I have woken up to yet another shooting, it seems to be becoming a daily occurrence. From Alton Sterling and Philando Castile (who is the 559th person killed by police this year), there have now been five police officers shot and killed (seven were wounded by gun shots). I along with millions watched the videos and was completely heartbroken. I was left speechless and angry. I was left numb. This has to end.
Too many mothers and fathers are left without a child, too many husbands and wives left widows, too many families broken apart, too many lives are cut short. Too many names are being added to a list. This is not OK. Regardless of the color of someone's skin, we are all human: we all have a heart, a brain and skin. Meaning we should all care and love one another. Judging someone based on skin color, his/her religion or gender, is wrong. There way around it, it’s just wrong. These acts against Black people are wrong, we have proof that they did nothing to deserve being shot and killed, but they were merely judged because of a stereotype. Admitting there is a problem, a problem among society, among the police force, is the first step to changing it.
Yes, change needs to happen but violence is never the answer. We do not need to fuel anger with hate or violence. Regardless of where you stand on these issues, the killing of the Dallas police officers was sickening. Yes, there is a problem within the police force that needs to be addressed and changed. But hundreds of officers risk their lives everyday to protect us, to serve us, to keep us safe. Hating them will get you nowhere. Violence is not the way to get the change needed. We need to speak up, we need to take a stand. We need to demand change from those in political office, those responsible need to be held accountable for what they did.
We live in a very unique time period, where we the people have a voice that is stronger than ever before. We need to use that voice for good, use our voice to make a change, to create a future for our children that will be safe. A future where you don’t have to be scared because of the color of your skin. A future that senseless acts of violence will not happen. We must do something now. We have to use our voices now, use our voices until something changes; so we don’t have to add any more names to the growing list. Enough is enough. This has to end now.
