"Nope! No racism here!"

A picture says a thousand words.  

The first step to fixing a problem is to first admit that there is one.  A lot of the police departments in this country seem to not want to do that.  So many of the politicians in this country seem to not want to do that.  Many citizens in this country seem to not want to do that.  We're just walking around with blinders on like the Netflix movie, "Bird Box".

We just keep walking around aimlessly as if nothing is going on.  "Nope.  No racism here!" 

Now the NBA players are boycotting.  I'm not sure what their endgame is, but I stand behind them exercising their right to peacefully protest.  Anything that raises awareness to people of color being fed up with status quo is just fine with me.

What was the final straw that prompted this boycott?  A knuckle-headed teen shot and killed two people last night because he wanted to be a cop.  How telling is that?  And when the cops were responding to the scene, they drove right past the 17-year old, rifle-toting white kid with his hands held up in the air.  Drove right past him!  Why?  Because evidently he didn't appear to be a threat to them.  But a 12 year old black kid named Tamir Rice was shot and killed seconds after police arrived on the scene of a playground where he was playing with a toy gun.  And Tamir, unfortunately, is just one of many examples.

Racism is real.  White Privilege is real.  Racial biases are real.

What will it take for us to make you see that?

White People: Do Your Part

I don't know if my white friends understand the seriousness of this or not. Every black person has a story like this, including myself. Not all have peaceful endings. 

I don't want people to think that this stuff is new just because social media allows people to plaster it all over the web these days. Since I was a teen, I've experienced many incidents about if I "belonged" somewhere. 

Do people not realize that calling the cops on black people for no legit reason these days should be a form of criminal negligence?  If you think that someone doesn't belong then call a building manager, not the police!  Find out the truth instead of trying to intimidate someone.  White people who threaten to call the cops on black people should know that the end-result will be the severe mistreatment, and in some cases, death, of that black person.  

Until white people actually speak to their peers about correcting it then I'm afraid that it's never going to cease. Racism isn't a conversation for black people to have.  It's a conversation for white people.  White people started racism, so they have to end it.  Minorities can stomp, march, and hold signs all they want, but until white people bring this conversation into their churches and homes, it's never going to end.

I grew up in a predominantly-white school system and I had quite a few white friends. Not all white people are prejudice.  But, understand that it only takes a few dummies to make everyone look bad. Weed these people out already! Being silient is just allowing you to get unfairly lumped in with the rest these idiots. 

I won't hold my breath and wait on this to be shared, but know that an uncomfortable discussion is what it's going to take to reduce the number of prejudice people in the world like this guy.

STOP SHOOTING BLACK MEN!!!!

How many times do we have to scream it before someone acts like they care?

Another unarmed black man has been gunned down.  I've lost count of how many have died within the last few years.  If you run, then you get shot.  If you fight, then you get shot.  If you comply, then you get shot.

What does it take to not get shot other than being white?

And don't feed me that garbage about "he looked threatening" or "he was a bad guy".  Or my favorite: "we don't know what he did prior to getting shot".  Uh, did he pull a weapon and attempt to use it on a cop/civilian?  Because that's the only reason he should be shot dead.

I can name some very high profile examples of non-blacks who actually had weapons who went to jail instead of the morgue.  One even got taken to Burger King for a meal after killing multiple black people in a church.

The only way to stop these senseless killings is for:

1) Police to admit that they have a problem with their perception of black men in society.  Acknowledging that black men scare you will get the ball rolling on how to fix it.  Yes, there are some intimidating brothas out there, but if you're scared, then don't be a cop.  That's not the right job for you.  Walmart is hiring.

2) Police need to start going to jail when they kill unarmed black men.  "Oh, I didn't know he was unarmed."  Well, too bad because you're still going to get this jail time for involuntary manslaughter if nothing else.  There has to be a consequence to the action.  Paid administrative leave is not a deterrent to shooting someone.  In most cases, these shootings appear to be cold-blooded murders and should be treated as hate crimes.

3) Police need to stop training their officers to shoot to kill.  This within itself doesn't make a lot of sense to me.  If soldiers overseas have certain protocols that require shooting to kill to be a last resort, then why is it normally the first choice here in the states against our own citizens?  In the latest incident with Terence Crutcher, the cops were close enough to easily shoot Crutcher in the leg if necessary.  But, that's not what cops do.  They shoot to kill.  It has to stop.

4) Police need to do their jobs!  If your job is to put away criminals, then do so.  Even those criminals are within your police force.  Stop turning a blind eye to your "brother in blue" while families are losing loved ones on the regular.  How can you continue to put on a badge every morning that is simply seen as a piece of tin by black communities instead of something that represents integrity?  Show that you're to be trusted by doing the right thing!

It's a shame that I'm 44 years old and I'm terrified to see blue lights while traveling.  The same feeling my dad had in the 50's and 60's whenever he drove some where.  Even if you're polite and accommodating, there is no guarantee that you won't be a target over a "misinterpretation".  Imagine an agitated black youth who may not make the effort to be polite or accommodating.  How do you think his day is going to end up?

Colin Kaepernick is never going to get off the ground at the rate we're going.  I hope that he brought knee pads.  SMH.