Hello Future President,

My name is Rex Smith. I just wanted to inform you of my concerns about police brutality. First, let me start by saying that police officers have a dangerous job, and there will be situations where law enforcement must act for the safety of others and also for their own protection. With that being said, I feel that it comes down to inherent biases. I feel that the society has portrayed an image in America that makes some people of white ethnicity fear black people. And I feel that is wrong.

This created a troublesome predicament.The abuse of one's power of authority is ridiculous and must be put to a stop.Many innocent black lives have been taken away just because of this abuse of power. Take the killing of Trayvon Martin, Alton Sterling, Kendra James, Philando Castile, Michael Brown, and many others to heart. Most, if not all of these police killing cases had an outcome of the man in blue walking off without any form of punishment or consequences to face. 

And it's not just blacks, many people of white ethnicity have been gunned down by someone wearing a badge. According to the Guardian's police killing database, it is reported that in the first half of 2016, around 532 people have been killed by police officers. They reported that 271 blacks were killed by the police and 261 whites have been killed by officers. 

I feel like there are some ways to stop police brutality. We need to protest police stations and government venues about every incident of police brutality. Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Malcolm X, and many other civil right movement participants didn't resort to the use of violence and it got us where we are today, which means we are taking a step in the right direction, and we shouldn't stray from the path these people sacrificed their lives for on behalf of us. I also feel like we could use cameras to record these incidents. In many cases, police have made excuses after killing someone. ( like my camera fell off me so it couldn't catch what happened) That's why it's important to have a second or third party recording the situation. Also, African Americans and Native Americans should use their collective voice to fight the problems in our community and stand up for what is right by getting rid of politicians who condone this. We should also train our officers to reach for a taser rather than a gun that could end  life. 

This is supposed to be a country of unity, equality, and freedom. This country should just be called the "SA" instead of "USA" because there is nothing united about us if we can't even resolve issues and stand together as a fist, rather than separate like fingers. What would you do if your child was subjected to police brutality? Hopefully you can make it to where that day never comes when the love for any of my family members is tested because of the wrong doings of someone wearing a badge.

Sincerely,

Rex Smith