I’m not going to lie. when I heard about Baton Rouge native, Alton Sterling’s death, I was struck by momentary devastation. As shockingly inhumane the nature of the incident was, I can’t say I was shocked by the news.

Ever since the shooting of Ferguson, Missouri native, Michael Brown broke national news, each tragedy of its kind sparks the same amount of disgusted despair, but being that virtually nothing has been done to prevent these same practices from continuing, it’s hard to expect different or desirable results.

At about the same time the next day, I watched a video of a different man, named Philando Castile, cloaked in a bloody white T-shirt, gasping for air as a police officer held a gun with a trembling hand about a yard from his face after asking the man to retrieve his license and registration. I don’t care what color this man was, nothing about that scenario is justifiable.

I spent the following evening out to ice cream with a friend, but instead of being able to enjoy the trivial summer activity, I sat in Dairy Queen as my leg trembled and as I gnawed my fingernails, worrying about my African-American cousin and his girlfriend at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Philadelphia.

Before I went to bed that night I was told that five policemen were gunned down by snipers in Dallas. This has to stop.

I don’t mean to state the blatantly obvious, as we all seem to have been doing since the passing of Michael Brown but we, as a nation, have absolutely no choice from this point forward. We must first face the issues that hinder us from progressing, the first and foremost issue being that racism still very much exists and is still a very large problem in American society.

Growing up in a predominantly white, upper-middle class community, the word “racist” has either been thrown around in a jokingly uneducated manner or the predecessor to a smack on the back of the head from mom. Even as I’ve grown up in a more diverse and cultured high school in a more diverse and cultured town, the line between prejudice and acceptance is very thin. But no one wants to admit why, because even on such a small scale that means admitting to the ostracized practices of our nation’s past.

Another issue is that we, as a people, have allowed our society to be built around a series of stereotypes defining both racial and social demographics. Two especially prevalent stereotypes at the moment are that all cops are trigger-happy, racist assholes and that all African-American men are a danger or disruption to society.

However, I personally find the Blue Lives Matter campaign to be no more than a mere mockery of the Black Lives Matter campaign. Police officers should not need protection. Their job is to protect. That being said, they are protected by the law so much so that little to nothing has been done to punish or hinder them from continuing to commit these acts. If anything, I’d go as far as to say that many are largely abusing their authority. And let’s be honest, if there weren’t officers out there killing innocent people the way they have been and if there wasn’t the backlash of protests and rallies, would this heightened concern for police protection even exist?

To the national police force and the ignorant conservative supporters of this movement, I impose upon you a simple question. Although you argue that the proportion of police officers committing these atrocious acts is not representative of the entire police force, then how on Earth can you defend yourselves for massacring African-Americans on the basis of a small demographic which unfairly stereotypes the entire African American people?

Many people claim that the core of the problem is in how police officers have been trained over the last few decades. I do believe this plays a role. However, I don’t necessarily believe that the role played is with regards to their firearm and other weapon training. I believe that the breach occurs within the ethical training -- or lack thereof -- imparted on officers upon taking to the field. As a police officer, your responsibility each and every day is to protect the safety of American citizens, even if that means putting your own life at risk. Knowing this, the element of fear must be eliminated. As stated verbatim by The Law Enforcement Oath of Honor:

"On my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character, or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always uphold the Constitution my community and the agency I serve."

If one of my neighborhood policemen were to violently detain and shoot any man out of unjustified fear for himself without a prevalent or even present threat, then by no means do I trust my life and safety in that man’s hands. Not only does this qualify as breaking the public trust, but it all but demonstrates courage as each of the offending officers in police brutality cases have acted out of unjustified fear. Such actions also lack accountability, as each and every single one of these officers have not faced a full sentence or punishment for their actions, with many facing no legal consequences at all.

I want to add in the disclaimer that I am not trying to bash law enforcement, collectively. I know that there are good policemen; certainly more good than there are bad. However, I do feel as though the police force is collectively failing to take responsibility for holding “[themselves] and others accountable for [their] actions.”

I recently listened to a radio interview during which Hot 97 personality, Peter Rosenberg, passionately yelled at a New York police officer for his objective commentary -- or lack thereof -- on the Alton Sterling murder. Rosenberg stated that, “Police officers never wanna say when y'all do a bad job. So that's the reason the public thinks all of you are bad. Because you won't ever call someone out and say they murdered someone.”

The fact that law enforcement collectively refuses to take responsibility for the irresponsibility of its counterparts has become what the public perceives to be a means of pardoning -- or justifying -- the misconduct. Again, if one of my neighborhood police officers were unable to admit that the Alton Sterling case makes policemen “look bad,” as the Hot 97 caller was unable to, then my trust would undoubtedly be diminished in that policeman and in others as well. Being unable to recognize, verbally or otherwise, the Baton Rouge officer’s fault in that situation leads one to believe that you are unable to recognize the general wrongness in his actions. That being so, how are we supposed to trust you, our protectors, not to do the same?

However, with regards to firearm training: why it was necessary or justifiable for the Minnesota cop to fire not once, but four times at Philando Castile, who did not even have a firearm in hand, I will never understand. How is it justifiable that Walter Scott of North Charleston, S.C. took seven bullets at short range while running away from an aggressive officer before collapsing lifelessly on the ground? I will never understand.

We, as a united people, must fight not only to end the violence, but to end the discrimination. We, and only we, can squash the racism and stereotyping that divides us, that we instituted centuries ago, and that we have yet to wholly abandon. I don’t know a single reason why I shouldn’t view victims like Philando Castile and Alton Brown as my people. They are my fellow Americans, and I don’t want to live in an America where myself as well as my fellow citizens are not granted equal freedom and liberty. For the land of the free and the home of the brave, we have a lot of work to do. But once we unite as the United States that we are, there is not a doubt in my mind that we will prosper once again, better and more together than we’ve ever been before.

It is with a heavy heart that I send my sincerest condolences to the Castile and Sterling families in this time of insurmountable hardship,as well as to each and every family and friend who has fallen victim to police brutality.

I wholeheartedly condemn the violence in Dallas, as I also send my condolences to the families of those officers murdered Thursday evening. But it is with hope and vitality that I promise you, on behalf of myself and my fellow Americans, that you will see justice, and that America is on your side.