Yes, Black Lives Matter!

I would never imagine that American’s factual statements can be considered an insult. Not only do these harmless factual sentences offend but repeating dictionary approved, factual, non-opinion words can be perceived as a act of aggression that could lead to violence. How is that possible?

I am not speaking of/to or showing support for the organization. I am however, making a factual statement that describes an absolute truth. Black Lives do MATTER. And, if that bothers you, come see me. Please direct me to evidence showing that this is not true.

We should not defend any violence, anger, hate, nor discontent against one another; no matter how people can rationally justify it in their own mind. This behavior is shameful, un-American and dangerously close to treason.

Black lives matter

All lives matter

Police lives matter

Donald Trump is your president.

Those four sentences are all absolutely true yet those words cause so many people to be uncomfortable. How can a word be loaded into a person’s mouth and directed at another but create the illusion that a victim was shot with a gun like a bullet penetrated their body.

Have you not heard sticks and stones before? Americans must be comfortable with the uncomfortable. People must learn to work out their differences so we may learn to live together. The hypersensitivity consuming our people is the worse type of virus our species ever spread.

Freedoms of the Constitution are the only way we can live with each other;  Freedoms of the Constitution are rules that allow people with differences to coexist; Freedoms of the Constitution give us the the blueprint to live in harmony. If at anytime the freedoms of the Constitution are threatened; Peace can never be obtained. 

I am saddened by the behavior of a broken system and the continued defense of the indefensible. It sickens me that in 2020 we must have this conversation with grown adults.  In what reality is it okay for a person abuse another? In what reality is rioting protesting? In what reality is it okay for a person to take the life of a defenseless human being?

Uncomfortable truths lead to uncomfortable questions; which must elicit uncomfortable answers.  If race, politics, sexual orientation, and religion all are topics that make you uncomfortable, imagine what its like to have a knee pressed against the back of your neck as you beg for your life. Or explaining to your family your business was burnt to the ground by peaceful protesters.

This moment was meant to happen.  Not the continued acts of violence and tolerance of hatred, but what will come from it.  This is a perfect storm.  This is what revolutions are and what movies are written about.  This could very well have been another round of injustices acknowledged and quickly dismissed by the powers that be. 

However, many hardworking Americans are out of work and pissed off at the status quo, and rightfully so.  We must focus on healing America and respecting everyone. We will make tomorrow better. Everything fell in place at the right moment at the right time.

These events will be studied and analyzed for years by politicians, sociologists, psychologists, and anyone one willing to address what we were never allowed to discuss in public.  This will be taught in our children’s history books and future generations will question the competency of our leaders in the timeline of the last 150 years. 

They will not be able to comprehend why people treated each other this way, especially in the land of the free.  We are witnessing history and it is about damn time.  Do not run from it, do not hide from it, do not try to stop it.  For this, is how change is achieved. 

These words are not a blanket statement and not every person is deserving of this criticism. But, those who are upset at my words, may need to take a good long look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Do I defend the indefensible, “Is my bias clouding my judgement?, Do I contribute to the problem?”

We must not generalize and make assumptions when we have enough facts to get to the truth. The big truth that is important always and especially now, THE RULE OF LAW– must be protected.

There is a standard for every private citizen and a standard for employment activities. How can we not believe the rule of law must be protected?

Why do people assume rioting, violence, destruction of property, and civil unrest is a form of protected assembly under the 1st Amendment?

Why do people assume verbal and physical assault or taking a life of a private citizen by a police officer is okay and does not violate the 4th Amendment.

If you are a protester, protest. If you are a police officer, be a police officer. But once you cross that line you are neither a protester nor a police officer and accountability must be had.

I am not anti-cop, anti-black, anti-rule of law. I am however anti-ignorant. Do not let your bias blind you to the truth or whats right and just. That way of thinking is irrational and perplexes me.

What is more perplexing to me, is the fact some of these atrocities are committed by government actors and people who know better.  It is much deeper than the abuse of power we witness on television and social media.  The very system that is built to protect the innocent; strives to protect the guilty. 

It is a systematic failure that prevents society from holding those individuals accountable for their actions and inactions.  Because of this, it continues to be a generational lapse of judgement, allowing the same system to wash, rinse, and repeat without failure.

It is ingrained in the fabric of our society and in our daily routines.  We only notice it when we are forced to look for it, but it is not hard to find and it never really disappears, does it?  Skip the notion of standing in solidarity with the victims of these hateful acts or empty gestures.  You can have the solidarity; we will keep the change.

Real change, not the change that makes you feel good for a day but change that advances societies to the next evolutionary step of progress.  Change that alters norms forever, substantial change.  To the men and women who’ve suffered and those who stood with them and continue to stand with the oppressed, you are my heroes.

You are who I wish to become.  Humankind need not to create fictional superheroes to stand up for what is right. All that is required is to look at one another, right now in this very moment.  Your moment, our moment, their moment. 

Judgment is not passed in the moment or during the circumstances surrounding the events but graded by those who follow us later.  Yet the trauma, pain, and consequences are not felt by later generations but by those who continue to endure.

For those who know me; know I am a roller-coaster of raw emotions and at times it consumes me.  I do not have an issue with saying what is on my mind, nor do I have an issue standing for what is right, standing for what is fair, or standing for what is just. 

I was old enough to remember what it felt when I watched police officers beat a man named Rodney King.  I knew it was wrong at 10 years old and I know it is wrong now.  What have we become as a country, as a society, as a people?  I barely recognize the country I love or the people who represent what America is supposed to be. 

I also remember the L.A. riots on the television and asking my parents what is wrong with people. Now my children, niece, and nephews are privy to the same violence, the same destruction, and the same type of people disguising their actions as just and somehow a way to move forward.

Our behavior is not okay nor is it reflective of a civilized people. In case people need reminded that all positions can be twisted to the narrative of selfish bias people.

“Let’s be clear, we said: Black Lives Matter. We never said only Black Lives Matter. That was the media, not us. In truth, we know that All Lives Matter. We’ve supported your lives throughout history. Now we need your help with Black Lives Matter, for black lives are in danger.”

Gene Testimony Hall

What about those words offend you? What about those words make you want to destroy the very same community that you must live in? Or is it the fact you don’t respect people, property, and the Rule of Law?

Some people may not understand what it is to be empathetic.  That is who I am.  I cry for others.  I feel their pain.  I do not have an issue putting myself in the shoes of others.  Please do not mistake this for weakness.  I have no issue expressing emotions for victims and outrage at their suffering, neither should you.

Why must we be outraged by videos alone?  Why are we motivated by the thought of-that could be me or that could be my children?  Is it not enough to know a person is suffering or an injustice is occurring to a person?  Shouldn’t the very mention of this behavior sound the alarm, create change, and unite an entire people?

Why do we have to sit back and watch people shut down highways as if they have the right to do that. That is not peaceful. That is not progress. That is chaos. Why are cities under siege and politicians playing political leverage games with civility. That is not honorable. That is not just. That is shameful.

This is a very supercharged emotional issue.  And, people must remain capable of following the laws in a time of crisis. You do not have the privilege to remove a person right to be free of harm because you are angry. You do not have the right to burn property. You do not have the right to take a life because you posses the authority to do so

At the very core of what is occurring, it is racism.  That combined with incompetent leaders who lead by party and likeness or similarities. Do not fan the flames. Stand with one another.

The pain, the true loss, is only felt by the loved ones who lost that special person in their life.  Not to dismiss what they lost or to minimize the trauma and pain they suffered, but this is bigger than them. 

I continue to watch my countrymen murdered, beat, and treated less than humans.  Have we grown so callous self-absorbed that we forgot what it is to be an American?  We all should be civil rights activists and stand for anyone who is under attack. 

Whether it be from a government, its actors, businesses, or individual actions, we should not tolerate any type of discrimination or selfish actions when it creates hardships for free men and women.

Not because those people do not matter, they absolutely do matter.  The loss of their lives has sparked a revolution and what happens next is the change previously mentioned.  This is bigger than race, this is bigger than hate.  The larger picture; the means to the end.  This is about the people taking their power back and putting the world on notice.

We cannot allow people to lose focus and destroy or cause decay to our values, our beliefs, and our peace. Please use passion when protesting, not anger. Please use words when getting a point across, not violence. Let us not forget why we are here. But also let us not forget we must support the Rule of Law, while supporting the police, so they can support the Black Lives Matter movement.

However, this moment, what is occurring right now, is about race and we should be mindful of that.  This is about the way a group of people are affected.  This is about their pain and they way they feel.  All should be wise to remember that.  Not because white people fear offending what it is to be black in America but because they need us, they are us, we are Americans and we are people. 

Until true equality exists in America, we can never truly recover from slavery.  Slavery is morally and ethically wrong. It is also unconstitutional, and we fought a bloody war to finally end the atrocities of that culture, but have we truly changed anything?  It seems as if every other generation finds a new way to inflict their will on a people as they continue to oppress what is different, while ignoring what is similar.

I have remained relatively quiet as I watch the country I love slip into yet another round of chaos.  It hurts to see all the pain and anger all around me.  I imagine in some sort of way it is my fault.  I wish I could do more.  I fear that it is arrogance in my belief that I have the answers and can solve the issues that continue to threaten the very existence of this nation that I love.

How disrespectful of me to those leaders who are doing the right thing as I elevate myself to a position of authority in an attempt to somehow convince myself that I have the answers.  I am consumed by illusions of grandeur thinking this will solve anything or offer a bit of guidance.  Maybe it will maybe it won’t, but I can no longer contain what I believe is the issue and the threat to our very existence as a civilized society. 

I have grown tired of the lack of leadership and the incompetency of those with authority.  I was always under the illusion that the people appointed to govern and lead us would always do the right thing as they deliver us from evil.  How naive of me to believe a standard would exist in the White House, the halls of Congress, State, or local level of government.  Shame on you all.

We will have to do this without them.  People generally do not agree on every topic nor will they always compromise or find common ground; however, they are things we must agree on if we are to be a united people.  Everything has a purpose and the purpose must be protected at all cost.  We can all agree that treating each other as we would want to be treated is the floor of basic human interaction.

The best way to govern people is the system we are currently blessed to be a part of.  We must ensure that all people have equal rights.  That is something we can all agree on, unequivocally.  People are asking for understanding and consideration.  That is what we must give them.

The oppressed are not asking for anything other than being treated the same as white people.  Nothing more, nothing less.  We can do better, we must do better. 

~“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses

yearning to breathe free.”~

It may be difficult for some to understand but stand back and think critically, observe your surroundings, and listen to those who informing the world that the system is broken.  Equality is the only way we can transcend to what we are destined to be.  Treating the unequal equal and the equal unequal. 

That is social justice and that is the norm we should all strive to be a part of.  Remember once we achieve this, we still have a lot of work to do.  So don’t get lazy and forget that.  If we are going to do it lets do it big.  But, first things first, lets hold our black community up and let them understand that we do love you and you are just as important as anyone else.

Below I have seven topics that must be addressed to restore balance and to prevent the destruction of our way of life.  These are not an exhaustive list nor are they complete based on the heading.  Feel free to add to or substitute my thoughts.  Please think of these as a way to assist us in our struggle to coexist.  Shouldn’t that be the goal of each and everyone of us.  Let us all leave this place just a little bit better than the way we found it.

• LEADERSHIP MUST BE PRESENT

This of course seems very odd to acknowledge since we are a society of advance cultures, progressing and making improvements as we go.  For some reason it seems we have stalled and actual stopped moving forward to enhance the lives of all who seek protection from persecution.

We need leaders to stand and return some normalcy to our daily lives.  Where are you?

To the people, use your most powerful tool, your voice.  Let your leaders know how you feel.  Protest, organize, and for the love of this wonderful Nation vote. We are not informed enough nor do we participate adequately as a people to take care of our duties as citizens. When this occurs we fail America and each other.

It seems that the United States may have a minority of people in our population that probably shouldn’t vote or even run for positions within the government, but here we are.  The United States has close to 220 million registered voters.  Think about those who failed to vote in 2016 Presidential election.  The absent registered voters would have surpassed and outnumbered the total voters who participated by nearly 90 million.

Our failure to put in leaders in positions of authority who possess the skills and competency has led to the continued decline of our country.  Our two-party political system is broken and does not adequately reflect the will of the people anymore.  No one cares about party lines, if they do they are the minority.  Most reasonable Americans would like to see guidance and leadership from a professional not bound by party lines that do nothing more than divide us.

Something needs to change.  It is odd to me that we live in a country where people are homeless and suffer through inadequacies such as lack healthcare, lack of proper nutrition, or a livable wage so people are able to provide for their family.  Yet someone can spend over $1 billion dollars to lose an election or spend $450 million dollars to drop from a primary race only after a month of campaigning.

We must put the proper leaders in a position to lead us from the front.  Americans are less than impressed with the current situation.  How is it reasonable that people get paid $174,000.00 a year to be a Senator or a Representative only to not accomplish what the people so desperately need?

Do not vote by party lines, likeness, or how famous or well known a person is.  Vote for character and what they stand for.  United States’ citizens pay entirely too much money in salaries to not see a return on our investment.  Isn’t that what we are doing?  Americans invest everything we hold important in our elected leaders and we must hold them accountable.

Sometimes I think I can do a better job than what we are forced to choose from…

• GEORGE FLOYD’S TRIAL MUST BE FAIR, EXPEDIENT, AND HAPPEN SOONER THAN LATER

In consideration of the state of affairs in the United States our government must expedite the trial and hold those accountable to justice.  Due process cannot be violated, and an ending of the continued corruption or protection of the status quo must end post haste.

This will allow our country and its people to heal.  We cannot delay and we must not sacrifice what is fair, just, and allowed under our Constitution for a quick verdict.  However, this is the most important trial in dealing with America’s people.  The world is watching, do not take this lightly or fail in your duty to seek justice for George Floyd and all those voices who have been silenced in the past.

• TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN, POLICE, POLICE, POLICE

Police must be trained continuously and must remain disciplined at all times.  The job of a police officer is without a doubt quite difficult and the amount of stress that one must endure is no doubt overwhelming.  However, is it not your job to serve and protect?  You set the standard of public interaction and what must be done.

I am not a police officer, so I do not have the authority, luxury, or experience to aid in the process of creating a better police force or what is required to accomplish such a difficult and complicated task. Nor would I be so arrogant to think the powers that be should listen to me, although, we can all agree on what should be appropriate and inappropriate to do as an officer who upholds the law.

The aggressiveness and the illusion of a police officer’s authority being absolute is part of the symptoms fueling the anger and unrest among our citizens.  Nothing will change until those in power recognize the issues and change it from within.  Be the heroes and stand against corruption. 

If you are a police officer, you should be appalled and disrespected that one of your own is abusing their authority.  No one is above the law and even the perception of such a belief is enough to deteriorate the legitimacy of what the police force should stand for.

I do not want to criticize and attack the police as I respect them and the rule of law.  Police officers are not all bad and those who are, are an exceedingly small minority who do not represent what the police force stands for.  Stand up against police brutality, especially in your own ranks.

Those who are clamoring for the disbanding and defunding of police are mistaken.  The country cannot count on people to police themselves.  There is no way to protect what we all treasure so deeply without them.  WE MUST SUPPORT THE POLICE and at the same time support all WHO HAVE THEIR RIGHTS VIOLATED BY AN INDIVIDUAL WHO DOES NOT RESPECT THE LAW.

Let us hold those accountable for their misdeeds and support the ones doing the right thing.  Together we can create a better policing force for America.  Do not wage war against the police.  Imagine the chaos that would happen without them.

It brings my heavy heart great joy to see officers around the nation stand with protestors and stand up for what is right.  You are the standard, the ones we look to when we are in need.  You are the brave ones who stand firm when others stumble, and we need you now more than ever.  Be that standard

• LEGISLATE

Create legislation punishing those who try to blur the line of what is right and wrong.  Not everything is justified.  Make a special governmental agency that investigates and determines exactly what actually happened.  This agency should not be part of the police force and should not report to any other authority except their own. 

However, we must keep in mind that the evidence they find must be weighed in a trial and the due process that protects every citizen should not be offended.  We must not sidestep what is just for efficiency and convictions.

Create legislation that funds the training that police officers need to properly protect and serve the people and society who need them.  Allow them to train as they fight so when they are put in a situation that is highly stressful, they are more likely to succeed and less likely to make a mistake.

For the love of everything stop militarizing the police force.  No one should fear the police.  Transforming the police force so they resemble the military with training and military grade equipment is not okay.  How many departments really need an armored vehicle that is used for neutralizing a threat in a combat situation?

It is time to review, rebuild, and create a system that can serve competing interests but represent fairness, justice, and the rule of law.

• STANDARD OF RESPECT

Is too much to ask to treat each other with a standard of respect all are able to receive and enjoy?  Have your parents failed to teach you basic principles and values.  As I observe the continued failure of human interactions, I think to myself a few more ass beatings may have changed the way some people’s children are acting.

Have we forgot that each of us have the duty to teach and prepare the next generation that is to inhabit the earth after us?  Did we give up on the goal of raising our children to be better than us?  Do we want to continue raising children who do not respect each other?

I was under the impression that all the adults had a mutual understanding to create a better generation than what they were in.  It saddens me to think that a number of children are without a proper role model in their home.  And when that is missing from the home, school is where it must be learned.

We removed the importance and value of what our education system had the ability to do.  We stripped religion, we stripped patriotism, we stripped the ability for our teachers to create stand up Americans.  We stripped anything valuable that would allow our teachers to create wonderful young men and women.  Those who would later grow up to be community leaders, police officers, politicians, and basic tolerant human beings.

• TOLERANCE

In the event that a misunderstanding or false narrative exists, you do not have the right to tell someone their way of live is wrong and yours is somehow superior.  In what version of the Constitution of the United States of America did you read, “I am guaranteed to have my way of life or beliefs respected above all others and if theirs offends me I will cry and elect leaders who are willing to violate the basic freedoms of others.”

Not one race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or country is better than or above one another.  The list provided are all equal and cannot claim superiority over the other.  Unless, the actions and character of one allow the others to hold them to a standard of which the world agrees is necessary to coexist.

I believe in life there exist all but one absolute, it is death.  Other than that, everything else is simply word association and nothing more.  However, because humankind has always created what was previously nothingness, for its creation to exist certain limited internal absolutes must be present If these were to fail their creation would cease to exist, collapsing on itself.  Whether or not we agree, these variables must be constant for continued existence.

We are all blessed and present in this wonderful life and cohabitate the world together.  We must create rules and beliefs that all must follow regardless if you agree to them.  This allows us to live a life free of persecution and the threat of harm.  It also allows us to grow together and progress as a people, so we are able to accomplish greatness that was never thought possible.  For when we are united nothing is impossible.

• THE GOLDEN RULE

Live it, love it, teach it.

Please, do not give up on America, it is pure.  America is an idea.  It is not a place, it is not a government, it is not a people, and it is sure as hell not a race.  It is greater than all that.  It is vision that allows people to coexist and fight for what is just, what is right, and what is fair.  People perverse things.  America is not broken, the people who control it are. 

What America represents, the ideas it expresses, the changes it has made across the world must endure and outlast any people or society.  It is pure and we must continue to filter out the sediments that threaten to erode all we have achieved.

If you made it this far, that is a good is a start.  Complaining, watching, doing nothing, offering no solutions is part of the problem.  We are all in this together.    Remember, we will need one another to get through this.  We must work together to heal our fractures. We need each other.

Greatness and the unachievable has always needed the best of us and this is no different.  It may seem difficult and others may dismiss the belief that we can coexist or live peacefully in spite of our differences, please ignore the static.

Please remember; the pursuit of success, achieving a goal, and doing the impossible is not and has never been contingent on others believing in you.  Neither is the difficulty of what lies ahead when deciding to pursue a vision or inspire change.  Stay the course, believe in each other, and stand for what is right.

One last thing, yes BLACK lives do matter, POLICE lives matter, and all lives matter.  How can you find that offensive?  Let us stand by the two groups who are at odds, as we all are American. You need not kneel on you own any longer, take my hand and stand beside me as we fight these injustices together; once and for all.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.