If you have been listening to the news recently, you already know that just this past week we have lost several people to police brutality and violence. We lost Alton Sterling and Philandro Castile to police brutality and just yesterday we lost five police officers to the violence of a shooter in Dallas. Many people are extremely devastated right now and are focused on picking sides and where to shift the blame for the lives lost. People always assume that a person can be either pro-cop and anti-black or pro-black and anti-cop, but never both. The truth is that the world needs supporters of both communities and not picking just one or the other.

Why we should support only certain cops and black lives matter groups:

Policemen all around the world are supposed to help protect communities and a lot of policemen do just that. There are so many people who do a brilliant job and go above and beyond to make sure that people feel safe and protected. There is a party of policemen who choose to bring negative energy to their communities and abuse their powers; these policemen do not deserve the right to be called the law. The people they protect should all be seen as equal, whether you are black or white, you should be protected- a good cop would know that. We need to be supportive of the passionate cops who are not paranoid of what they do not understand. We need to be supportive of the cops who want to make a difference and are mourning the lives of the black men who were killed because they know they matter just as much as anyone does. We need to be supportive of the cops who took their oath and meant it. No more prejudice should be allowed in the police system.

When we say Black Lives Matter, we say it because there have been situations that have made people feel like they do not. We don’t say it because we are trying to give anyone special treatment, but because many black lives have been made to feel insignificant due to the color of their skin. In this time of peril, people will say that all lives matter. It is true that all lives matter, but we are saying that black lives matter because black people are constantly targeted. In this time where black people do not feel like their lives are important is when we say that they are. Just because we say black lives matter doesn't mean that all lives don't. When I, a white female, get pulled over and I know that I have done nothing wrong, I don’t feel the same worry that my black friends do when they have been pulled over, even if they also have done nothing wrong. The real problem is that their reason for feeling worried is completely justified and they actually have a reason to feel scared at times. If you are white (or in some situations lighter skinned,) you have been granted with a type of privilege that is not granted to everyone. We need to support the black lives matter groups that are fighting for their right to be treated the same as any other person when they get pulled over. They are fighting for their right to not fear for their life each time a cop car passes their children on the streets. We need to show our support for the people who have lost their lives and have been labeled as unimportant. We have to spread the peace and demand equality.

My message to policemen:

If you are in charge of protecting the people, I want to thank you for putting your life on the line every time you come to work. I want to thank you for enforcing the law and for protecting people you do not know. Police officers are meant to protect their communities and are meant to bring goodness to them. If you go to work knowing that your title brings you invisibility and you use that invisibility to your advantage to get away with hurting people, you are what is giving good officers a bad name. You should be ashamed of yourself if you only wanted to have a job as an officer because it makes you feel unstoppable. If you joined the force wanting to help serve and protect people, then I thank you for doing your job. You give faith back to humanity. I am so sorry for your loss that you experienced this weekend. Those people should not have lost their lives. No one deserves that. Thank you for all that you have done. It has made a difference.

My message to Black Lives Matter groups:

If you are representing peace and are standing for your equality, I want to thank you for putting your life on the line every time you step outside of the box that some people have put you in. If you know the importance of every life lost, then I thank you for saying the names of the people and showing them the love they deserved while they were still with us. Black Lives Matter is a group that makes sure that the lives lost to police brutality were not lost in vain. They are there to say, “We are here and we will not go away. Stop killing us and judging us because of our skin.” Racism is still very much alive and I want to thank you for your patience and for constantly dealing with ignorant souls. If you are racists against white people and have praised the death of the cops that have lost their lives this weekend, you are part of the problem and have given a bad name to Black Lives Matter groups. To the people who have demanded peace and know their power and effects on other people- raise your children to be strong. Raise your children to know that love has no color. Raise them to be aware of the war that still exists in the hearts of the people and raise them to become the voice that ends them.

In conclusion to this article, I would like to say please be safe out there. Spread peace and love and always remember that it doesn’t matter if you are white or black or if you are a police officer- what matters is your actions. If you praise death and glorify racism, then you are part of the problem. It does not matter what your skin color is; if you praise the death of someone due to their color of skin, you are racist. You need to understand that a person is not defined by what they look like- anyone can be brilliant and wonderful and anyone can be evil and horrible. The reason why we should be supportive of both policemen and black lives matter groups is because we need to be supportive of the people that are trying to stand up for love and peace. All lives need to be protected and remember that Black Lives Matter because black lives are not an exception.