I saw this video on my Twitter timeline last night and inside me sparked the need to call attention to this young woman. The video was posted about a year ago so it was to my surprise that this was my first time seeing it. Regardless of whether it was posted one year ago or five it's relevance holds strong today and it's no coincidence this video is still being shared and posted on social media.

It's stories like these that shouldn't ever go unnoticed. Voices crying out for help that have every right to be heard because in the face of injustice you must hear those who are suffering. Do not ignore pleads for justice just because our government has. It's easy to fall into the role of the oppressor, unless you are actively fighting against it, you are simply contributing. Silence is the worst thing to do in this state of crisis our country is in. Silence just leaves people and events forgotten, and in that way it is an act of violence against the oppressed. I'm writing for anyone who wants to see change in this country.

What are you doing within your community to try and make a difference? Don't see the need for change? Don't see defending the rights of all as a fundamental part of your role as a human being on this earth? At this point all I ask is that you open your eyes to the hatred rather than turn your cheek. This is just one video, one black woman speaking out on the injustices of her brothers. Do you think shes the only one tired of seeing her people killed?

Now why is it that the White Nationalist/Supremacists rallies are afforded protection from law enforcement but at peaceful protests, as shown in the video above, cops come armed- with a protected ability and right- to kill. The problem with our current system is that police officers are able to define what is crime, criminal and criminality to their standards. Under the guise of safety, police officers are able to define a situation as dangerous or suspicious at whatever discretion they please. To an armed officer, out of control could simply be the slightest feeling of discomfort and the trigger is pulled, and when blackness has been so deeply bound by criminality discomfort can be evoked by it. As shown in the second video below, the interactions between officers and their fellow white citizens prove to be compliant to the violence inflicted upon protesters and officers included. Think about if the protesters in the video were non-white, do you think you'd see the same outcome as the one in this video?

My question is whose really disrupting the peace? Who does public space belong to? It's understandable why people don't want to be peaceful anymore. It takes both parties to comply, but it seems as though one just won't budge. My hope is that these two clips provide enlightenment to those who may have previously been unaware of how the system is set up against black and brown communities. Or in case you forgot, this can serve as a reminder. Senseless and relentless murder based solely on the matter of skin color has brought nothing but anger and pain to our lives and my people are tired.