A family of three is driving down the road. They are on their way to the store or to greet a loved one. Unbeknownst to them, they are driving illegally, with a tail light out. As the officer approaches he seems a little apprehensive, unsure of the scene he is stepping into. He greets the man at his window and requests to see his license and registration.
The man, knowing that his intent could be misconstrued, informs the man that he is armed with a gun and has a license to concealed carry. The police officer, unaware of the man's intent and already apprehensive of the situation because of the look of the man, fires four times into the side of the man. In front of his four-year-old daughter. The man eventually bleeds out and dies, leaving an unwaged war in his wake, echoing the thousands of last breaths taken by those guilty of the color of their skin.
It is sad to accept the fact that this is an issue that is still, in 2016, plaguing the lives of Americans today. This issue is a lack of compassion, a clouding of visions on both sides of this argument. The simple fact is that all lives do matter. But this doesn't mean that, internally or systematically, this is a universal belief. This also does not mean that the very people behind the idea that all lives do matter truly believe that. This is what the Black Lives Matter movement is fighting for.
Names like Alton Sterling and Philando Castile will ring in the ears of most for a week at most before the fire dies down and people return to their regular lives as if nothing had ever happened. This is the cost of a movement like the All Lives Matter movement. Because it is preached that all lives matter, but people scramble to find criminal records of these victims faster than they could ever express their feelings of remorse for their lost lives. Because too quickly their limp bodies become the next platform for gun rights or the precautionary tale to the next police officer should they become the next face of the "enemy" in a protest.
The phrase 'Black Lives Matter' is one that should be followed by an unspoken "too." It is not that anyone supporting this movement has the notion that any live matters less. It is simply the emphasis on the idea that there are certain lives in our nation that lack the attention that they deserve. When the majority of our prisons are occupied by people of color, while our figures in Congress as a whole are comprised of 80 percent white figures, it is easy to see who is being fed the idea that their lives are worthwhile.
The simple fact of the matter is that certain groups of our society are, despite our best efforts, regarded as less than others. What are we teaching those below us when we live in a nation where "black" has become synonymous with "dangerous" or "thugish?" There are police officers, and teachers, and judges and classmates who see people who don't look like them and feel fear, and this is a sad fact. Does this mean that any certain group's lives matter less? No. But, as a country, we are doing a poor job of exemplifying this.
As for those who feel that police are now being unfairly judged and persecuted, you are not wrong in thinking this. However, it is no different than the people who dismiss the death of innocent human beings because of the actions attributed to a stereotype that is used across an entire race of people. While unfair in some instances, the men and women who selflessly go fourth to make us feel safe in our own neighborhoods are sadly the cause of the fear depending, on which neighborhood they are surrounding. Does this mean the law enforcement system is guilty as a whole?
Not even a little, but for this issue to be one of constant prevalence, for people to see them as the enemy in their entirety, it is clear that something in this system is flawed. It must be known that it is possible to respect the job that police officers perform and still expect better of them, to still expect them to be above the standards of civilians because they were trained to conduct themselves as such. This is in no way diminishing the lives of police officers, either. We must always remember the importance of those who are rightfully protecting us. But, we must hold others accountable for these tragedies, because the simple fact is we MUST do better than this.
Say the names Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Lorne Ahrens, Michael Krol, Michael J. Smith, Brent Thompson, and Patrick Zamarripa out loud. Do not forget their names, nor their lives. These men were victims of a war we have all waged upon ourselves. In a perfect world, all lives do matter, because God created us fearfully and wonderfully. He did not create us to fear or hate one another. I know this to be a fact. But what I also know to be a fact is that black lives are in danger.
The only way we can save ourselves is to attempt to understand and to give fuel to the idea that all lives matter equally. Do not trick yourself into believing we have already achieved this, do not forget, and do not stop trying to understand the things that you fear. When you let fear of what you do not understand drive your actions, this is when hate emerges.
