This will be long so the next one doesn’t have to be. Oh, and I have a special note at the end for family. I’ve been a little on and off on here the past few months, but I wanted to announce something. I’m gonna be posting a petition in the next 1 to 2 days to get attention on something. While it’s a complex situation, there’s only one way to describe it.

Somebody tried to lynch me.

And they are still trying. It could still work. And this isn’t a lynching with a noose and a tree, but you don’t need that for a lynching. A lynching is a concept. So it can be deconstructed and reapplied through its parts.

In my situation, there is someone using a false narrative that I’m criminal and dangerous to create a mob to enact harm against me. The person is also trying to harm me themselves. In the stories of lynchings you remember, the victim is projected to be dangerous and criminal by way of a false narrative as a means to create a mob to enact harm upon them. So, same deal. I know my history. I know it repeats.

I’ve learned a lot of thing too from this situation. I’ve been in this situation for over a year and I frankly can’t believe it’s still going on. A lynching can be like a stew. It can cook a long time on that stove. Hate is patient, I’ve learned. That brings to mind a thought— how long did Hitler bang that drum before he came into power? A long time. Hate has vision.

A lot of this or things you’ll see might seem illogical or inexplicable to you, and that’s a symptom of a good thing. It means you don’t have hate in your heart or haven’t had to dissect it. Hate is an illogical force (this is what actually makes it so scary) so don’t think you’ll understand it all, or understand everything I will show you. I’ll show certain things and you’ll think “but who would even do that?”. And you will be asking the right question. Because, you see, we live in a world with monsters among us. Seriously, what’s coming after me feels like it has the same pathology as something that could sit in a similar space as “serial killer”.

On March 7th 2022, I’ll witness something that’ll leave me traumatized for several months. I will also realize something else. I was sexually assaulted. If this seems like a lot, actually assault and some pretty gross things were also often a part of those older lynchings. So that is just par for the course.

The person trying to harm me will keep attacking me from a distance. During this time I’m freaked out and shaken. But even so, I knew then what I witnessed slowly stewing. I tried to tell others. People thought it was silly, and what will happen is this situation will slowly dismantle my life and I’ll lose everything I worked to build simply because no one listened. It’s been tough.

This situation as been stressful, frightening, maddening, heartbreaking, and— fascinating. It’s actually been fascinating. Luckily I’ve very analytical…so while my life was dismantled I’ve taken a great deal of time to understand the force that came after me. I’ve actually learned a lot going through trauma. One of the first things I do when I realize something was wrong, is I read research papers and articles. Non-stop. So I learn a lot about the scope of what I’m dealing with.

I wanna give some of that knowledge back. I’ve started a small series called “Abuse is—” I’ve put on my instagram for now. It’s pretty new, rough, raw, and unapologetic. It needs to find it’s voice still, but maybe I’ll also put out a GoFundMe or Patreon for it. I’ve done a good job documenting my journey so far and I haven’t seen many stories that take you through adventure to show what trauma does to the mind. I have some fun plans if I can make it.

The goal of hate is to take what you love and crush your spirit. While my spirit is still there, I’ve had a lot of what I loved taken from me. A lot of what I worked a long time for in tech, taken from me. It’s been hard. The last time I tried a couple months ago I just ended up crying at my desk. I’ve realized I can’t really work right now. Especially not while going through this. So maybe that small series can be a way forward for me. I dunno. I really do learn a lot of new things from this situation. Things about humanity. So I do actually think this series is valuable once it’s out of the rough stage.

For those of you like “omg call the cops”— lmao. oh my sweet summer children. I know you only wanna help ❤️ If you’ve ever been a target for hate or even a woman being harassed you will know that certain cases just don’t get the attention of law enforcement until they already getcha. And I ain’t getting got. There’s also something else to consider—

What I go through can be described as many things and this is one— an abusive relationship. After traversing an abusive relationship I’ve learned one thing…abuse doesn’t stop by acts of the law/courts so much. Often times law/courts are uses to perpetuate the cycle of abuse and harm (happens to me). So how do we stop abuse? Abuse is stopped by community. Abuse is stopped by community. That was on purpose. People need to stand up and say “We see you, and we know it’s wrong. Stop!”. That is how abuse ends. That’s the formula. It’s actually sadly simple. And I need a bit of that.

Oh, and I know there’s likely people in my social scope who hate it when the mention of race or anything racial comes up. It really gets your goat, doesn’t it? I got a message for just those folks real quick…

*c’mere. get in close* *little closer*

“These motherfuckers trying to LYNCH me bro! They tried to lynch ME!! Joe Laquinte!!! A force of hatred came to take me, and you’re over there sniffling over a goddam word. Like a bitch. ‘Oh noooo, I don’t wanna hear the word race 😭’ Yeah well some of us are in these streets dealing with it day to day. So wipe your fucking eyes, and get up. Cause we ridin. Stop letting your goat get git”

*Ahem*, ok. I’m back. Pardon me.

I’ll end with an interesting note. Did you know that the murder of Emmitt Till inspired the show “The Twilight Zone”? Yeah. The shows inventor, Rod Sterling, saw the tragic Emmitt Till case play out on TV. It effected him so much, it led him to create “The Twilight Zone”, the iconic anthology series that spoke truth to the era’s social ills and tackled themes of prejudice, bigotry, nuclear fears, war, among so many others. Even after “The Twilight Zone”, Rod’s would stay fixated on trying to recreate that tragic Till lynching.

I really get Rod in that sense. I’ve experienced bigotry a good many times in my life. There’s definitely a harmful yet doofy bigotry. And there’s also bigotry that comes from ignorance…but something changes in you if you’ve ever witnessed a level of bigotry that acts with full awareness and intent. Because that is hate. And if you’ve ever been in a room with hate, as I have been, it’s actually chilling and other worldly. Because it feels non-human. Almost super natural, tbh. So a series like “The Twilight Zone” makes total sense. Honestly, this “Abuse is—” thing I’m making will tackle similar themes.

For family— If we are family, ie if I share blood with you, petition signage will be mandatory. If it’s not signed, I will no longer consider you family if mine. It’s that serious, so I hope you will support. I will be checking.

This link will tell you more but truly it’s like 48% of what I’m dealing with. This whole things has weird layers to it. Don’t expect understand it all. I also think that’s something we need to correct on a societal level. We shouldn’t have to know everything to understand this very simple human request— help.

Oh, and lemme explain those scattered Facebook messages from a year in the comments. This is long enough.