Many of you have most likely heard the terrible news that is coming from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
A 23-year-old male was killed in an armed conflict with Milwaukee police, and it sparked a vicious series of riots in Milwaukee.
This is not the first incident that has occurred involving violence between the police and civilians, and it will not be the last, sadly.
The most frustrating part of all of this, for me, is seeing the footage of the riots that took place in response to this shooting. Let's look at what all we know. The 23-year-old male was shot and killed in a conflict with the police. He was holding and pointing a handgun that had 23 bullets in it, almost twice the amount of standard issue for a police officer.
Now, I'm no genius here, but it occurs to me that pointing a gun at law enforcement, considering the heightened state of hostility between police and civilian relations in inner cities, is not at all something to be doing at the moment. I don't care what the situation, that is not a good way to go about things regardless of what is going on.
The second point I want to bring up is the Black Lives Matter riots that followed this shooting. Now I realize that some terrible things have happened recently between black males and the police, but let's look at this situation in particular. The man was holding a pistol with extended magazines. He was threatening the lives of police. In what world do you believe that this sort of behavior would turn out well?
What is even funnier is that there are videos of these rioters targeting and yelling at a white citizen to attack them. If your Black Lives matter more than any others', there is a problem. All lives are equally important as any other. While terrible things have happened recently to young black men, acting with hostility is never going to solve the problem.
All that is coming from these hostile Black Lives Matter riots and movements is increased hostility between races, which is not going to help ANYONE. By burning down businesses and throwing rocks at police, all you are going to do is increase the sour taste in the mouths of those watching.
There is a reason that the Black Panther Movement was not nearly as successful in instilling change as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his movement. It is because violence towards those who you wish to change is only going to cause bitterness, and a bitter heart will harden and stay set in its own ways.
Let us come together as humans and not races. Stop the violence between each other. All you are going to do is hurt yourself more than you will bring change. Black lives do matter, but so does mine, so does my coworker's and so do my friends'. Please, stop the violence. Try to cooperate peacefully and make your voice heard in a constructive way that is actually going to bring about change.
