“DON’T SHOOT!” SHOOTINGS BY POLICE IN AMERICA

I’m sure you have all seen the news, seen the names on social media and have mixed feelings. Some of you may feel these deaths are justified for reasons or opinions of your own, but a lot of you are most likely like me: Horrified and angered by this ever-growing list, yet not surprised, because this isn’t a new story– just another new name and a new face, because police shootings/police brutality are nothing new.

I want to lightly address a topic that’s split right down the middle, the racial aspect of the issue, and I do feel race plays a huge part. As a person of color I have had, as have many of us, probably, “the talk” regarding how to act and behave if you are ever stopped by the police or are in a situation where police are involved, in order to make sure you make it home – not just alive, but safe.

My mom always used to say, “It doesn’t matter what you did; we can always address that later, just do as they say and get to the police station so we can make sure you get home.” And those words always stuck with me as I grew up because I have seen how police act when they feel a situation is “out of hand.”

It wasn’t fun, and it does stick with you. I don’t feel comfortable going into detail, nor do I feel it would be appreciated or appropriate, but as previously stated, the violence we’re seeing today is not new and it’s far from the first time it’s been caught on camera. According to Statista.com, in just the first three months of the new year (2021) there were a total of 213 fatal shootings by police in the U.S.: 50 of those shot were identified as Caucasian , 30 were African-American, 20 were Hispanic, and one was “other,” while 112 were classified as unknown. But the most troubling part is a continued trend of African-Americans being shot at a much higher rate, based on population totals, than other groups – as the Statista data show for the years 2015-21.

Now, even though I feel race does play a big role in these shootings, do I think all cops are bad? Absolutely not, because for as many bad cops that I have met I have also met that many good cops – and they are unique, just like any other person. A badge doesn’t automatically make them different from us; it just means they are supposed to be looking out for our well-being and protecting us, and while a lot of them aren’t, that’s just what the media is showing us. We aren’t being shown the cop that helps the single mother by buying her groceries for her family, or the ones that take time to deliver presents to low-income kids and neighborhoods during Christmas time.

There are amazing police officers out there that wear their badge with honor and pride, and take care to care for us and our families, and all they want is to make it home safely to their families.

And I feel that at the end of the day, we should take the phrase “lead by example” and run with it in this instance. Think of it like this: If a restaurant had a few “bad apples” it would be shut down immediately, so why do we allow these bad apples to roam our streets, using that badge as a shield?

I’m tired of seeing another hashtag made of a life that was taken because of something that could have been avoided. So, say these names and take care to remember them, because these persons’

suffering could have been avoided if we’d just been more mindful and taken care of a few bad apples.