Where should I start?
I think I'll start with how I am feeling. I am appalled. I am confused. I am lost.
This has been a pretty big year in American and world history. Brexit. Istanbul. Bangladesh. Trump or Hillary? Brock Turner. Orlando, Florida. And now, these heartbreaking shootings.
What happened to us, America?
"The land of the free and the home of the brave." Are you serious, America?
Colonialism. From the very first day of arriving in America, we have colonized the land from the Indians, and then a couple hundred years later captured slaves from Africa and forced them to work on plantations, treating them like animals. Flash forward to now.
It is the year 2016, and still not everyone is treated equal and free. Brave people are dying every single day and it is a disgrace. We are killing each other every single day.
This week has showed us that we as a nation of people need to stay united, not divided. We have to stop the blame. Stop the killing. Spread love and disintegrate the hate.
"Whether we change our lives or do nothing, we have responded. To do nothing is to do something."
We have to use our voices. We have to educate ourselves. We must do something. We must stop living in ignorant bliss. We must treat everyone equal.
Alton Sterling. Falcon Heights Shooting. Philando Castille. The cops in Dallas. They didn't deserve to die. No one deserves to die. No one should be reduced to a hashtag on Twitter. No one should be treated any less than human for their skin color, their religion, their race, their sexuality, how much money they have, and for anything else that makes them "different."
It is sad to wake up and be confused by what event is going on in the world today. It is even more upsetting knowing that two of these situations happened in less of a twenty four hour time frame. It is painful to watch a video of cops shoving a black man to the ground, shooting him repeatedly, while meanwhile a young and rich white man who raped a girl at a party gets sentenced to only six months in jail -- possibly less if he is on good behavior. Black lives matter.
Blood is bleeding everyday. Putrid smells of gun fire and gas are polluting the air. Let us stop this putrid pollution. We need to clean the air. Clean our minds. Clean our hearts. Stop the silence and speak for those who cannot speak. Stand in solidarity for people in the world, who can't drive their car through town without worrying about a police officer sending them for jail just for asking a respectful question.
We are living in a confusing and heartbreaking time America. We need to educate ourselves. We must stop police brutality. We have to remember not to view the world in "all's" or "everyone's." We have to honor, respect, and celebrate our differences that we have as human beings. Above all else, we need to open our minds and hearts, and eliminate hatred and judgement in the world.
Sincerely,
People everywhere.
