My heart has been very heavy as of late. On 7 July, I woke up at 4:30 in the morning, when my alarm went off, went on Facebook, and I heard about the tragic death of Philando Castile. I have heard about many shootings in which people of color, especially black men, are the victims of violent crimes by the hands of the police-- the people who are supposed to protect everyone. Philando’s story really hit me hard. I fell into the trap of “Oh, this could never happen where I live” and I was stuck in a cloud of “No, this can’t be happening. It’s just not possible.” But, his story made me wake up in a way that I haven’t felt awake in a long time on this issue. Philando Castile was killed on Larpenteur Avenue and Fry Street in St. Paul, Minnesota. This is 20 minutes away from where I work and 20 minutes away from where I live. This happened,essentially, in my backyard and there is no reason for this to have happened at all. This man should still be alive.

Alton Sterling lost his life while selling CD's outside of a convenience store, with the permission of the owner, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was pushed to the ground, away from his car, and shot by police. There was no reason for this to happen. This man should still be alive.

In Dallas, Texas, 5 police officers have been killed and 7 more have been injured by a man who is being labeled as a sniper. This man’s violent action was fueled by his anger and frustration over the police killing black men. This was a premeditated act and it had disastrous effects.

I am deeply saddened. I hate that the families of all of these gun violence victims won’t get any kind of reprieve. Whether they are out telling their stories and leading peaceful protests like Diamond Reynolds, the girlfriend of Philando Castile, or not, they still have the constant reminder that the person they love is no longer there. They weren’t killed trying to defend themselves or without just cause (though I’m a firm believer that there is NEVER a good enough reason to take the life of another human being). They go home with the knowledge that their loved one isn’t with them anymore because of a broken system that has failed them and, without change, will continue to fail people like them, namely people of color. They will know that their loved one was murdered. And how do you even begin to move past that? I can’t imagine that you do.

This is a call to end gun violence. This is a call to end systemic racism. This is a call for a better screening process of policemen as they are being hired onto teams across the country. This is a call to remove policemen who don’t understand and buy into what it means to be a police officer-- to protect EVERYONE, not just the people who look like them or the people who have privilege.

I will honor those who have been killed because of this totally unnecessary violence, death, and pain. They did not deserve this. Their families do not deserve this. People of color don’t deserve to feel that they’re in danger all the time. I am sick of seeing murders at the hands of police turn up in my Facebook feed. THIS. NEEDS. TO. STOP.