UNITED STATES—This week has been a whirlwind of all sorts, with the recent shootings that took place in Louisiana, than in Minnesota, but hearing that news of the fatal shooting in Dallas that left 5 police officers dead and several others injured raises a serious question in the state of America: hate is very much prevalent. Yes, we have indeed lived during a time where it has become evident that more and more African-American males have been killed by Caucasian police officers, in most cases, the victims were unarmed.
I raised this question a few months back, noting that a ticking time bomb was about to explode and this week it transpired. Several suspects engaged in an attack on the police in Dallas after a peaceful protest ended. In the aftermath, 5 innocent lives were taken, by a suspect who made it clear that he “wanted to kill white people” and that he was angry over the recent individuals killed in police shootings. It seems like our country is being delivered devastating blow, after devastating blow with the level of violence.
It’s frightening wondering what is going to happen next, we’ve just dealt with the massive shooting in Orlando, Florida, and then news comes of the shooting in Louisiana, than we have the shooting of an unarmed man in Minnesota, than the shooting in Dallas. At this point, America has to have a serious conversation about gun control, and not something we just pass-off as not being an issue. Too many lives are being lost and what’s worse, we have to have a conversation about race relations. Yes, we have made progress, but there are still plenty of hateful individuals in this country, and such violence of these magnitudes should not be tolerated on any level.
For every bad police officer, there are 10-15 who actually follow the law. As Americans, we can’t typecast the police because of one bad apple. There are indeed some individuals with hateful attitudes who should not be wearing a uniform, but at the same time, there are individuals who wear that uniform and have taken a pledge to serve and to protect. So why, why is this continuing to happen?
Are these police officers involved in these fatal shootings thinking they will take a life and get off without any consequences? I mean Americans are already aware of so many officers who have gotten away with fatally shooting unarmed individuals. Is race indeed playing a role in the legal courts in ensuring these ‘individuals’ get off without any consequence. What is so disturbing is video captured both fatal shootings involving police officers. I can’t even imagine what that woman sitting in the car after her fiancé was shot was thinking, and to sit in the vehicle watching him take his last breathe, with a CHILD, a CHILD in the back seat! Was the officer even considering the fact that this kid could have been injured by the bullet that he placed into this man who noted, he was reaching for his ID, and did have a license to carry his CPL.
There are two sides to a story, but this one is just reckless on the part of the officers. As an American, I am tired of hearing about these pieces. It is livid to hear about these incidents and I’m super annoyed that every single week, that we hear a new tale of innocent lives being lost, there are some situations where the issue of resorting to violence can be questioned. However, the one thing that I will pinpoint is that whenever a LIFE is loss, it’s a life that is LOST people, black, white, Hispanic, gay, straight, able, disabled, all lives matter. We have to acknowledge that no life is more precious than other, its equal across all playing fields.
Hearing innocent people being killed is upsetting; hearing about people who sign up to serve and protect being killed in the line of duty is unbelievable. There is the #blacklivesmatter, but guess what people, let’s implement a new hashtag, #alllivesmatter.
