Anger Is a Gift

At first, nothing happens, and Moss begins to regret his impulsive plan. Eventually, police officers come out to check if he is okay, and Moss explains that he is protesting Javier’s murder. They are unimpressed and hold to the line that Javier should not have been trespassing. When they leave, Moss notices that a small crowd has gathered. When he explains why he protesting, several of them sit down with him, recounting their own negative interactions with the police. They begin spreading word of the protest on social media and the crowd gradually grows. Moss is nervous when Wanda arrives with Martin, but she is not angry with him at all. In fact, she is proud and agrees with a member of the crowd that Moss “is pretty amazing” (361).

When Moss asks his mother how she knew where to find him, she says that Kaisha had read about the protest online and reveals that he is all over the internet. Martin reveals that there are already hundreds of people in the crowd. A Latinx woman introduces herself as Sophia Morales, a reporter for NBC, and asks if she can interview Moss.