A country dies
absent mercy
in its laws,
as unjust tragedies
shine spotlights on flaws

Denying who matters
arranges rows
that divide,
as if devotion for tolerance
should yield a force
on each side

As all unravels
on the streets
of the wronged,
abuse insists
the dissent is prolonged

There’s a stop
and a shakedown
of suspicion,
for quotas,
a presumption
or religion

Protocols start
and a chase
becomes a hit,
the dead aren’t angels
but not deserving of this

Hyper-vigilance
spurs cowboys
into mavericks,
blaming actions
on a passion
for tactics

Rationale wears thin
after initial rounds;
distrust is not an invite
to lethal grounds

On the front lines
where the aggressive
elude the brave,
trust is disputed
by a surplus of graves

Treating citizens
as enemies
and a threat,
blur examples
of sacrifice cops set

Precincts of codes
and stone walls,
protect bureaus
for service if it calls

Then come trials
in a system of defense,
that somehow
justifies the arrest

Riots commence
feeling an absence
of what to do,
these are murders
and sadly nothing new

Cities burn
by the ire of the weak, 
because if they can’t breathe
then no one
hears them speak