Do Black Lives Really Matter?

On Tuesday morning July 5, police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana shot and killed Alton Sterling. The next day, Wednesday July 6, police in Falcon Heights, Minnesota (a suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul shot and killed Philando Castile. We here at R3 collected some reflections. If you have a reflection you would like to share, please email us at [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Facebook. 

Dropped by my son’s place of employment to give him a hug and tell him I love him. We’ve had the talk for years about what to do if stopped but it’s not always adequate. But I just needed to touch him. It’s a heart thing. Current events bear this out– again. My heart has been weary today. I got up this morning, needing to run. Needing to clear my head for a moment for I think back on the traffic stops I’ve experienced, the times some of those (not all) who are supposed to protect and serve decided to harass instead. I thought about how easy it is to become suspect. Just tired, angry and disgusted. The violence against black lives, people of color and others just continues and for some it’s business as usual. SMDH! #‎blacklivesmatter‬–John Gilmore

Mistakenly I listened to the cries of ‪#‎AltonSterling‬‘s 15 year old son saying, “I want my daddy.” Do you know the agonizing hurt a 15 year old boy has to feel to cry out like that in public?! Then I heard ‪#‎LavishReynold‬‘s daughter say to her mom, “It’s ok. I’m right here with you.” Do you know that a 4 year old had witnessed horror and still stand in strength? That’s strength she shouldn’t know. That’s resilence she shouldn’t have to exert. That’s not her job. That’s not her place. Or is it? When our worlds are rocked it is the women and children who are left to pick up the pieces. Don’t believe me? Ask the mothers of those gone on before‪#‎PhilandoCastile‬. Ask your momma.-NaKeesha Davis

As blacks legally arm themselves for protection, and a mistaken belief that the second amendment applies to them/us we/or they. It causes whites who legally exercise the rights, to see black as “fearful ” strangers from a different world. Thus, the police don’t give blacks the benefits of the doubt when stopped or the promises guaranteed by the imprimatur of the law when they are stopped. Therefore, the police have declared a de facto war against blacks men and boys. The answer is clear, if you are armed and are confronted by a group of whites and cops you must be ready to fight or die. And black lives rarely matter.-Dwight D. Watson

I think some people get offended by the ‪#‎blacklivesmatter‬ movement because they think it’s the same as white power or other movements that espouse that they love themselves AND hate everything unlike them. There is no hate for non-black, non-Christian, non-American, non-straight or whatever else those other groups believe in. It’s not a movement of exclusion It’s just a concerted effort to bring injustices against a particular group of people to light and a call to action for change. POINT. BLANK. PERIOD-Trella Nun Ya

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