Everyone is aware of the events that have happened with the police brutality going on in America right now, and I'm going to be honest: I'm scared. I'm scared not only for myself but my family and friends. When the Terrence Crutcher shooting happened in Tulsa, fear came over me. Tulsa is only an hour away from Stillwater and knowing that scares me. I have friends here at school that are from Tulsa and we talked about what emotions they have and how they felt about the situation. It's scary honestly.

Every time there was a shooting, I couldn't help but pray. Pray for the families affected, the city in which the incident happened, and our country. Just seeing the news playing the videos over and over again make my heart hurt and then a wave a rage comes over me. Sometimes I have to stop and think, "Why am I angry? What can I do with my anger?" Then images and clips of riots flash on the screen, and I think "Why are people taking their anger out like that?" Breaking things and setting buildings on fire aren't going to fix the situation. As a country, we need to come together and hold peaceful protests like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Reverend Jesse Jackson did during the Civil Rights Movement. When I see riots it hurts me even more because as black people we shouldn't result to violence because it makes us look like America claims us to be.

I shouldn't feel scared to get pulled over on the highway or just walking down the street, but I'm scared. The was justice in the Terrence Crutcher case, and I'm taking that as a sign from God that this is just the start of justice being served with the police shootings. I pray every night that God covers my family, friends, my fellow African Americans, and myself because the world is crazy now.