I'm scared.

I'm scared for my friends who are given a death sentence by sheer glance and judgement of who they must be before their side of the story is even seen, much less heard. I'm scared for those who are pulled over and face execution within 10 minutes. I'm scared for those who did the right thing, who were respectful and up front, and still lost their lives. I'm scared to see what photo they release, the contrast between their mugshot and the college photo of a swimmer who we've all forgotten about. I don't want to forget them. I'm scared for their children who have to witness it, who grow up feeling they can't ask for help from those who have sworn to protect them. I'm scared of the men on neighborhood watch who are praised for what they have done and the people who want to buy the gun he did the deed with, forgetting that it could have been their son who met his end at the of it.

I'm scared for those who have sworn to protect us, who do their job with integrity and dignity, and treat everyone equal in the eyes of the law and for those who go beyond and truly serve their community. I'm scared the moment they leave their car and go to a scene. I worry about the blanket statement put upon them by those who have only seen the bad, who have only witnessed the awful put forth by the media, or even in person. I'm scared by the fact that I see a uniform and will avoid them simply because my family, a white middle class family, has had their own issues with them.

I'm scared for those of both sides whose last sight was pavement, instead of their family.

I'm scared for the division, the wall between those who need protecting and those who want to actually do it. The opinions make the already poor resolution of the video harder to see through. The harsh words from both sides make them equally unappealing. To say "they all deserved it" dehumanizes them. No one deserves to be shot point blank while being restrained on the ground, no child deserves to be shot in a swing and no man or woman sworn to protect us deserves to be shot doing such. No one deserves to have their story erased and forgotten about solely because of the color of their skin, or the color of their uniform. No matter who was in the wrong, we need the to learn from the stories. To better ourselves and society, put new policies or ideas into place and to prevent atrocities similar to those that already have occurred. I'm not scared for myself, honestly. I don't have the right to be, this isn't about me, but I'm scared for the place we all call "the land of the free and the home of the brave."