My, my, my, what a world we live in. Of course all lives matter, but the statement is kind of contradicting when someone is murdered unjustly. People revolt and usually only want equality, however the opposing party always has a "but" at the end of the statement.

It's strange how every life matters when a person of color dies and there are comments on them being a thug or a criminal, but I won't recite to you how many people have unjustly lost their lives in the past few years, days, or even hours. You're just as capable of looking that up as you are the criminal history, gang related photos, and swimming records of the people involved in these headline-making situations. Instead, let's attempt to explain why there is hardly a need to state that all lives matter.

First, the debate that saying "black lives matter" is not about denouncing the importance of the lives of other races. The saying was made to create the awareness of the lives of African-Americans that have been needlessly taken away. After all, the saying of "all lives matter" didn't exist until black lives were brought into the equation.

Secondly, why is it it a common notion that black people are playing the victim or the "race card"? We wouldn't have to play the race card if it wasn't about race in the first place. Why can we not play the "race card" if the opposing party can play the "mentally ill" card?

It is repeated that not all cops are the same and that not all white people are racist. But, why should all blacks "be shot" or stop "acting like thugs" because the differentiation in the way we present ourselves is difficult for you to swallow?

Yes, there are black people who have made poor decisions and were properly convicted for those choices. Yes, there are police officers who actually do their jobs correctly and follow procedure. There are, however, those who do the complete opposite. And yet, when the shoe is on the other foot, we are all perceived to be like the very monsters we want equality from.

It's very clear that all lives, in fact, do not matter, and the recent occurrences around the country are proof of that statement.

All lives will matter when the media ceases to feel the need to bring up any and every unlawful act of a person of color in news coverage. If all lives matter, why are there several protests stemming from happenings that say the opposite? Why is it that when we bring up the fatalities of our brothers and sisters, we are shut down with the statistics of other people?

The argument that we kill each other is completely irrelevant. It is irrelevant because of all the reasons black on black crime is committed; simply being black isn't one of them. Furthermore, it is a bit frightening and psychotic to imply that just because, like every other race, we kill each other, we deserve to die by someone else's hands.

In a nutshell, we simply want equality; most of us anyway. We are afraid, angry, confused, and simply do not want to become another hashtag. We want to see our people endure a fair and speedy trial, not the feeling of a bullet puncturing their flesh. Most of us want to have peace and to not be slaughtered as quick as Brock Turner's prison sentence.

Simply put, please, stop killing us. If all lives matter, prove it.