“SO WHAT ABOUT BLACK ON BLACK CRIME?” they scream when we are outraged about police killing our black men and women. Don’t fucking play me! CRIME IS CRIME! You can NOT compare crime to that of safety. Crime is evil. Crime is sin. Police men and women are a part of an institution designed to provide us refuge and safety. They are supposed to PROTECT AND SERVE.

Protect and Serve.

I only know one policeman so I can’t pretend to know what police go through on a regular basis. The televised version of cops may be a part of some realities but not all. And I’m not one to believe that all police are bad. That is just as ridiculous as believing that all black people are bad.

Hear me and hear me good! Police are needed and they are important! I have respect for them all. They have one of the most dangerous jobs. They need us to help make their jobs easier. And they need our prayers. However, they also need proper training!

Training is vital for the survival of black men and women. If you ask me, I believe there is a level of fear and overall disrespect for the black race that is causing many police to make decisions to pull triggers. The disregard for our lives can certainly be a factor leading to these situations. We are often viewed and regarded as less than and deserving of mistreatment. We are too often misunderstood.

If we can line up a mix of criminals together and the automatic belief of malice and disdain is expressed and felt towards the black criminal, here lies the problem. The stereotype of us being dangerous criminals has to be dissolved. And it has to be eliminated immediately! And police need to be trained to understand, read, judge, and to receive us better

We are NOT born criminals! We are not out to harm just because we demand to know the nature of our traffic stop. Our questions do not automatically make us unruly or disorderly. We just want to be treated fairly. We want to know that our skin didn’t cause us to be stopped and we surely don’t want to be mishandled. We are humans and deserved to be treated as such.

Criminals engaged in criminal activities leading to their deaths is very unfortunate. I’m not condoning it. This is a huge issue! But comparing deaths by way of gang activity (for example) is NOT the same as being shot and killed during a traffic stop. Punishment is a citation, arrest, an overnight stay in jail, and/or a visit to a judge; not a coroner.

Questioning our outrage is immature and a distraction from the issue at hand. These situations are not mutually exclusive. And for the record, I can be sadden about the black on black crime and at the same time be outraged over a police shooting and still be devastated about kids being killed in the Middle East. Stop this foolish banter! There is room in all of us to spread our disappointment across several issues at the same time! Geesh

And another thing! Just because you don’t SEE something on social media doesn’t make it false. Just like if it is on social media, doesn’t make it truth. It kills me to hear folks say, “where is all the outrage for this or that…” Just because you missed it, or your timeline isn’t talking, doesn’t mean a void is there.

Look beyond your circles. There are many community advocates dealing with black on black crimes on a daily basis. Please know that this isn’t news worthy. But it does exist. There are a lot of great things going on throughout the world that are being missed by the masses. Just go beyond your walls and you’ll see what many are doing to save lives. Just because it’s not your ministry doesn’t mean nothing is being done.

And just because the television shows a division among the black community doesn’t erase the love I have privilege of witnessing among us. We are a proud people. We love our kids and our families. We are hard workers and we care for our communities. We are not animals. We are humans.

Thanks for your attention. Remember you are your own competition.

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