I don't want to live in fear, but I do... I feel like I'm not safe anywhere. I feel like no one is. I should not feel that way in a neighborhood I've lived in for 16 years or even in a house that I've lived in for 16 days. Fear, for me, is an inevitable feeling in the pit of my stomach. It keeps me up at night, and likes to find it’s way into most scenarios I come up with in my head. Fear itself is not something we should be afraid of. We should embrace the fact that there are things—from spiders to heights—that cause people to overthink or take more precaution. Those fears are the things that shape our personalities, interests, wants and needs. But I don’t want to live in fear. I want to live in a safe world again. I don't want to be afraid to go to the mall or to my local grocery store. No one should be anxious to run their daily errands, no matter if you're black, white, Asian, Indian, Latino, Vietnamese, or any other race. No one should have to live in fear that another race is going to try to eliminate their own. As long as we continue to let fear rule, these issues will only get worse and our country will only grow further apart. No threat from another should have that much power over how you or I choose to go about our days! Sadly, it does.

Alton Sterling did not deserve to have his life ended, regardless of if he had a criminal record or was carrying a gun. The tragedies we've witnessed recently in Baton Rouge, Dallas, Minnesota and even Orlando drive home the fact that our fears are well-founded. And those fears are what blind us from seeing Philando Castile, any police officer, and even the Dallas snipper as what they are: human. What kind of generation will we raise if everyone believes in the horrible stereotypes each race is being given based off of the unethical actions of a small group within it?

But this is not the issue I want to point out. The issue is that people will never stop thinking things like this are a hate crime towards a certain race. The violence won't ever end if people keep putting the races against each other. What people need to recognize is that the rash acts of few do not deem an entire group, organization, or race as the bad guys. I know the problem right now is the police force against blacks, but both the cops and the African Americans are our friends, family, neighbors, and loved-ones. Cops are here to protect us; if they do something unjust, the law will handle them accordingly just as it would to someone who commits a crime. Fear prevents us from being confident in our legal system and in our communities. It's time everyone takes responsibility for their actions.I don't want to live in fear, especially fear that we're inflicting on ourselves.

Due to everything going on in society right now, this world is getting harder and harder to live in. Maybe it's just because I'm becoming an adult and starting to pay attention to the news, but the only thing I see is the next tragedy. The crime scenes seem to be getting closer to home. Everyone always thinks "It'll never happen to me". Well, look outside, it's happening everywhere. I don't want to live in fear, but I do.