Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

My Wise Country Cousin on The State Machine’s Machinegun-Totin’ Cops… 
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
01 Jan 1970
🖨️ Print Article

My Wise Country Cousin on The State Machine’s Machinegun-Totin’ Cops… 

by BAR poet-in-residence Raymond Nat Turner

Look lak de Daltuns, Youngas an ol’ James gangs

Is resirrecit, an’ up ridin’ again, doin’ dey thangs—

Bowdin’ de D train wit machinegun-totin’ police

Dey needin’ dat firepower fo’ “keepin’ de peace?”

‘Less Al Kater on de A, Boocoo Harome on de B

Dem damn machineguns make no sense, to me…

‘Less Eyesool on de C, an’ Eyesis down on de D

Dem damn machineguns make no sense, to me…

Dey got Glocks, pumps, tasirs, peppurspray, vess—

White magik fo’ conjurin’ cases ob “resisin’ aress!”

Dey shoutin’ night an’ day‘bout Eyesool and Eyesis

Coverin’ up de fac dey sistum’s tremblin’ wit crisis:

Workin’ folk tired ob takeaways an’ myzerly charity

Caint take much mo’ ob dese heists called awesterity—

Son, I tolt you once, tolt you twice, dis makes thrice

Dis a police state Negroz an’ liberuls call ‘paradice!’

Dey got C-Is, Demografick Units an Mosk Crawlers,

Ebben mens among trash hallers, an’ cable installers…

Now, it lookin’ lak to me dat Bloody Billy Bratton

Is bringin’ dat ol’ SS mess up here in Manhattun…

Sho lookin’ lak what de youngtaz be callin’ po-po

Is jes de Furor’s ol’ gang ob thugs de Gustop-po—

Well, so much fo’ hare-splittin,’ ackademik debate,

It pas’ time fo’ callin’ dis muthafucka a police state!

Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at Raymond (at) upsurgejazz.com
Raymond Nat Turner © 2105 All Rights Reserved

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • Sherronda J. Brown , Tea Troutman , Aarohi Sheth
    May Day: Exporting the Southern Plantocracy
    06 May 2026
    The South has always been the region where the most exploitative labor practices are tested first.
  • John Perry
    Exaggerated Claims by White Nationalists About Latino Migration to US
    06 May 2026
    The same exaggerated numbers that buoy Trump's border panic also help US-funded NGOs attack socialist governments.
  • Kribsoo Diallo , Essam Elkorghli
    The Imperialist Attack on the Alliance of Sahel States 2.0
    06 May 2026
    From foreign-backed ambushes to French-orchestrated destabilization, this analysis exposes how imperialism weaponizes minority struggles to fracture the Sahel — and why only Pan‑African unity can…
  • Iran
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Dr. Gerald Horne Analyzes the U.S. War of Aggression Against Iran
    01 May 2026
    Dr. Gerald Horne is a prolific author and historian who holds the John J. and Rebecca Moores Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston. He joins Margaret Kimberley to…
  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio May 1, 2026
    01 May 2026
    Listen and watch Black Agenda Radio as we begin hosting our program on the Black Agenda Report Youtube channel. In this week’s segment we hear from Dr. Butch Ware, the Green Party’s nominee in the…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us