sorry if this post is kind of a mess, but it’s important regardless.
if you’ve been paying any attention to the news or social media, you’ll have noticed the black lives matter movement.
personally, i’ve always supported it but i never really took actual action or really talked about it to anybody until recently. after hearing about george floyd and seeing so many decide that enough is enough, i did what a lot of people are doing and started to become more active and outspoken on this.
it’s like so many people are saying: staying silent on this situation is enabling the oppressor. not supporting black lives matter is supporting the opposite.
i don’t know how any human being with basic empathy can say that the blm movement is bad. there are so many black people killed by police just for their race.
and so many of the cops that killed them don’t face any consequences.
because they “felt threatened.”
it’s interesting how when a white murderer is waving a weapon around, their arrest is non-violent and peaceful, but when a black person does literally nothing, they’re killed.
a lot of people additionally say that because the black person “was probably a drug dealer” or in a gang that it makes it okay. that doesn’t make it okay. did the cop know that when they saw them? could they sense the fact that the person sold drugs or was in a gang? and why would they have assumed it? and anyway, even if that was true, they didn’t deserve to die. i think the book the hate u give sort of touches on that topic a little more, so please read that book if you get the chance.
black lives matter. that doesn’t mean black lives matter more, or that other lives don’t matter.
black lives matter shouldn’t be a controversial statement.
trayvon martin was walking home with iced tea and skittles. he was shot by a cop, who was found not guilty.
keith scott was sitting in his car, reading. he was shot by another cop – not charged.
stephon clark was shot eight times for holding a cell phone. the officers weren’t charged.
amadou diallo was taking out his wallet. he was shot fourty one times. the four officers were acquitted.
tamir rice, a twelve year old, played with a toy gun. he was shot immediately. the officer was not charged. his family is working to get his case reopened, please sign this petition.
breonna taylor, who should’ve turned twenty seven three days ago, was sleeping in her house. she was shot eight times. the cops have faced no consequences. sign this.
george floyd. who was kneeled on and suffocated to death. his last words were, “i can’t breathe.”
i could go on.
i see so many people say that this isn’t that many people.
any amount of lives lost is too many.
cops should not be above the law. people are supposed to be able to call them when there’s violence. black people should not have to be afraid of the people they’re supposed to call for help.
there’s a talk that many black families have to have with their children. the talk of what to do when a cop approaches you. tell them what you’re about to do. no sudden movements. keep your hands where they can see them.
this shouldn’t be something black children have to worry about.
i hope one day, there’ll be a time when the future generation refers to events similar to this as something that was a long time ago, and doesn’t happen anymore, just like how to us, slavery in america was forever ago. i hope that one day, something changes.
for now, all we can do is fight. even if all you do is sign petitions, or call out someone you know on racism, or research the subject – help them. support your black friends, neighbors, doctors, any black person.
personally, i could easily stop fighting at any moment. right now, i could just decide that i don’t care anymore, and i could pretend like i don’t know what’s going on. you could ignore this post and go on with your life.
but for black people, it’s not that easy. they don’t have the option to just ignore it. for them, they’re not fighting for some people they barely know, but for themselves and their families. and they can’t do it alone. we should be using our privilege to spread awareness of this topic.
if subjects like this make you uncomfortable, good. cops killing people SHOULD make you uncomfortable. if you don’t want to see posts and articles about people being killed for the color of their skin, help stop it so we don’t have to see it anymore.
not to be all corny, but to see a change, we have to be the change.
read books and watch shows/movies about it. sign petitions. do your research.
i saw a post on instagram that said, “i’d rather offend my white friends than bury my black friends.” i think that says enough.
in conclusion, black lives have always mattered, and will continue to matter for the rest of time. it’s time we started acting like it.