(Photo by Barbara Miner)

Freesia McKee, a Milwaukee poet and writer, wrote this poem in response to the solidarity march at Red Arrow Park on Thursday, Nov. 10, two days after the presidential election. 

At the march, we will try to hand out signs that say White Silence
is Violence Lots of people won’t want to take them

The march will leave from Red Arrow Park
where the police killed Dontre

The march will leave from the Starbucks and the ice
skating rink which hold the loud memory of 14 gunshots

The march will leave from Red Arrow Park where
they arrested our friends last winter

for making too much noise as officials
lit the city’s Christmas tree

They arrested Dontre’s brother
They arrested people playing drums

They arrested our friends
because they want them to be quiet

We’ve tried to
hand out signs that say Arrest Killer Cops

but lots of people don’t want to hold those signs
People tend to grab signs that say Peace

meaning quiet
People tend to choose Silence