The Truth

Terrence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott are the latest victims in a cascade of Black victims shot by police officers. Both, like many others, are on video for all to see. Yet, many question the validity and truth of their deaths. Here is the truth. Both men were unarmed and both men were shot and killed by police. There it is and that is all you need to focus on.

We also need to stop having debates whether the police are or are not racist. Are they simply doing a difficult job as they protect and serve? Are communities becoming more and more dangerous? Well the answer is yes, to all the above. Just a few days ago, the local Police Union announced its support of Trump for President. And a local organization that represents Black police officers came out with a statement opposing the support. And I have friends and family who are members of the police department. But, it never softens or skews the reality.

Each day another Black child, teen, or adult is murdered on our street corners. In Chicago, the numbers are so high that my daughter has nightmares about the city that we continue to call home. Mothers are afraid to send their children to school not knowing if they will ever see them again. And if you are Black and pulled over by the police, there is no guarantee that you will walk away alive.

This is the truth that WE live with each day. Day in and day out. Protesters on the front lines and those on bent knee reminding all of us to wake up. Wake up and realize that OUR lives do not matter. And they have not mattered for a very very long time. And there is a chance that we will elect a President to office who will usher with force, death for us all. This is not the time to be silent. This is not the time to simply pray it away. We must galvanize our forces and energy. We must ask ourselves, if life matters. And will the world be somehow better, if we continue to stand witness to daily public lynchings? The answer is no. A resounding hell no!

As long as one group of people continue to feel as if they are superior and more entitled than another, then we are all sentenced to death. When we care for the least of us, we are then showing care and true love for everyone including ourselves. When we face America's  racist truth then we can move forward.  But, if continue to sanitize everything, or simply eradicate truths from America's past then we will continue this cycle of hate mongering that is always followed by death.

So stop watching that video and saying self-entitled shit about how he must have done something to deserve what he got. He must have done something to provoke the officer. Because if you saw your brother or sister being shot dead by a police officer, and they were not carrying a gun, you would be seeking justice and not spewing conjecture.

And that is all. For now...