Coates writes: “Being African in the Baltimore of my youth meant being naked to the elements of the world, to all the guns, the fists, the knives, the crack, the rape , and illness. The law did not protect us. And now, in your time, the law has become a pretext to stop and search you, that is, to encourage aggression against your body." What Coates is saying is that for African Americans, unjust laws hurt and seek to destroy African bodies instead of protecting them from harm. What Coates really means by this is that the laws are created to benefit white Americans rather than African Americans. Coates believes that the United States still has white privilege and that African Americans will never be equal or treated better than white Americans. Coates argues that police brutality against African Americans still exists today. Coates writes: “And you saw men in uniform come by and kill Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy they were sworn to protect. […] your country's police departments have been given the authority to destroy your body. It doesn't matter if the destruction is the result of an unfortunate overreaction." What Coates is saying is that the job of the police is to prevent violence and protect people. Yet, police are abusing their powers to destroy the lives of African Americans. Not only do police officers kill criminals, but they also kill innocent, unarmed African American children. Therefore, Coates does not believe that King's hopes were real