La La Land Mommy: Where is the outrage
The past two days have been just heart wrenching for me. Yesterday I read about a man named Alton Sterling been shot and killed by the police. Then this morning I woke up to a story of a man named Philandro Castile being shot to death by the police. As I read both stories I was just torn between being angry and sad. I mean I immediately started to think when will this end. I knew exactly what was going to happen when these stories broke. It hasn’t happened with Philandro Castile yet but I am positive it will. The first thing they did with Alton Sterling was find his criminal history and plastered his mugshot all over the news. They are smearing this man for no reason. He was the victim. Even if he was reaching for a gun I just don’t understand why it cost him his life. He wasn’t firing at them at all. He was on the ground and detained. Then Philandro Castile was doing what he was asked and lost his life. It just doesn’t seem like there is any winning in either of these situations either way you lose your life. My kids are 14 and 16 years old. They are teenagers but yet still so kid like. I love that about them. My son is not very tall yet but he still has some growing to do. Even at his size now someone may still consider him a threat. I can no longer shield him from the harsh reality of today. I look at my children and it is sad that I am scared that they not even live to see their 30’s if they run into the wrong cop. I was already worried about them running into anyone period but now I have to worry about the people who are suppose to protect them as well. I have to make sure that they know everything that they need to do being approached or pulled over by the police. The sad thing is that complying to their request may not be enough. But that is not what I am really upset about.
I am upset about the fact that weeks ago how upset people were about Harambe the gorilla being killed because a child fell into his enclosure. But when I read about this I see outrage from people of color and other races but there was so much more when it came to the gorilla. I mean the outrage was so great that the boy’s parents were investigated by children services. They literally turned their world upside down. I have not seen too much outrage from all over about these two situations. No one has looked into the past of these cops but they have found time to look into Alton Sterling’s past. Heck even Harambe’s past was preserved. I know he is an animal but still. It kind of just makes me wonder how important human lives are. Has the world become so numb to black lives being taken that it no longer matters when a black life is lost anymore. Maybe they don’t feel the pain that we feel because they don’t walk in our shoes. Many people don’t have to worry about if their children are not going to come home because they are pulled over by the cops simply for being the wrong color. I’m literally in fear of letting my kids go anywhere alone. But because they don’t walk in my shoes they don’t understand the enormity of the situation. Even if they can’t connect with the situation they should be able to connect with the loss of life in general. I think it is so disrespectful to tear someone down especially when they can’t defend themselves. If the shoe were on the other foot they would want their family members to be respected. It is sad that there is more respect for a gorilla than there is for a human life.
What about the truly innocent people who have lost their lives simply for living. Sure the media is bringing up Alton Sterling’s past but the fact remains that at the time of his arrest he was not doing any of the things that he had been arrested for in the past. Then people are saying that he wasn’t allowed to carry a gun anyway. If that is true then he was wrong but are you telling me that the two police officers who had him pinned down had no other choice but to shoot him to death. Did he not deserve a fair trial and the help of an experienced criminal attorney like Justin Sparks perhaps? Don’t you think more than one shot was a bit excessive especially since the gun was in his pocket. Philando Castile was complying with an officers request. His life is gone. Where is the anger?
I know where mine is. It is going towards doing all I can to protect the two black children that I am raising. It is going towards educating them to not hate the police but to be aware of them. Letting them know to comply and telling them the awful truth that sometimes even that isn’t enough. Going towards adding these names to the many examples I have of why they need to be cautious and try to do the right thing. Although whether you are doing the right thing or not doesn’t seem to matter anymore. I pray for my children everyday especially my son. Raising them right and praying is all that I can do. In the end there is no guarantee that any of these things will bring him or his sister home to me and that is sad.
