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Politics

This Is Not A Gun

An abridged list of things police have recently mistaken for guns, and why this injustice needs to stop.

Athena Abadilla
Sep 26, 2016
Barnard College
This Is Not A Gun
Beyoncé via Bustle

Last week, on September 21st, the world celebrated International Peace Day. However, it was nothing near what most would think of as a celebration; for it was shrouded in pain. This whole month has been, yet again, a tragic chapter in our story of resilience.

As time passes, we see more and more innocent lives ripped apart by the misjudgments of those whose jobs supposedly center around protecting our communities. This is only a small excerpt of the lengthily list of mistaken objects, names, dates, and places for which our American hierarchy has failed us.

1. Skittles

Trayvon Martin (17) - February 2012 | Sanford, Florida | shot not by a police officer but another man of authority.

2. A Toy Truck

Charles Kinsey (23), - July 2016 | Miami, Florida | caretaker of autistic man holding toy truck.

3. A Toy Gun

Tamir Rice (12) - November 2014 | Cleveland, Ohio

Tyree King (13) - September 2016 | Columbus, Ohio

4. A Pill Bottle

Rumain Brisbon (34) - December 2014 | Phoenix, Arizona

5. A Book (by the family's account)

Keith Lamont Scott (43) - September 2016 | Charlotte, North Carolina

6. Unarmed

Terrence Crutcher (40) - September 2016 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | stuck on the road with car troubles

And countless others for which we take a moment of silence...

Every day I see a name turned into a hashtag of commemoration and of protest, I question the system we live under. What is police officer training if it does not involve maintaining the most basic respect for human life even under high pressure? Why do those in power feel little remorse in oppressing, hurting, and killing our vulnerable brothers and sisters?

Click this link, courtesy of the "Killed By Police" community, to see a listing of all the victims involved in these terrible police shootings. These are far more than just objects, names, dates, and places. These are families struck by tragic and unjustifiable loss. Why can't people understand? Our lives are not disposable.

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