Dear Next President,

I am very proud of our country. We have come a very long way from the old days of slavery and other racial inequalities, but I feel we still have a long way to go. Everyday African Americans face inequality whether it’s police brutality or wage inequality. This needs to be stopped.

According to truth-out.org, in 2011, for every $100 of median wealth owned by white households, black households own $7. How is that even possible? Not only that, the gap has been growing! It was up to $9 for black households back in 1994.

The ten worst police brutality cases alone all happened to African Americans. Coincidence? I think not. I hear a lot of controversy over this topic. The thing I hear the most is “Police kill more white people than any other race every year.” And this is true. Although, according to The Washington Post, “White people make up roughly 62% of the US population but only 49% of those who are killed by police officers. African Americans, however, account for 24% of those fatally shot and killed by police despite being just 13% of the US population.”So therefore, more African Americans do get killed because of that ratio.

As a teenager, social media is a pretty big part of my life. Everyday I see stories of police brutality. Just the other day I heard that a black male called 911 to report a robbery and ended up getting beat to death by the police. These things break my heart even though I haven't encountered them first-hand. I could never imagine being scared to call the people who are supposed to serve and protect me because I feel my life would be threatened.

The thing that bothers me the most is the fact that these people walk away, with no punishment nor removal from position. They are killing our people and getting away with it with ease. Future President, I’m asking you to fire these officers, not just suspend them from their duties. Because in all honesty I feel like that's the only way they will understand there are punishments for their actions.

Also, Future President, I’m asking you to stand for the people that support you, and also the people that don’t because you are the leader of our country and it’s your job to stand for these matters!

Sincerely,

Elyse C.