Before I dive into the topic of the recent Dallas tragedy, I want to state in the first sentence that I support the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s our right, as an American citizen to peacefully protest and support for what we believe in (and in this case, fighting for basic human rights). There is no doubt that too many innocent lives of African Americans have been taken while in police custody. However, the police that inflicted those unnecessary measures with irreversible consequences are not the majority of the police force in America.

When live footage of the Dallas shooting was streaming on Facebook, I was sitting in my room terrified. My heart couldn’t do anything but break for the brave lives of the five officers that were wrongfully murdered, the other police officers and civilians that were wounded, and for Dallas as a city all together. What terrified me more were the comments made towards the officers who had died while protecting the citizens of Dallas. A great number of the comments were negative towards the officers, and some comments even showed pleasure that those lives were lost. This is where I have a problem with some of the American citizens that only support Black Lives Matter and not Blue Lives Matter as well.

For those of you who disagree with me, just take a moment and think about what I’m about to tell you. Those five police officers were someone’s child, spouse, parent, friend, mentor, neighbor, role model, and so much more. When you say that you think they “deserved” to die, you’re telling everyone that they ever loved and who ever loved them that their life was unimportant. As for those police officers that did murder the innocent lives of African Americans, I do believe and support that they should be put in jail for the crimes that they have committed. I do not think they should die, because I personally do not believe in the death penalty (but that’s a whole other subject). Just because there are a few bad police officers in the force, does not mean that all police officers are out to kill innocent Americans. The sniper who killed those police officers in Dallas was African American, but I don’t believe all African Americans are out to kill police officers.

All I am asking is for a little bit of respect and support from every American for our policemen and policewomen. They are here to protect you and support you. Every time they walk out of their homes and say goodbye to their families, they know that could be the last time they walk out of their front door. Just because these brave men and women wear a blue uniform does not mean they deserve to be negatively stereotyped. I may be biased on this subject because I grew up around families involved in law enforcement but trust me, they are just like you and me. Let’s stop discriminating against black lives and blue lives and support both movements. #BlackAndBlueBothMatter