Hey guys!
Today was a sad day… Another black man has been murdered. Alton Sterling from Baton Rouge was simply selling CD’s (his usual task) outside of a liquor store (he had permission from the owner) and was shot seven times for “having a gun.”The disgusting part about this murder is that Sterling’s gun was in his pocket! One of the officers saw the gun in his pocket as they were tackling him to the ground, and the officer shouted HE HAS A GUN! How was the gun in the victim’s pocket a threat? The police already had him tackled to the ground, so how was he going to harm anyone? Questions like this remain unanswered, but with today’s technology the truth can not be tainted. Multiple cell phone cameras recorded this police brutality, and the owner of the store’s surveillance camera also captured footage.
Tears came to my eyes as I watched a video of Sterling’s family. His oldest son, who is only 15, completely broke down as his mother addressed the police shooting. Things are getting out of hand!! As I am typing this, I just got word of the shooting of ANOTHER black man, Philando Castile. Here is an excerpt from an article I just read:
The girlfriend said on the video that the officer “asked him for license and registration. He told him that it was in his wallet, but he had a pistol on him because he’s licensed to carry. The officer said don’t move. As he was putting his hands back up, the officer shot him in the arm four or five times.”
This world is reckless! People are dying and black men in particular are being targeted. The death of Alton Sterling hit very close to home for me. My older brother, who is 37 like the victim ALSO sells CD’s and is a BLACK MAN… my father is a BLACK MAN… my boyfriend is a BLACK MAN… all of these people in my life are potential targets and they shouldn’t be.
I feel like people think posting on social media will magically lead to a solution. Well news flash IT WON’T. We have to do more! I was talking to my friends early about this… where are the people who were involved with the civil rights movement?! I know that a lot of these people are still alive. They must have wisdom and suggestions for what we can do to stop this police brutality. The rallies are nice and all, but there needs to be more . Something that will get attention and force immediate change.
I suggested boycotts. I am not exactly sure what could be boycotted, but when money decreases that is usually when officials begin to panic and think of solutions. I usually do not discuss topics such as this, because they are so extremely depressing. However, things are getting worse in this country and I can not take it. I do not know if it is a power struggle, or if police are being trained to behave recklessly, however something needs to change and fast. Because this is beginning to look like genocide. Everyone continue to pray and brainstorm! You never know, one of us could be the next activist to fix this mess of a country.
Queen Media Collective 