Yes, I said it. All lives matter.
In my opinion, we're all equal. We're all just trying to survive so why should only one person, or even a single group of people matter more than another? If you haven't already heard what's been happening around the U.S., here's a quick recap.
Alton Smith of Louisiana was shot 6 times while already pinned down by the police. Philando Castile of Minnesota was shot to death by police during a traffic stop, then after all of that, the protest's in Dallas that escalated to a mass shooting with five officers shot, and injuring nine other during the ambush. With everything that's been happening in the mainstream media, it's about time someone said something about it.
In the past year, media outlets have given special attention to minority's being shot by on-duty police. Statistically speaking, this year alone 732 white people were killed by on-duty officers, compared to 381 black citizens killed by on-duty officers. I'm not saying that what happened to those individuals was okay, because truly it wasn't, but saying white people get favored by police isn't exactly correct. Everyone knows the media has just as much power and influence as the president, so they tell and show you what they want you to know. Black lives do matter, but so do white lives, Asian lives and Hispanic lives. If you're a human being then you matter to someone, somewhere. Period.
If you feel like black lives matter, then don't just say or believe that solely based on what you see or hear in the mainstream media, or base it off of a couple of trigger-happy police officers. Minorities aren't the only people that fall victim to police brutality, and if you truly think that they are, then you need to start doing a little bit more research on the subject. You should also look at the behavior of the person who falls victim when they're interacting with police; a little respect goes a long way when dealing with authority.
One of the top priorities of an officer is that he feels safe, and that there is no threat on his or anyone else life. Not following the cop's exact orders will result in any situation escalating. If you don't follow the officer's verbal warnings, and he or she has to repeat themselves three times, but you're still not complying, then by law the officer has the right to use some force to get you to comply with the orders given. If an officer feels the need to pull out his taser, or even his gun, that's when it's time to cut the crap, show some respect, and do exactly what the officer says. If an officer even gets to the point of drawing a weapon and you start reaching for something or make any sudden movements without first explaining to the officer what you're doing, or reaching for, then the officer has has the right to use force on you as well. If a person makes the officer feel unsafe for any given reason then they are allowed to use the force they feel is necessary given the severity of the situation at hand.
During a cops training, they are trained to know when to use a certain level of force during a certain experience, but it all comes down to each individual, and how they feel when faced with such situations. With that being said, some cops do get trigger happy, and don't use the right kind of force when it's a low risk situation. I do believe that there are definitely cops out there who abuse the power they're given to reap benefits for themselves instead of bettering the community they are supposed to be serving and protecting. The police officers shot in Dallas were completely random, and were killed trying to save the other protesters that night.
I don't believe it is remotely fair or of equal justice to take a life to "avenge" the life or lives of individuals. Especially when those involved had absolutely nothing to do with what or how anything was handled and lives were regretfully lost. Personally, I hope the officers responsible for the murder, yes I said and firmly believe it was murder, of Alton Smith, and Philando Castile will be prosecuted to the fullest extinct of the law. I still believe in the justice of the court, and I believe justice will prevail when everything comes to the light. But blaming all police officers because of the unjustifiable actions of a few is also unjustifiable.
Given everything that has happened, I don't think any of the shootings were equally justified, or rational. All anyone can do is pray for those involved, and hope that things will get better. If things do get worse, then there's really no telling what people will end up doing to each other.
