I am deeply saddened by the recent shooting in the news. My thoughts and condolences go out to the families and friends of those who lost someone dear to them in these events. With protests popping up in almost every major city, people can’t help but feel a certain way about the end result. I don’t have a personal problem with how they are conducted, but I believe they are geared toward providing a quick fix to the much larger issue. Of course, we should be fighting injustice; no one should ever be murdered in cold blood. I fear that the recent protest have projected a threatening image in the eyes of some. It should be about how we can create a positive relationship between American citizens and Peace Officers. It should be about building community and promoting positive role models in the youths' lives. We should be aiming to reinvest in our education systems and our teachers. We need to stop systematic oppression. You don’t end crime by taking out all the criminals. You end crime by providing better alternatives than committing a crime. Now, I am not the spokesman for the black community, but I’d like to provide my small insight. How many more time are we going have these protests? When are we going to stop pointing fingers at the other? We are now in a moment in time where we as a society cannot afford to create “the other” out of anyone.

These are not new concepts that we, the country, are dealing with. The act of police brutality is not a new concept. The same conversations that we are having today are the very similar conversations being had in the 90's, 80's, 70's, and 60's. Given the recent series of events, there are a lot of parties at fault. Not one, but many. I will not hold any one person or group accountable for the events. As a society, we can’t point fingers and place blame at any one group without realizing that there is a greater problem within.

It is very important that we not only hold police officials accountable for wrongfully taking the lives American citizens, but we also need to work to improve how our communities operate. One of the largest questions about this systemic issue is how do we solve it. I don't think a single protocol is appropriate, rather we should focus more on collective action among the people. As we have seen with the numerous non-violent protest that has taken place in history, the people must be the change that we all want to see in the world. As a community and as a society we need to work towards making our streets and neighborhood safer for citizens and safer for our officers. Low-income neighborhood have high crime rates, not because black people love to commit crimes, but because of there is a clear lack of opportunity and resources available to those communities. Racism may never be cured, but it wouldn't be a terrible idea to get more of our officers to volunteer in their respective communities to ensure that they are very familiar with who they protect and serve. It's much harder to shoot anyone you know and care for. At the same time, if police officers could play a more active role in our communities, it may dissolve the stereotypes surrounding the black community. This would also dissolve the stereotype types that surround law enforcement. It could very well change what people think they know about each other. Education on the matter will create a foundation of understanding between two opposing parties. Not every cop is a racist murderer. Not every black person is a criminal. As a society, we can build a positive relationship between citizens and peace officers. The country needs to learn a lot more about one another. We need to keep kids off the streets and keep cops on the beat.