This past week ended with a lot of heart break and a lot of lost lives, black and blue included. This week ended in a lot of confusion and anger over the wrong doings of misguided individuals. I saw a lot of #BlackLivesMatter posts, but I also saw a lot of Blue Lives Matter posts too. Within those posts were comments begging for justice and comments crying out for recognition that there is a problem within our justice system.

Along side those though were comments devaluing the post from people who advocated for the opposite side. Fights and name calling littered these posts with no real end to it. There were no “agree to disagree,” no swaying of any kind. This bothered me. I couldn't understand why someone had to decide whose life mattered more over another. So lets get one thing straight, you can be pro Black Lives Matter and pro law enforcement. You do not have to chose a side.

You can recognize that there is very real evidence that black men and women are being targeted by police officers. Just as you can support your local law enforcement. You can advocate for cops, but if you do, I would hope that you would want them to be held accountable for their actions when they do not uphold the law. I would hope that you would support the Black Lives Matter movement, because you can see the inherent racial biased that exists within our country.

It is not by chance that black men and women are statically proven to be targeted more than any other race. You see, it's not one or the other, no one is making you choose. Lives have been lost, and they will continue to be lost if something is not fixed. And oh how easy it is to be fixed. Nevada recognized that there was an issue within its police force. They took the steps to better themselves and since then they have had a 30% decrease in crimes resulting in death. It's not much, but it's something.

I am asking you to set aside your differences and look at the issue at hand here. I'm tired of reading my friends posts who are black saying, “Stop Killing Us” because I don't want them to feel like they don't matter. I don't want them to be scared. Just as I don't want those within law enforcement to feel under appreciated for the work that they do. It's a hard and dangerous job, but right now so is being a person of color in America.

I guess what I want you all to know is that it's not black and white. The answer is not simple. What matters is that we stand together and that we fix what needs to be fixed within our systems. I stand with both sides, but when one side takes advantage of their role in society, I stand with the Black Lives Matter movement more. You are not alone, I am here with you and I will do everything I can to protect you.