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On December 29, 2020, I read on a friend's Facebook page that the officers who shot and killed Tamir Rice in 2014 won't face federal charges. Two weeks ago, I saw in a Good Morning America Instagram post that the officers who had roles in the shooting of Breonna Taylor were fired. Next, I read up about the shooting of Phillip Pannell, a 16 year-old African American who was killed by Teaneck police officer Gary Spath, and Spath was acquitted from charges of manslaughter. And today, I saw on Selma that civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot dead by an Alabama State Trooper on February 26, 1965.
It's all wrong that these African Americans, younger and older, got shot and the law enforcement figures that killed them didn't get jailed for it, except for former Alabama State Trooper James Bonard Fowler, who admitted to shooting Jackson, was pronounced guilty of manslaughter, and spent six months in prison in 2010. But then again, that's not long enough. I don't know how long these men need to be in jail, but they need to learn their lesson and stop killing blacks. This is a history of violence that needs to end, and they need to work to prevent blacks from being killed by other law enforcement authorities, or any kind of violence for that matter.
And as for how to protest these deaths and Black Lives Matter, I recommend doing it peacefully. One should not have to get violent over this death, because that's what our enemies want us to do, and we don't need to turn into our own worst enemies.
As the end credits came in Do the Right Thing, there came a quote by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: "Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral." He was right; you can't end violence with more violence. That'll just lead to isolation from your peers, bloodshed, and a peaceful environment torn apart. No matter who's out there killing black people and getting away with it, violence is not the path one needs to go on. It's high time for this violence to end, but if I were you, I'd choose peace and love every time, no matter what.
Dr. King died believing in a dream of us all coming together and not judging each other for the color of our skin, but by the content of our character. We can't let his dream die because of another soul being put in a grave because of history of racial violence. We need to hold onto his dream and stand strong and courageous and embrace each other, for a better world for us all is coming, slowly.
Kamala Harris is the new Vice President on the block, and with her around, there could be a better world for people of color and beyond everywhere coming in. We must be patient for that world, but until then, we must take care of each other and not let the violent racism some people can't seem to let go of tear us apart. Black Lives Matter! As long as we preach that, they'll know that black lives don't deserve to be taken away. In fact, no life deserves to be taken away, no matter the circumstance. Take care of each other, educate yourselves, do whatever you have to do to make sure Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter, but don't choose hate and violence to prove them.
And I hope you all had a Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day!
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