#AllLivesMatter, but right now, #BlackLivesMatter.
“The Constitution gives you the right, as a white man, to have a rifle in your home. The Constitution gives you the right to protect yourself. Why is it ‘ominous’ when black people even talk of having rifles? Why don’t we have the right to self-defense? Is it because maybe you know we’re going to have to defend ourselves against you?”
– James Baldwin, "One Day When I Was Lost"
Yes, all lives do matter. No, reverse racism is not a thing. Facts do not lie. Different news outlets are constantly releasing stories regarding police brutality, and never have any of these stories entailed details stating that a white cop has taken away the rights of an innocent white man. It seems the African American community is continuously being targeted, not just in American history, but now, in a time where our nation is supposed to be the most open-minded, blacks are still treated unjustly just for walking the streets. Think about this: if your neighbor's house was burning down, would you rather the firefighters water your house or theirs? Of course every life matters, but the hashtag refers to those who need our help. Out of respect, we create a hashtag in memory of those who have lost their lives and in hope that the injustice will not continue.
Yes, all lives do matter. No, you do not have to be white in order to be enraged by the crimes the people who have sworn to protect their communities have been committing. As an American, as a citizen, and as a human being, the fact that someone’s child, spouse, sibling or loved one is being deprived of their rights because of their skin color or the “fear” a prejudiced officer has against this person should be enough to make a person realize that something has to be done in order to stop this for happening.
Yes, all lives do matter. No, people should not kill innocent cops regardless of the circumstance. All these people have a life to go home to and the ones who have been serving their community the way they are supposed to should not have their lives taken from them arbitrarily. Likewise, an African American should not have their life robbed from them just because they look a certain way. The police officers who target African Americans through racial profiling are the ones who cause distrust between the black community and police men. If everyone's lives were to be respected, would this vicious cycle continue? We are Americans, not God. We do not get to decide when it is time for someone's story to come to an end.
Yes, all lives do matter, but black lives are the ones we are focusing on and people should take the time to respect that. We are tired of the killings of men and women in our communities, so no, no one is asking for sympathy but instead for respect. We are asking for these actions to have consequences. We are asking for lives to be valued, particularly those of minorities who have been done wrong. Because yes, all lives do matter, but right now, #blacklivesmatter.
