Dear Incompetent Negro,

Why must you continue to act so ignorant? And by ignorant I mean undermine the positive image and message that Black people are trying to achieve? How dare you still go out and do criminal activities when your brothers and sisters are marching and protesting to make sure you have a better chance in society? Does breaking into my apartment justify your struggle to make ends meet? It is Negroes like you who make it hard for us to live in a society that deems us as thugs without getting to know our true character before putting on such a label. You have people trying to help out our community, but yet you counter it by trying to destroy the very community that needs our help. How dare you bite from the hand that is trying to feed you? It is like pulling someone down from a cliff when that person is trying to help you up. It is a slap in the face to not only to myself and your brothers and sisters, but to you as well. I understand the saying "get it how you can", but is crime truly the answer? Why risk your life and freedom for a few measly dollars when you can get it the legal way. There are institutions to help you succeed, but you dismiss them and instead of working hard to obtain nice things you resort to the other route. Our ancestors did not get whipped, hanged, burned, and treated like animals so you can be another stereotype and statistic in modern society. Wake up. There is a bigger world besides the hood. There's plenty of sources that gives you a positive message on who is our oppressor, but in times like this you are your own oppressor. In times like this we should not tear each other down, but instead build each other up. It is truly sad that we still need to have talks about peace within our community. When peace is talked about it doesn't last that long. I understand crime will always happen, but that does not excuse the numerous homicides over small things that can be dissolved by just talking. The older generations try to talk you about violence and crime, but it is like you refuse to listen to advice from someone who already has lived that life. You want to be treated as a person by other races, but how can they respect you if you do not respect yourself? Life is really too short to try and be ignorant. We as black people scream black lives matter, but do they really matter to us? In my hometown, Memphis, there is 30 days of no killing challenge and personally, I do not think it will last. What will it take for us to finally realize how to solve the problem?