Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. Just this week, both of them died at the hands of police gunfire. Alton Sterling was pinned down by two officers outside of a store. After one of the officers yelled that he had a gun, he was shot and later died from his injuries. Philando was a cafeteria worker at the Saint Paul Public School system. During a normal traffic stop for a broken tail light, he was shot and then killed. When the subject of systemic racism is brought up, people don't listen or tell us to get over it. From a historical standpoint, this issue isn't new. Before the bullet in a gun, it was the tree and a noose. Preceding that, it was a shackle with chains. Admittedly, I haven't dug into this subject to the level that most have. Having said that, the events have indicated that this race issue can't be ignored any longer.
Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Missouri was the spark that ignited the gas of the building resentments. From that point, the conversation about race was forced to the forefront. Admittedly, I really didn't pay as much mind to this issue before the Ferguson incident. I have been grateful to have never been stopped by the police, much less harassed. Even without those experiences, the thought of what I would do if I was in that same situation has gone into my mind. How would I act? What would I do? What could I do if I reacted under the stress? Would they shoot me down even being calm? As an African-American college student, just the thought stirs at my heartstrings. I shouldn't have to worry about going home to my studies if I were pulled over. Even without knowing the criminal justice system, it is clear that something is wrong.
Why would an officer need to shoot someone who's pinned down? From the initial tape that has been released, even if Sterling had a gun, there is no way he could've gotten to it. At absolute worst, a taser could've kept him down. To further clarify, another video came out involving two cops and a young Caucasian man. It shows that the man was fighting the police outright and only got tased. There was no gun used. The officer wasn't on top of him. From my observation, the officers treated the Caucasian man much better than any of the reported incidents involving police encounters with minorities.
Some would argue that all lives matter. There are others who would say there is too much focus on black people. That said, the timing, placement, and use need to be considered. I never noticed the All Lives Matter hashtag being used during the Pulse Nightclub shootings in Orlando. Jews would never let us forget about the Holocaust alongside Adolph Hitler's machinations. I can see how it could be argued that All Lives Matter is a means of canceling out the issue of race in this country. As long as there is Melanin in our skin, this issue will be present. Whether it's a black man dying over miscommunication and perception or being watched in a mall, we have to talk about the issue of race in the U.S. As anyone in any relationship could attest to, the longer an issue remains unspoken, the harder it is to deal with when it is brought to light.
