This is a Public Service Announcement from Giselle Ave.
Jordan Peele’s 2017 Academy Award-Winning film, Get Out, hits different in 2020.
In Season Three of Lena Waithe’s, The Chi, Kevin’s older teenage sister, Kisha, has tragically gone missing in Chicago.
Recently, Mother, Actress, and Glee star Naya Rivera has gone missing and has reportedly drown in a California lake.
Logging into Twitter has become a central place for the public’s version of “Amber Alerts,” in the form of viral tweets, sharing information about loved ones that have gone missing.
Personally, I’ve read about at least 10 real missing person cases in the past week alone. I’m convinced that people go missing way more often than what’s being reported— and I’m upset about it.
This is not normal. I’m writing this blog post to raise awareness of the severity of the cases at hand– people are disappearing and it simply does not make any sense.
My Very Last Uber Ride
There is one particular Uber ride that I’ll never forget. I was in an Uber and my driver, an African-American male mid-40s, was on the phone with a woman, sharing his every move.
I have my photo listed on my Uber App, and at that time, I was about 25, leaving Downtown Atlanta on a Friday night during the busy holiday season. I didn’t think twice until I noticed he was almost, reporting to the woman, as if he was following a set of protocol.
He says to the woman on the phone:
“Yeah, I got her. We are in the car, passing Marietta St. right now.”
I’m thinking:
Who is he talking to? And why is he sharing every detail with her?
He ended the call, frantically, then began to speak to me as if he was giving me a warning.
You have to be careful out here, you never know who you’re in the car with, it’s dangerous out here.
Quickly realizing I may have been in danger, I calmly replied,
Yeah, and you never know what someone has in their purse!
He got quiet, almost silent in fear. He dropped me off at my location and I decided to never use Uber again.
I know I’m not the only person that has had a questionable ride-sharing experience, I’m just one of the few people to share my story.
So What Can We Do Right Now?
Stay safe, and stay inside. Leave your home when necessary. There’s a spiritual war going on outside. We’re fighting up against the things you cannot see, invisible to the eye.
Travel in PAIRS, stop traveling ALONE. Share your location with … SOMEBODY. If you’re alone, get on the phone while out and about — and stay aware of your surroundings.
Melanin is MORE VALUABLE than gold; literally. You are a walking TREASURE CHEST.
We need each other more than ever. Our men to protect. Our communities to spread real news. Our stories, to be heard.
This is a public service announcement: Man, woman, child, elderly — protect yourself and each other at ALL costs.
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If you locate anyone found on our Missing Person pages, please call your local police department or Atlanta Police Missing Persons Unit at 404-546-4235.
Learn more about the fight to end sex trafficking in Atlanta, visit the Atlanta Voice.
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