad guy" he argues.

"Our almighty president could easily pay for these people's properties to be redone and for the products lost in looting. Sure it's not his job to do so but for someone who claims to care so much about these businesses he could easily do something about it. We could organize something to fund what was lost and protect against looting. Something, might I add, that is not associated with the Black Lives Matter group that I am a part of.

But do you know what we can't do? Bring those people he and all his righteous thinking friends murdered back to life. We can't give someone a new son or daughter and expect them to be able to move on like we can with a business.

People like you are the problem in the word. You would rather defend the killer than the person who just wanted us to all agree that's racism is bad and that Black Lives Matter. It's not that hard to say, you should try it" I claim.

"That's a terrorist group" he defends.

"No, white supremacy is a terrorist group. That kid walking around illegally with a gun shooting into a crowd. He is a terrorist. I would know. I fought terrorists overseas for 13 years. Guys who bomb temples and murder families and who control their own people by fear. I never would have thought I have fought a domestic one who is 17 years old who would fight for a piece of clothing sooner than he would our brother and sisters. It's not our jobs to be jury judge and executioner. It's our job to fight for and protect each other, not the materialistic things we worship over someone's lives.

I'm not saying looting and rioting is the answer. I'm saying that ten times out of ten I'm taking that kid down because killing people isn't the answer either" I defend.

"You're not even black" he notices.

"You don't have to be black to stand up for black people. Jesus wasn't white but millions of people defend him every day" I insist.

"This isn't a religion problem" he tries.

"It ain't a political one either. It's a social justice problem and I am a proud citizen of these United States. I've done more for this country than you could ever dream of, and I've saved people just like you even though we will never agree on some things. All I know is that I stand for what's right, and I won't change that about me. I will take as many knees as I can before I would let one of my own be wasted away by a man who should never have a gun shoot at someone" I defend.

"That's nonsense" he scoffs.

"It's moral accountability. And if you ask me this is the only way we should live. Fighting side by side, not face to face. Rising above the wrongs we've made and coming together to make things right" I insist.

Just in time Anthony finds me and inserted himself right next to me. "Hey babe, do you know this guy" he asks me.

"I do not. And I'm afraid he doesn't want to get to know me" I admit.

Anthony looks at me weird before turning to the man. "I never said that" the man defends.

"Well you didn't come over here to get to know me, I know that much. You came over here and immediately labeled me as a bad guy for saving peoples lives. For stopping a murderer from walking down the street. I don't see how your intentions were anything close to being friendly" I admit.

"I-" he stutters.

"It's okay, sir. I'm not going to sit here and lecture you any longer. If you haven't got it by now you're just not going to get it. And that's fine, I guess, you can sit there and believe that I'm the bad guy for standing up for what's right. But I won't apologize for what I believe in, especially when it comes to protecting my fellow citizens" I defend.

In a huff the man turns around and walks away. Leave it to guys like that to not know how to finish a argument they started. Once he was a ear shot away Anthony turns to me a bit confused.

"You told him off... didn't you" he accuses.

"The whole time you were gone" I insist.

"That's my girl" he smiles.