Dear America,

Today, black people are still seen as a threat. Black people are murdered on the grounds of illogical fear, ignorance and blatant systemic societal racism. Since 1619, African Americans have been treated as less than human. This needs to end now.

Black people have been peacefully protesting for over a decade. Yet, we still get killed for no reason —with families of the murdered left with no justice. 32 innocent black men have been murdered by officers. There is evidence to prove this: cell phone camera videos, testimony from witnesses, sometimes even body camera footage. However, the justice system doesn’t view it as murder. Instead, to them, it is simply an officer doing their job. 

On June 17, 2015, Dylan Roof, a white male, went into a church  killing nine innocent African Americans. Roof did not get shot by the police, instead, he was arrested peacefully. They even brought him Burger King. On the other hand, George Floyd, a black male, gets murdered on tape for simply being suspected of counterfeit and the district attorney says “there’s not enough evidence to press charges on the officer.”*

I believe they’re just going to give him a slap on the wrist.  That’s called white privilege, right then and there. He will not have to face the consequences. And this happens all the time. 

 Is Minneapolis wrong for the riots? No, I don’t think there is anything wrong with the riots and protests. As, over the past years the Black community has gotten tired of the racism within our modern society. We are tired of the innocent black men getting shot by cops, that never get charged for murder. 

In the words of Malcolm X,  “Negro leaders have fought civil rights and they have begged the white man for civil rights and every time you beg the white man for freedom you’ll never be free that’s something you’ll have to do for yourself, until the negro lets the white man know that we are ready and willing to pay the price that is necessary for freedom we will always be walking around here as second class citizens or as they call it 20th-century slave, the price of freedom is death.” 

Malcolm X’s quote is still relevant in 2020.

In other cities, as police brutality continues in America, the Black community shall  let their voice be heard. We should not have to set fires or start riots to get our freedom.  In 2020, the bar has been set that the justice system is corrupt and it consistently fails to protect the Black community. They fear us, simply due to the color of our skin. However, change starts now. Let our voices be heard.

* Derrick Chauvin, the officer that murdered George Floyd, has been charged with 2nd-degree murder 

Learn more about Black Lives Matter here.