Jacob Blake Lived But He's Still A Victim Of Police Brutality And Racism, Don't You Forget It

This past Sunday, Jacob Blake's name was yet another added to the list of Black people impacted by police brutality and racism. Blake he was shot seven times in the back. Unfortunately, racism has always existed but is especially visible this year. According to sources, Blake was simply trying to calm down an incident between two women, yet he was still subject to more violence as a result, violence that left him paralyzed from the waist down. There are so many sides to every story and while most of them seem to be shared throughout various news sources, Blake's side didn't seem to be acknowledged or even considered by police officers on Sunday. The reasons for this seemingly unknown or even non-existent.

Unfortunately, this has been the trend lately, and perhaps all over history as racism has been a continued issue. Blake may not have been killed, but his true story wasn't accounted for on that Sunday just like all the victims that fell before him. His story was twisted into so many negatives, so many characteristics that may not have been true at all. For one split second, instead of weighing all aspects of the situation, the police went straight in on Blake, and not long after, his name started to be shouted from the rooftops.

Blake is a family man with children. He's a son, a grandson, a member of a family with a long history of activism. He's just like us, just like you and me. As you peruse through more articles across the web, you'll see that his neighbors have something positive to say about him.

So why is it that he was shot multiple times in his own neighborhood with his children waiting in the car and witnessing the scene? An innocent man like him doesn't deserve this treatment or paralysis.

Following the tragic events that unfolded Sunday night, Jacob Blake is currently recovering in the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds in his back, among other injuries. After his recovery is all said and done, it's still unknown whether or not he'll be able to walk again.

He may not have been killed that evening, but he is still suffering when he shouldn't be.

He may be recovering physically but the scars of that night, that memory will still be there. Blake is a new victim and a new name on a far too long list who now probably has more passion built up inside him to fight for what is right and to encourage others to do the same.

The fact of the matter is, no Black person deserved any form of the racially motivated brutality they were dealt yet it's become an unfortunate reality these days. In light of all of the victims of brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement continued to erupt from the rubble and chaos to fight for the greater good. Despite being in the middle of a pandemic, the movement still managed to connect so many people all across the U.S. and even the globe. With the names of so many victims written on our hearts and in the skies, we march on and we won't stop until change is seen for the better.

Jacob Blake is paralyzed and while stable, still suffering in the hospital. He still has his life unlike other victims in the past, but even his life won't be the same after this. He'll most likely only have half of the bodily abilities than he did before Sunday and he'll have to live on like that with the memories of that night, the what-ifs, the fatherhood, the anguish all because of a world that only sees black and white. Today and throughout the future, I will stand with Blake. I'll stand with every victim, past and present, and I will do everything in my power to fight for them and you should too. This needs to stop and it will stop if we all continue to band together. Educate yourselves and others, show up for these important conversations, correct your family and friends when they say something that may be harmful, sign petitions, amplify Black voices.

Jacob Blake lived. His story is still valid. This story should not be ignored.