And I believe that black lives matter. 1 in 15 African American men are in jail, even though they take up less than 20 percent of our population. African men and women feel their jail sentences are unjust, that they are disproportionate to their race and to the crime. Several times this year there have been cases of police violence, even to the point of murder; we have videos of police men ganging together and beating black men, of policemen shooting black men who try to flee or who resist arrest. We had a case of a police officer to intimidated black women into rape, and we had another officer drag a black student across the floor.
And if people are gathering in the streets in protest of this behavior, if they are holding up signs saying, "remember that we matter," if there have been looting in the streets, if police officers have been indicted by this behavior, and if people are dying and crying out because of injustice...
Explain to them why you turn and say, "All lives matter."
If you believe this, than it should not be an issue. Just say it.
Yes.
Black lives matter.
If all lives matter, than your life matters. And I'm sorry you feel you're being treated otherwise.
We'll give you a better chance to succeed in our country, we'll make sure your sentences are proportionate to your crime, we will make sure every police officer who thinks it's okay to use the death sentence against a civilian is properly punished. We will stop racially profiling you, assuming the worst about you, looking down on you before getting to know you.
Because no amount of racism in this country is acceptable. And we're going to keep fighting for your equal rights until you are treated like equals.
Because all lives matter.
Because black lives matter.
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