“I Can’t Breathe…” George Floyd said these words before Minneapolis police officers on duty choked him and watched on without assist. Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back in front of his wife and three children. Breonna Taylor was shot and killed where no ambulance was available to aid her in the five minutes she struggled to breathe before she died. These are not random stories. These are just examples of the injustices that stand in recent memories. While policing in general are not entirely at fault, the police involved in these injustices were. The entirety of police forces would have to be corrupted around the country in order to all be at fault. I’ve seen legitimate policing and I’ve seen poor policing in my time of life.

I lived in a primarily white community. There was VERY little opportunities to learn about other cultures or peoples. We had American Indian and white. Pretty much the lot of it. Although that was the case, in middle school – I read every book I could at the time of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. He inspired me, so much so that I wrote an opinion piece to the Mining Journal (the local hometown paper in Upper Michigan). I believed in what he stood for, and still do. I am tired of hearing about injustices in the system that were either created to make things harder for minorities or just ignorant discussions about how certain peoples are just wrong. Immigrants, Somalis, Anyone who is not Christian, or someone who speaks out against the American Government and the corruption that obviously lies within. (And has… this didn’t just start with Donald J. Trump)

My heart hurts for my sisters and brothers of any color, race, creed, sexual orientation, gender (typical or atypical), religion that is criticized unfairly. I weep for anyone who is brought out and made to look evil, or wrong, unjustly. I’m tired of hearing about people waging peaceful protests. (PEACEFUL!) Yet getting billed for the policing time to the organizer. I’m tired of peaceful protesters getting grouped in with those who burn, or become a part of the problem and less the solution. And I’m so angry that so many people support division, and not inclusivity. We are one people. If you don’t understand a people, let’s get together and figure it out. And it’s not just black vs white. It’s Democratic vs Republican. (Weren’t you all trying to work together to make life workable for the people who vote for you? When did you lose your way?) Is part of being a system of Capitalist society mean that it will always be us against them? And if you are the 1%, you’ll always be against the 99%? Our POTUS shows that bullying is okay. And not just towards people of similar age and political affiliation, but to youth. He’s a grown up, but he acts like he’s a child.

I’m tired of seeing him stand at a podium and when the reporters ask him whether he disassociates from David Duke (former KKK Leader) and our POTUS has no response. That the North Carolina (Charlottesville) protest turns deadly when someone runs a person down in their car. While it was a white nationalists group protesting, people have the right to freedom of speech (liked or not liked… see Westboro Baptist Church among other groups that many people loathe to hear about) and freedom of assembly. No one should have been killed. Whether it was the wrong place at the wrong time, or one choosing to voice hate over love. And instead of Trump taking the opportunity to say that this was wrong – he chose to say that he sees faults on both sides. Which means that he’s not taking a side, one way or another. He’s just taking himself out of the equation.

He’s not the first one to instigate feelings of fear and loathing of a group of people as a political figure, and he’ll no doubt be the last. Why is it that we believe him? Why believe me? I’ve always said there is always a group of people in each set of cultures, etc that will make the rest look bad. White, black, and pink polka dotted. It’s just the way it goes. There are too many historical examples to cite. Italian Mob? Hitler’s Germany? North Korea? Need I go on? And just because I live in the United States doesn’t mean I’m ignorant of current issues going on outside of the U.S. that involve prejudices.

The Black Lives Matter movement is such because at present, the African American communities are more targeted for one reason or another for violence. And unprovoked. None of those individuals I mentioned earlier had to either die, or be permanently scarred for life. It could have been avoided. Policing involves other procedures that are short term and non lethal, non paralyzing results. My daughter, for example is severely mentally ill. She had a steak knife down her throat. Literally in her hand pointed down her throat. Did the police shoot her in the foot to attempt to disarm her? No. They tasered her, which received the desired response. Do I know if it would have been different if she were African American? I don’t know, but sometimes I wonder. Is that fair? I’m not sure. Listening to broadcasts, news bulletins – seems fair.

The problems that exist are so deeply problematic. Systemic, Economic, and Impulsive. I feel like as long as we have the guiding lights that we have in our government – nothing will change. The hate will continue to be fueled. After all, if I go to a store with a friend of mine – no one looks at me funny. The pigmentation of my skin doesn’t alarm anyone. What I wear doesn’t alarm anyone. So no one watches me more carefully or feel concerned that I might do something illegal. I am, white. Immigrants built this country, diversity makes our world beautiful and more full of opportunities that we or our children never would have had. Stop judging and explore. And if you’re part of the problem, find the way out of being the problem. And if you can’t find it on your own and don’t have the support, reach out and find someone who can suggest resources.

I love my fellow man. I don’t know you, I’ve never met you. But I love you. I may not understand your language, your life experiences, your dialect, your religion, or many other aspects of your life and world view – but I love you. I hope and dream of a Trump that will have an epiphany of what errors he’s made and how to correct them. I hope for a change in all of us to see that we are not each others enemies. We are all here to show compassion to one another.

Remember John Lennon? Remember his song, “Imagine”?

You may say I’m a dreamer… But I’m not the only one

I hope some day you will join us

And the world will be as one

For all those individuals ahead of their time, forward thinking, and lovers of humanity and not their pocketbook… you are missed since you’ve been gone. Your sacrifices will live on. You will never truly be forgotten.

Do not give up. Do not shut up. My brothers and sisters in life – love your fellow man.

I am with you

Black Lives Matter!!!!