Calvin Giovanni

September 12, 2016 11:29AM

I did what I did and I don’t regret it. Not at all. There are always going to be people who try and make you feel bad or sorry for sticking up for what you think is right. You have to ignore those people and do what is important to you.

The crazy thing about what I did has to be the amount of people, who I thought were allies, that told me not to do it. The number of people who told me not to rock the boat was insane. We all agreed on the grievances of our people but when it came to action, they were no where to be found.

I expected to be supported when I sat down in the middle of that meeting of the Orisha Order. I expected people to sit next to me and lock arms in solidarity. I expected to have my voice amplified by those around me. Whether or not you have lived my life, you should be able to understand the pain that people like me have gone through. Instead I got nothing.

I still remember what I said that day. I don’t remember who was speaking at the time, but I walked to the front with all the confidence I could muster. I sat down in the center of the assembly, right in front of the Orisha. I took a deep breath and said “The Nightmare Detectives cannot continue to ignore the plight of the less fortunate among us. We are all aware of the differences in life experiences from one man to the next. We cannot pretend to be blind to this. I sit here to represent the boys and girls for whom being a Detective is more than a hobby or an escape. This is their life. It’s their life because what they knew before it was only pain and anguish. These limits on how long we can serve in our Detective duties are too strict and are honestly outdated at this point. We should be given the right to dedicate our life to this service because the alternative is something that no one wants. Do you not realize that our hardheadedness is the reason for the Coyotes – the pains in our sides?”

At that point, someone pulled me up pretty violently and started ushering me out of the room. I got yelled at until the meeting was called off and everyone was escorted out. As I left, I looked the Orisha in their eyes, hoping to see if what I did affected them. They didn’t seem to flinch or react so I’ll never be sure. I doubt you will ever speak with one of them but I would love to know if me speaking out meant something to someone in the Order. It’s been a few years since and nothing has changed so maybe it hasn’t. But I continue to pray that at some point, we’ll see change. Otherwise, things will only get worse. Much, much worse.