Recently, I had the opportunity of seeing Shaun King, a Black Lives Matter Activist; speak at my school, Haverford College. Now, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Mr. King. I’ve only heard my best friend speak about him like he was a huge celebrity. And he is. Shaun King opened my eyes to the problems presently affecting this country. Some people are racist and exhibiting prejudice to one another. Police officers are killing innocent civilians. It seems as if we are on a downward slope to rock bottom.

One problem that we deal with is police brutality. Police brutality is real. Officers are abusing the power that they are given, especially with the guns that they are entrusted to carry. People keep dying at the hands of officers and these weapons, something that shouldn't happen. How can we begin to start trusting our law enforcement? They are hired to protect us, not kill us.

Consider this video:

Why is it that a police officer can wrongfully do their job and not be automatically fired?

In this country, police are given too much power. Many officers do things that are unnecessary and are not even held accountable. Hiring more police officers isn’t making the relationship between officers and civilians any better. In fact, police brutality may just be something that tears this country apart.

This all raises the question of what direction our country is moving in. We’re on our way down a slippery slope. How and when can we fix our problems? Who will lead us out of this dark place? Although I have more questions than answers, I know that we need to rise and fix it together.

Thanks, Shaun King.