Revolution!

I went to bed last night with the news of Alton Sterling weighing heavy on my mind. I'd seen both videos showing two separate views of the murder and the images will forever be burned into my brain. I tried avoiding watching the videos as these types of things have a tendency to replay themselves over and over again in my mind, but perhaps watching them was exactly what I needed to do, what we all need to do. We must all watch and see these senseless acts of aggression play out by those we pay to protect us.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep well.

Then this morning I woke up to find out it happened again. This time in Minnesota and the victim was named Philando Castile. In case you haven't been paying attention, both men are black. Both shot dead by police officers.

I was angry. I don't know how else to say it. Angry doesn't quite cover it, but I lack the energy to try to explain the ire that pumps through my veins.

All that changed this morning when I got in my car. My rage turned to sorrow. I looked around at other drivers and I saw faces, black faces, that must have felt like they were walking into enemy territory just by leaving their houses this morning. I could easily imagine any one of them getting pulled over for whatever reason and making just one wrong move and putting their lives at risk. One wrong move in the eyes of a racist, shittily trained, trigger happy, pansy-assed cop. This could be reaching in the glove box after the cop asks for their license and registration. This could be reaching into their pocket for the same reason. This could be exasperatingly tossing their hands up in the air in frustration. This could even be mouthing off at a cop for profiling. Maybe it isn't the smartest thing to do, but does it mean you should die over it?

Alton Sterling was selling illegal goods. He was guilty of a crime. He resisted arrest. He may or may not have had a gun. But what he didn't have was a gun in his hand. There were two cops restraining him. The cop that pulled the gun on him held it mere inches from Alton's face. If Alton were capable of getting to his gun, then he was capable of getting to the cop's gun. Should you really be putting your service weapon where a suspect can get ahold of it?

Alton Sterling was a gang member. He was a sex offender. He was a violent criminal. But what was he doing in this moment!? That's what matters. Alton Sterling could have been a kid doing what he needed to do to raise money for school. He could have been a man, down on his luck, trying to provide for his family. Anything was possible in that moment when he was shot. Don't let the media tell you that it's okay that he's dead because of his past. That past was revealed after he was already dead. Nobody deserves to die for selling illegal DVDs or loose cigarettes.

I'm waiting now for the background of Mr. Castile to hit the media. What kind of rap sheet will they have for him? What will they tell us to make us believe he deserved to die for a broken taillight? How many more times does this have to happen before change occurs?

I'm a gun owner. A responsible one. But if we made guns illegal in the United States of America, I would gladly turn mine in. There is a problem in America. That is obvious. Clearly, our police officers are no better trained in handling their firearms than the average gun owning citizen. So if we must give up our guns and have the police give up theirs to start a path toward a better country with less of these senseless murders, then so be it.

And for anyone out there that thinks white privilege isn't a thing, pay closer attention. If you're white, have you ever feared for your life just getting into your car? Do you fear for your life every time you talk to a cop? You will be given the benefit of the doubt where a black person in your same position will be given a potentially life taking bullet. That's the truth.

I'm not saying all police are bad. I'm not saying all black people are innocent. But something has to change. Our parents' generation got shit done. They protested. They staged sit-ins. The made so much noise our government was forced to listen. Maybe it's long overdue that we do the same.