To the group of young black men who punched me in the side of the head, tried to steal my phone, tore my eardrum, and gave me a slight concussion: I'm still your ally! I'm still going to engage with people of other races and my own race to do all that I can to stop police brutality and institutional racism, and to raise your standard of living in the hopes that your children will be better educated than your own ignorant asses. But I'm pissed! The two times I've been attacked in Seattle have both been groups of young black men, and every time this happens, I say, "I really wish they weren't black." I'm a news junkie, and lately every time I turn on NPR, I hear another case of some unarmed black kid getting gunned down by the police. This also pisses me off. So I'm just going to throw this idea out there... You! You fucking shits are one of the 100 reasons young black men are unjustly profiled, unjustly gunned down, and unjustly treated by the court system. I don't know how to convince you that your fist slamming into the side of my head is more than just a good time. It's PR for your whole fucking age and race bracket, and it's really shitty PR. I KNOW without a doubt that your cohort is a minority in the black community and there are millions of black kids out there doing good things. But in America, all minorities are viewed as the "other." And even though you're a minority of a minority, everyone who looks like you, acts like you, and dresses like you gets lumped into the same fucking bracket (which I'm also pissed about). So for your, your siblings', and your parents' sake, please don't punch me or anyone else in the side of the head.

—Anonymous