How Black youth diffused a situation with the cops — through video gaming

A session of 'Super Smash Brothers' between a few friends didn't result in a conflict with the cops. Instead, a lesson on de-escalation was the result

Jay Scott Smith

Dec 11, 2018

Super Smash Bros — Jovante Williams / Twitter

In far too many cases of simply living while Black, police are needlessly called to someone’s home, things quickly escalate, and bad things happen. But this time, not only was that avoided, but the cops became part of what was happening.

On Sunday night in St. Paul, Minn., police were called to an apartment to answer a noise complaint. Apparently, a group of young men were being too loud playing video games.

“At my friends’ apartment, there’s been a couple of noise complaints going on, from the same people,” Jovante Williams told Yahoo Lifestyle. “Lately, we’ve been playing our games on mute; we don’t want to bother anyone.”

“We’re not trouble. We’re adults. Sometimes, we drink beer,” he said.

Williams and his friends were playing the latest edition of Nintendo’s extremely popular fighting game, Super Smash Bros., as the St. Paul Police were arriving.

“We got a lot of cops,” he said. “We’re telling them this is the same noise level we’ve been having,” Williams said, adding that the group had taken to playing the game on mute. “They confirmed, a few times, that we weren’t even loud.”

“The neighbors thought we were doing the most,” he added. “We were just playing.”

So when the police arrived – a situation that has gone bad so many times – one of the officers asked what they were playing. When they heard it was Smash Bros., they wanted in.

“I’m like, ‘Y’all wanna play Smash?!’ And two of them literally raised their hand and walked up, Williams said. “They’re like, ‘How do you jump?’ They were acting; one of them was playing Pikachu!”

Williams tweeted out video of the impromptu game night with the cops. He was honest about the inherent fear of the police showing up in another instance of living while Black, but he and his buddies were happy with the end result.

SO NEIGHBORS CALLED THE COPS ON US AND NOW WE FIGHTING THEM…

… IN SMASH BROS
@SmashBrosUS #allhandsmatter pic.twitter.com/DIaEnOy3PV

— YOU JUST LOST 1 (@JoviJenovi) December 9, 2018

“It was concerning,” he said. “You see so many videos of terrible results. I’m not trying to end up in jail or hurt, or have my friends harmed, or to start a commotion.

“But you know what? I heard the police asking ‘What’s Smash Brothers?’” he continued. “Instead of something negative it was something wholesome.”

WATCH: Can we live? A look at some 2018 #livingwhileblack moments