We just had a very rough week in America. On Monday, we were still talking about Hillary Clinton's investigation and what should be done about it. Tuesday it was the murder of Alton Sterling. The next day, Philando Castile was killed during a traffic stop. Thursday night, five police officers were killed in Dallas, and Pokemon Go was released, which was the major news story of Friday. Saturday was the final performance of the original Broadway cast of Hamilton. So really, the week was just in general not that good for our nation, unless, of course, you caught a few Pokemon.

But on a more serious note, we have to look at the people who were unjustly killed. Alton Sterling was outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, selling CDs. The police were called because of “a man in red” had threatened another person with a gun outside the store. When they arrived, the officers Howie Lake and Blane Salamoni saw Sterling, who happened to be wearing red at the time, and because of the call stating that it was Sterling who had threatened the caller, the officers tasered Sterling without asking any questions, then tackled him to the ground, holding him down. One officer claimed Sterling had a gun, and Salamoni believed Sterling was reaching for a personal firearm. Without attempting to search Sterling, the officers fired their weapons, killing him. The owner of the store, Abdullah Muflahi, did state that the officers did find a gun on Sterling's body, but also noted that Sterling was not the “man in red” that had threatened the man. The body cameras that the officers were wearing had supposedly “fallen off” during the struggle, and the two claimed that Sterling had threatened them as well. Witnesses, including Muflahi, have disputed the claim, but have not commented on the cameras.

Philando Castile, a nutrition service supervisor at a magnet school in Minnesota, was driving with his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her four-year old daughter. They were heading home after shopping and spending the evening with family. Officer Jeronimo Yanez saw the car and went to pull them over to check their ID as they “look just like people that were involved in a robbery” and that Castile “looks more like one of our suspects, just because of the wide-set nose.” When Yanez pulled them over, he asked for the license and registration. Castile informed Yanez that it was in his wallet, and that he had a concealed weapon on him, as he had a carry permit. Yanez told Castile not to move, and when Castile was getting his wallet to show the officer the documents, Yanez shot Castile point blank in the arm. Reynolds began to live-stream the following events to Facebook, where she tried to explain that he was only getting his registration, but Yanez screams at her, saying “I told him not to reach for it! I told him to get his hand open!” Another officer put handcuffs on Reynolds, her phone falling to the ground, still streaming the event. Reynolds was also kept away from her daughter by police, and was denied food and water by the police. Their reasoning is unclear, but it is very obvious that Yanez wanted her to be arrested for recording his actions.

Both Sterling and Castile had previous run-ins with the law. Sterling had been to prison, but was out and living at a shelter before his death. Castile had been pulled over 52 times, and received 31 charges of traffic violations, including driving without a muffler or without a seat belt, and no insurance card in the vehicle. Yet when these deaths were reported, many people said that these people should have listened to the police and not have committed crimes because then they'd still be alive. Yes, the two had been involved in criminal activity (Castile in a more minor level), but their past activities should not account for being murdered because somebody thought they were under threat.

Imagine you went and saw Batman and Robin when it was released – opening weekend and everything. It's a bad movie, and you've come to terms with that. You've moved on, you've seen other movies that were really good. You've stopped seeing the bad ones. A few years have passed, and you're talking about going to see The Return of the King and you talk about how good it was. Then somebody comes over to you and says “well you saw Batman and Robin so you don't know anything about movies” and that you don't deserve to be able to see the good ones because of making that mistake way back in 1997. That you are a terrible person because you were part of the opening weekend income of that film, and that you should just never watch another movie again because of it. Sounds incredibly stupid, right? Well that's essentially the reactions to the murders. People have said that they deserve their deaths because they are criminals, or that they disrespected the officers – a claim that is untrue, as per the evidence collected via video recordings.

I'm not saying that the police are evil and are out to get everybody. We need law enforcement, but we also don't need them taking the entire law into their own hands. They are simply there to keep people safe and secure, not to kill somebody because they assumed they were up to no good. They are the frontline defenders of the law, but they are not judge, jury, or executioner. The five officers killed by a lone gunman during a peaceful protest do not deserve to die because of their uniform. This protest was peaceful – one protester was carrying an AR-15 rifle and made sure to let the authorities know when he arrived. Once the first shots rang out, he handed the gun to the police in order to make sure that he would not be wrongly investigated. The protesters helped the officers find the direction of the shots and helped each other get to safety. However, many people have tried to link the protest with the shooting, as the shooter had spent time on the organization's social media pages. Even I know that means nothing, as the shooter had also stated he was against the organization and the police in general. But because of who these protesters and the victims were, they are put in the same category as a mass murderer.

If you have noticed, I have not stated the race of the two victims, the races of the officers responsible for their deaths, or the name of the organization that was protesting in Dallas. We all know those answers. Sadly, we know them all too well. I included photos of them, however, as to show who these people were before their unjust deaths. We must look back at last year's issues involving the same type of events. People were wrongly killed because of their race. While some of them were doing illegal things prior to their deaths, the police have no right to shoot or otherwise kill somebody, unless of course they have no choice and are directly under threat – reaching for a wallet or not even coming close to reaching for a firearm do not count as threats. They are trained in disarming a combatant. Some have military training, in addition to police training. It's simple – racial discrimination and profiling are so ingrained into our nation's culture.

And no, not all police officers are trigger-happy racists. There are plenty of good cops out there, definitely more good ones than there are bad. But we also must consider the militarization of the police. They need high-end armor for dangerous calls. They need protected cars and rugged transports to protect both themselves and the people outside. However, unless you're on the SWAT team, there is no reason for military style tanks and high-powered rifles. These are not here for the people – those are weapons to be used against the people. Reasoning such as “if there's a terrorist event” is unsound, as that is not a task police officers are usually trained for. We have the National Guard for a reason, and while they won't get there as fast, the idea that the police department has a tank can be a very concerning thought.

Their lives do matter. Nobody should be killed because of what they're wearing or their job. The lives of protesters matter, the lives of the victims matter, the lives of everybody matter. By saying “All Lives Matter,” you're stating a pretty obvious fact. Everybody's life in this country should be safe and secure, with no fear of being killed by the law or anyone else because of who you are. However, black lives matter too. Their lives are just as important as anyone else. But this society does not allow for that. They have been pushed aside and treated as criminals, told that because of their skin they will not be seen as equal. Equal rights does not mean they will be treated the same as the majority. They are targeted and portrayed as gang members, drug dealers, deadbeats.

Imagine if you will, the bad side of town. Seedy bars, wretched hives of scum and villainy. Graffiti on the walls, windows smashed in and boarded up. A group of guys in their mid-20's are walking down the street, just hanging out and having a good time. What color skin do the people there have? In this imagined, stereotypical ghetto, are the residents black or white? Now imagine the rich district. Skyscrapers and luxury apartments. Clothing stores that sell a purposely ripped shirt for two hundred dollars. A rich man and his family walk into this store. What does the average successful person look like?

I'm not anti-cop. I'm not anti-black. In a Daily Show monologue, Trevor Noah explained that we all should be pro-cop and pro-black. I agree with Noah. I think that we need law enforcement to protect us and keep us safe, but we also shouldn't let them get two weeks paid leave when they kill a black man for no reason other than “well he could have attacked.” I think that all lives matter. I also think that black lives matter. We all should be able to live happily, but we have to remember that there are people who do not have the same chances we have because of their race. Alton Sterling did not deserve to die because of his past, nor did he deserve it because he was selling CDs. Philando Castile should not have been shot when getting what the officer asked for. He was an innocent man, who treated the officer with respect, just wanting to give him what he wanted. But instead, he was shot and his girlfriend treated like a criminal for asking why. Families in Dallas lost somebody because of their uniform and work. None of these people should be dead right now - whether they're police officers or average citizens.

I leave you with this thought: What if John Tyler was selling CDs outside a convenience store, when two officers arrived based off of a call that had no witnesses, and they tackled him to the ground, claimed he was reaching for a gun, and killed him? What if Alex Bowman was pulled over because he had blonde hair (and the suspect in a robbery had blonde hair), and after informing the officer that he did have a permitted weapon, went to get his wallet to show identification, and was shot five times because he was doing what he was asked? I'll tell you – the officers would be arrested, removed from the force without pay, and jailed for life. But right now, it looks like there will be murderers out there, ruining their department's reputation, and their own job's reputation with it.

Now go and make it a good week for our country. We can't let these dividing topics drive us all apart. We have the ability to feel sorrow for the victims, but also we must prevail and not let these events take over our lives and cause more issues within society. Load up Pokemon Go, take a walk around town, find that Pikachu and have a great time. You're part of this country, but you should still be able to find happiness despite all the bad I just went over. As a country, I think that's something we all should be doing. That game could not have come out during a better week.