I know that you've seen all sorts of media surrounding the recent shootings. I know that you very likely have an opinion one way or the other, and I know that you probably look at this and think "Oh great, another article about the Black Lives Matter movement."

But I think if you stick with me, you might realize that this is more than that.

None of what has happened in the last several days is okay. Officers, who are supposed to protect the public, used their power improperly to carry out what is essentially executions of unarmed men. This was wrong. I will not dispute that. And in what the world can only assume is retaliation (at least according to the media), four Dallas Police Officers were killed in a sniper-incident that wounded several others. This is also wrong.

I'm not going to take a side here because I understand both of them. I have several friends, whether they are people of color or not, who are supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement, and I consider myself one of them. While my feeling is that truly everybody does matter, I recognize that this movement is one that needs to happen because everyone is not in particular danger. However, people of color are. Every time that they step into the world, they are risking the possibility of being victims of brutality because of the systemic racism that still exists in this country. Even as a young, white female, I see this. I see what is happening and you're damn right that it pisses me off to see this happening.

But I am also law enforcement friendly. I have friends that are cops. I know the cops in my town and I respect them. I have been a law enforcement explorer for three years and am familiar with many of their protocols. The number one rule in law enforcement: Officer safety is paramount. If an officer feels that their life or the life of one of their fellow officers is in grave danger, they have the right (and many would even say the responsibility) to use appropriate force. But, and let me say this loud and clear, just because someone is not the same color as you does not mean they are a danger to your life! If there is an unarmed man, woman, child, or otherwise who is complying with officers, they should not be shot! If there is an unarmed man, woman, child, or otherwise, who is running from the cops and they are shot in the back, you could not have feared for your life because they were running away from you!

Now, look at it from both angles. The officers who shot these unarmed people will likely be cleared of all wrong-doing, or get a light slap on the wrist. And that is not okay because there are obviously some underlying issues here. The sniper who shot 10 officers and killed five of them was not the answer. What people fail to see here is that there is good and bad on both sides. Are there bad officers who use their power improperly and corrupt the system? Yes, but there are so many more that are good and really just want to serve and protect their communities. Are there People of Color out there who are dangerous criminals? Yes, but there are also Caucasian people who are dangerous criminals. And those criminals who happen to be People of Color are not criminals because of the color of their skin. The only reason they should be classified as criminals is for the harmful actions they take against others. That is not the fault of the rest of the race and we need to stop pretending that these people are not being persecuted.

I know I'm not the only one out there who feels stuck in the middle of this. It is hard to hear those you care about on either side of the argument spewing hateful language and attacking each other. But we have to stand up against the violence and stupidity! Good cops exist, and they need to stand up and call out the corruption and racism among their fellow officers when they see it. Racism does exist and those of us who are not affected by it directly need to shut up and listen to those who are. We need to help them in whatever way we can and be the ally they deserve. We need to have more humility, more compassion, and more humanity. We need to stop burying our heads in the sand and pretending that we don't have a problem. And we need to stop yelling at and over each other and start listening. The voices that really need to be heard are the ones that have been silenced on both sides.