Leviticus 19:18

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Over the last few weeks, devastating topics have been swarming all forms of media, particularly over the fatal shootings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. Controversy is stirring among the apparent two-sided war of rights that has been raging since the Civil War era. However, anytime that an issue seems to only have two sides to take, a war is bound to happen.

And this has been the longest war that the United States has ever had to face.

Personally, the recent battle has not been sitting well with me at all, and I do not side with either extreme. I have formed my own opinion based upon the facts that I know, and my own experiences with being objectified because of who I am.

I am a firm believer that all lives matter. Every life on this Earth is precious, and doesn’t deserve to be ripped away by the hands of another. This problem isn't just black and white. People are suffering at the hands of another because of their religion, their sexual orientation, and their sex. This is an issue that everyone must face together, because it involves all of us. No matter what race, what gender, or what sex, we all bleed red. We are all the same on the most basic levels.

I am a firm supporter of the police force as well. After all, the police are human, too, and their lives are just as precious as another’s. The police force was created to protect the people from clear and present dangers that occur, and, for the most part, they carry out their responsibilities well. The recent shootings are gut-wrenching and grievous to anyone who has read the stories, who has watched the videos, and who has heard the pain behind the voices of Castile and Sterling’s loved ones. And, although I support the police force, I am not blind to those officers who allow their prejudices to get in the way of justice.

First, let me say that whenever confronted with a threat, such as a firearm being carried on a man being arrested or in the car of a man being pulled over, the first action of the police officer is to disarm that man or woman. If the man or woman continues to be a threat, then the officers are supposed to warn them that they will shoot if they continue to present a threat. If the man or woman points the gun at someone, or reaches for a gun, then the officers are allowed to fire. However, killing a man or woman should be the last resort. The officers involved in the Sterling and Castile shootings did not follow protocol.

That does not mean that every cop in America is like that.

“Hands up, don’t shoot,” has become a phrase that is ingrained in the mind of minorities, and I cannot despise that more. This one, powerful phrase epitomizes the belief that black Americans and other racial groups are openly discriminated against by police officers, no matter what the situation. People feel that it's necessary to resort to "hands up, don't shoot" because of the few prejudice cops. I cannot express my disbelief that innocent men and women are automatically seen as a threat because of the color of their skin, but it seems to be the awful reality in several identical police shootings.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~Martin Luther King Jr.

My heart and my prayers reach out to the families of Castile, Sterling, and to the police officers shot down in Dallas. These events have divided the void between the two warring sides more than ever, when this is a time we all need to stand together, pray together, and love each other.

I will not deny that racism is still present in the United States, and it is not just a problem for blacks, but a problem for everyone. This is not a battle of black versus white. This is not a battle of minority versus majority. This is a battle between human beings who cannot put aside their differences and band together because of the thousands of similarities. This is an issue that needs to be dealt with head on, not by our government, but by us—by everyone.

I know that I am not the only person in this country, or on this world, that feels this way. I believe that this war against racism, against prejudice of another human being, will not come to an end unless we band together.