Dear America,
The past 3 days have been filled with more vicious murders of Black men. More police officers sitting on paid administrative leave, as children bury their daddies, parents bury their sons, and family/friends bury loved ones. Yes, enough is enough when a group of people have been targeted for YEARS...DECADES...CENTURIES. It's even sadder when that same group of people are treated with less respect and dignity than animals. We're told to "get over it" when we talk about our history. We're told "All Lives Matter" when we say that "Black Lives Matter" because of the number of us killed by police officers. And before anyone comes out of left field saying, "we kill ourselves and that is ignored"; please know that I'm not minimizing that fact. Murder is murder no matter who commits the act. But, I don't think that Black mothers should have to constantly preach to their Black boys (young men...GROWN MEN) how to come home alive.
There's a serious problem! If they're compliant or resistant, they're killed. Then, the "killers" are placed on PAID administrative leave as an "investigation" is launched, and later the family is told that there will not be any charges filed. And if charges are filed, the murders are found "not guilty." That's like burying their child all over again. And until you walk a mile in a parent's shoes that has lost a child, you'll never begin to imagine how it feels to have someone tell you that your child is the cause of their own death. Can you imagine, getting paid to mess up at your job, burning the building down, and getting paid to sit at home while the company "investigates" if you caused the fire, knowing that you had. That does NOT happen in reality and it shouldn't continue to happen just because someone wears a police uniform. We are NOT animals!!! We are humans! Blue blood flows through our veins and when we're cut, or in today's world shot, we bleed red. And don't say "not all police officers are bad." No, not all are bad, just like NOT all Blacks are criminals. Not all Black men have criminal records. Not all Black men are "baby fathers". There are Black men that are daddies to their children. I know first hand because I've had one of the BEST men as a daddy for almost 38 years.
As a MOTHER of a young BLACK man, I pray constantly that I don't ever have to bury my child. When he walks out of the door, I remind him that he's loved which WAS the most important thing he needed to hear before leaving home. Now, I have to add "keep your hands in plain sight" if you're stopped by the police. Please do NOT make any sudden moves. Please do NOT stop in a dark area, but stop in a well lit area so that other people will be around to possibly be a witness and that the officer can see you. Please do NOT make the officer feel as if you're "jumpy", as I don't know if that officer is trigger happy, racist, or intimidated by the color of your skin. I have this same prayer for my daddy, my biological brother and surrogate brothers, nephews, cousins and friends.
And before I end, PLEASE STOP pulling past criminal records when someone is killed. Guess what! We ALL have done something illegal at one point in our lives. The only difference between a criminal and a noncriminal is that the noncriminal did not get caught. And if you're saying that you've never done anything wrong, think long and hard. A person's PAST does NOT define who they are when they take their last breath; therefore, whatever was done in the PAST doesn't mean they were the same way when they pass. Change happens daily. I'm not the person I once was and I'm constantly changing, and so are you.
