A Black pastor did not mince his words while delivering a PSA to self-described “YNs” who wear ski masks who even thinks about running up on him. Of course, the internet has a lot to say about it.
“I’m here to tell you as a middle school teacher at my old school, 7th and 8th grade when everybody wants to be a YN,” the man started in the clip. YN is slang for “young n*gga,” a young, Black male who often sports black ski-masks over their head and face while in public.
He continued: “Walking around with ski masks on — I take ski masks because I tell them, ‘If you catch me outside of this school and walk up on me with a ski mask on you liable to go see the Lord.’ Don’t walk around with a ski mask on cause it ain’t no snow out here and Negro, you can’t ski!”
His message was immediately met with agreement from the crowd, with one man yelling out a passioned “Amen!”
Another can be heard adding: “I know that’s right!”
The clip has gone viral, with many reports calling the man speaking a pastor, but that’s unclear. He has not been identified and details of the event, where, when, and context are not immediately known.
“Pastor or not He human and he gotta make it home to his family too,” wrote on social media user in the comments of It’s Onsite repost of the clip. “Like my dad use to say after he turned up and someone said “I thought you were a pastor” he would say “naw you thought I was punk”!,” a second wrote, while a third commented, “He said find something safe to do.”
Others included gifs and memes of a congregation applauding in the comments section, while another Instagram user also agreed with the man. “Well well. Pastor said he does more than teach about the Lord. He said he can introduce you to the Lord as well,” a fourth person said, while a fifth wrote how they “don’t like it either [because] it be 90 degrees and yall still have it on.”
Another online user shared a different perspective. “It’s better to educate them how this translates to law enforcement & why it’s really not safe for them to do anywhere. Not everyone with a ski mask is trying to mess with you,” someone else wrote. “Some of them are doing it for fashion, but we need to educate our boys on how people will pipeline them to the prison system or WORST instead of playing scenarios that have never happened to you out loud.”
What do you think?