Date: July 5, 2016 Current time: 12:47 a.m.
Social media is an amazing tool. Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, are all so instantaneous that in the blink of an eye, we see the latest news, celebrity gossip, and all of the other things people tend to post.
About 15 minutes ago, I saw many people who I follow on Instagram posting a video. I kept scrolling because I thought that it would just be another pointless joke made by someone with little to nothing to do… but after seeing the familiar #blacklivesmatter hashtag under a post, I stopped to watch.
The video showed two white male officers bring a black man to the ground, all the while he asked why he was being detained. After about 20 seconds of this, one of the officers, (as the man is still defenseless on the ground under them) yells, “he has a gun”. After this, the second officer draws his gun and shoots. The person recording the video moved the camera at the time of the shots but you can hear 4-5 gunshots in the background.
I’ve covered this before…We’ve been here before. We’ve had the protests. We’ve been on the news shows. We’ve used the hashtag. Jesse Williams just gave an amazing speech. The BET awards was an open display of blackness.
What more is there to do?
It’s extremely discouraging to feel that we, as a people, have exhausted all of our options. It’s tiring to see pictures from today (frighteningly) resembling those taken in the 50’s and 60’s.
The thought of someone being shot for selling cd’s in front of a store, or a little boy being shot for playing with a toy gun, or a man being shot after surviving a car accident and then seeking help… the list goes on. In the same land that carelessly throws around the phrase, “the land of the free, home of the brave”.
It’s almost laughable that we aren’t the least bit free, and we live in a land of cowards. Knowing that my brothers, nephews, and cousins, are just a situation shy of something possibly happening to them (not that women are exempt) is something that nags me everyday. Be safe.
From Me to You, Love and Blessings.
You are correct. We all need to register to vote and hold all elected officials accountable. If we agree to mobilize and protest by not purchasing anything for a day or longer we would see change. We have marched and prayed, but the reality is until the economy is effected “NOTHING” matters!