The Devil in Silver

by Victor LaValle

But who cared? Here was one rule you could count on: You were never allowed to punch a cop.

The Black President is just like the White President.

The ground showed dozens of maple seeds, gone brown because they’d fallen and found only concrete. Nowhere to grow so they died.

We don’t shake hands with monsters.”

“Everyone is born sometime.”

Hard times make people scared. And scared people see monsters everywhere.”

“The system is working and it hates us.”