The Uncle Ike’s protest last night presents us with a microcosm of a much larger issue when it comes to racialized capitalism in the United States on Turtle Island. From sports to corporations to the cannabis industry there are predominantly white male owners and BIPOC workers.

Since this land was stolen by genocide of Native peoples the “ruling class” has been predominantly wealthy white men (undergirded by wealthy white women who while oppressed by patriarchy benefit from white supremacy).

The use of BIPOC as labor has lead to generational wealth 4 white owners. To preserve their power & to shield from critique they hire BIPOC as employees & security (enforcers). In the antebellum south these were overseers. Present day this practice is much more hidden & insidious

Racialized capitalism forces BIPOC to have to take these jobs to survive. Inevitably setting us up against other BIPOC peoples. This often in opposition to what is most beneficial for our BIPOC collective liberation.

B4 legalization, cannabis was an underground economy 4 which Black ppl were highly criminalized & punished. Post legalization white men dominate the industry & the only way BIPOC can participate in an industry our labor built is 2 work 4 wealthy white men or risk criminalization.

I understand the anger regarding Uncke Ike’s. Ike’s has grown immensely having started first on a corner in the Central District where BIPOC were arrested doing what he now makes lots of money doing.

Yes, there is now a BLM mural & a lot of BIPOC employees at Uncle Ike’s but Ian’s past behavior & lack of efforts towards real equity cause many to feel those things are just a shield to avoid critique. Being employed in an industry is not the same as ownership & real equity.

All white owners in the cannabis industry need to partner w/Black communities to repair the harm done by the war on drugs. “Owners” are literally benefiting from the criminalization of Black peoples & how we’ve even systemically prohibited from the legalized cannabis industry.