Sitting with Sorrow
RIP George Floyd
First things first: Derek Chauvin got what he deserved.
Although there’s no question the verdict was correct, it’s appalling that the whole world had to watch this man die over and over again to achieve it.
I’m heartbroken for the Floyd family. Now that the fight to put Floyd’s killer behind bars is over, his family can properly mourn their loss. I imagine it’s going to be a very sad time for them.
In the face of overwhelming horror—and the murder of George Floyd was despicably horrific—one goes numb trying to deal with the enormity of it. Now that the truly awful part is over, sorrow will take center stage.
I’m not naïve enough to believe one guilty verdict against a single police officer will overturn the corruption at the foundation of law enforcement in this country, but I’m hopeful that this verdict will mark the beginning of a new era of accountability.
American society is riddled with cancers: racist police policies and practices, an epidemic of gun violence, disinformation networks brainwashing the public, a health care system that profits on misery, and on and on and on.
And somehow we have to wash our dishes, answer emails, take food out of the freezer in time to make dinner. It really is too much. But we have to sit with this sorrow as the Floyd family mourns the loss of a man who was murdered by a public servant and expected to get away with it. And he wasn’t the only one who thought so.
We have to acknowledge the inequities that make these murders commonplace. We have to bear witness. We have to examine our complicity. We have to do better.
Rest in Power George Floyd.
Reserve Your Spot
Even though you just heard from me on Saturday I wanted to get back on schedule and share a few links with you.
I’ve been invited to participate in the Literary Arts Festival at Grossmont College next Monday. I’ll be doing a brief presentation, an even shorter reading from the work in progress, and then open it up to questions.
So if you’d like to hear what I’ve been up to all pandemic, or if there’s anything you’d like to know about the books I’ve written with/about Keith Morris, Bad Religion and SST Records, this is for you.
The event will be held on Monday, April 26, at 7pm. It’s on Zoom so it’s free but you’ll have to register, which you can do right here.
Eat Me
I haven’t been writing for the L.A. Times while I focus on finishing Corporate Rock Sucks, but last month I was offered an assignment I couldn’t refuse: a Q&A with a YA author who’d written a beautiful but grizzly book about the Donner Party.
What can I say? The Donner Party is my jam. I loved The Snow Feel Three Graves Deep (think: Little House on the Prairie meets As I Lay Dying with cannibalism) and I really enjoyed speaking with the author, Allan Wolf. We even discussed worst case scenarios on a theoretical camping trip. Here’s Allan:
I would give you permission to eat me, Jim. I’d rather you not kill me to eat me, but if I’m dead anyway, go ahead.
Thankfully, Allan has nothing to worry about because camping is close to the bottom of the list of the things I’d rather not do. Anyway, here’s the rest of the interview.
Vermin Enterprises
If you haven’t checked out my Etsy store now’s a good time. Now that I’m fully vaccinated I’m making regular trips to the post office.
I’ve got books, zines, enamel pins (including perennial favorite Punk Van Gogh), and more.
Plus, I’m giving away these cute little stickers with every order.
PssSST…
In lieu of a post about SST this week, I thought I’d share a couple of links:
Have you ever wondered what the website for SST Superstore looked like in 1998? Well, thanks to the Internet Archive, you can browse to your heart’s content.
Dig into this satisfyingly thorough article about how a late-night eatery that served up a culinary creation that consisted of two hot dogs, a slice of cheese, a wad of pastrami, and a dollop of chili all wrapped up in a flour tortilla became an L.A. punk rock institution.
Thanks for reading. Until next time…
