On July 7th, 2016 a man later identified as Micah Xavier Johnson shot down five police officers while wounding many others. Johnson was a veteran to the United States Army who wanted to kill only police officers, especially white ones, after seeing that they had killed two Black Americans.
Johnson also created a panic for every other person in that area, the people he shot weren't the only ones affected that day. I have never heard someone truly terrified before until my mom showed me a video of a kid recording the Dallas shootings. Their screams were so full of fear, it shook me. No person should ever have to be that scared about dying or about others dying. Yet, in so many states these days, people are. People are of terrified of law enforcement, of terrorists, of black people, of white people, of military veterans, of politicians, even next door neighbors.
All I see nowadays are people posting hashtags such as, #blacklivesmatter, #bluelivesmatter, #alllivesmatter, and so on. All I'm seeing though, are ideas of people blaming each other instead of standing together. The works of the few do not decide the futures for the many. Not all police officers are bad, not all black people are bad, not all white people are bad, and yes, all lives do matter. We live in a society where everyone is against each other. I can't even go to an amusement park without thinking someone has sabotaged a ride so there would be a tragedy and I'd be the lucky winner.
The police officer who shot Alton Sterling was in the wrong. There are better ways to handle things than immediately shooting someone who is "licensed to carry". Johnson, the shooter at Dallas, had been planning this attack. Upon searching his living areas, officers saw how he devised a way to act as if there are numerous people shooting even if it is only one. Both of these people were wrong, but that doesn't make everyone wrong. There are people standing up for the police and others standing up for black people, I even see photos of black people protecting the police. Those moments are the hope through the darkness we have created.
I say all lives matter and I mean that. I don't mean, "Let's all live but not do anything to help the minority live". I mean, "Let's all live and let's all work together to live". I do not want to hear people scream in terror every weekend or hear about a different shooting every other day. This isn't a trend, this is a matter of life or death and of safety.
The United States of America used to be known as a place of freedom, independence, and safety for all. It used to be a salvation of minorities based upon religion, race, and sex.
What happened?
