story by Jay Williams

The idea that “Black Lives Matter” is a completely valid statement. Every life matters.

As someone who supports the police and condemns the wrongdoings toward them, I’m extremely perturbed by those who cause these wrongdoings. I can appreciate someone who yearns for equality amongst other races. I support Black Lives Matter. I support the movement that says, “my life matters too,” rather than the movement that says, “my life matters more than yours.”

Black Lives Matter, in my opinion, should stand for equality. The movement should be a matter of saying that black lives matter just as much as any other life. Sometimes, even I could see how a black man would fear going out; how being in the presence of a police officer could be a fearful moment for a person of color.

But when people who hate police, and hate the wrongdoings towards black people, choose to take to violence to get revenge or payback — that is when my support for the movement terminates.

I’m a Blue Lives Matter supporter because, more often than not, the typical police officer is an honorable person. Most police are good police. However it is that one officer that makes a mistake that alters the view of every police officer. I know many police officers personally and have yet to meet one that isn’t a class act.

Most recently, the events in Dallas shed a whole new light on the Blue Lives Matter statement. Officers Thompson, Zamarripa, Krol, Ahrens and Smith lost their lives on that terrible night — men who everyone revered as a professional and good people.

It isn’t fair. It is not fair to those families affected. Every life, of every race, should be valued. Discrimination is not the face of this country.

At the end of the day, police have no reason to blindly take the life of someone who doesn’t pose a serious threat, regardless of color or creed. However, fighting back and causing more violence is no way to end it.

Using violence to promote peace is the absolute least effective way to go about this issue. Black Lives Matter has shifted to a group who tolerates violence, and has caused the need for extra support for police.

As a country, America can not tolerate injustices being done to those who sacrifice so much for our safety.

 

  story by Jalin Ernest

Many people would say that the Black Lives Matter movement is outrageous, or a misrepresentation of what America is all about. While I understand that there are a lot of black-on-black crimes (and that has to stop), but cops killing innocent people is not okay either.

I understand situations involving a person with a weapon that could potentially harm an officer are some of the most difficult ones, but aren’t police officers taught to defend themselves in all situations? If it is a knife, doesn’t a taser work just as well? If it is a gun, maybe police can shoot and hit them in a place to disarm the suspect?

My point is there are other options, and don’t always have to end in death.

Yes, some officers have to make decisions within a certain time frame that can be as small as a second, but the excessive shooting of an unarmed man, especially those of color, and not calling for help is completely sickening. People lose their lives everyday from various crimes, but there is no need for a police officers to continue to take the lives of an innocent, unarmed African American.

Police officers are meant to keep the peace, not disturb the peace. Now with this said, not all police officers are bad, and not all are taking lives. To those of you that do not do these horrendous acts, thank you for doing your job the right way.

A huge misunderstanding in the Black Lives Matter movement is those thinking I am saying that it’s just black lives that matter. It’s not because, truly, all lives matter. However it’s becoming more and more common that it is a black man, or woman, getting killed for “allegedly” being combative.

Some people do not know what the meaning of “Black Lives Matters” really is. It is meant to represent the African Americans being killed without any guns, knives, or any other weapons that could possibly hurt the officers.

It is not a movement of African Americans being racist by saying that the lives of white, Mexican, or other races do not matter. It is saying that Americans don’t see anything being done when it comes to a police officer killing an unarmed African American, and we are tired of it.

But blind eyes continue to be turned. For example, in February of 2016, 22 African Americans were killed by the police nationwide — with 41-percent being unarmed. This means every 32 hours of a month, an African American is killed, and nearly half of them are unarmed.

We want to see some kind of consequence given to the officer, or officers, that took place in the crime, because last time I checked, murder is still a crime.