Dear President,

I realize that I have no voice in this roaring country as of now, but I do believe you should extend an ear to those who aren’t able to be heard over the madness today. I am not the only human being that finds the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement uneasy. BLM is a national organization created to take action and respond to the virulent “anti-black racism” that takes place in our society today, according to the organizations webpage. The movement began in 2012 after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was placed on trial for his own murder and the killer, George Zimmerman, was not held accountable for the crime he committed. Many people believed this was a racist-based case and would not allow their opinions to get washed out.

Some groups of BLM participated in silent protests. But when popular news channels began to broadcast cases of shootings between police officers and blacks more frequently, things immediately grew out of hand. Newscasters tend to build off of one recent, hot topic and dramatize it in order to gain hits and viewers. However, what they aren’t broadcasting are the statistics of both sides of the story. In 2015, The Washington Post launched a database to track fatal police shootings. In the span of six months, 1,502 people had been shot and killed by on-duty police officers. 732 of the victims were white, 381 black, and 382 a different race. Many people who hear these numbers don’t stop to think the reasoning behind these deaths. The officers may have felt threatened and did what they had to in order to protect themselves and those around them. We spectators aren’t always informed of these scenarios.

Those jumping to conclusions have separated themselves from those around them. On September 17, 2016 a group of University of North Carolina students protested by dressing in all black and sat during the National Anthem. There have also been violent protests such as the one in Dallas, TX. A BLM rally was being held in Dallas when a dozen officers showed up and five were gunned down and sadly murdered by the organization’s supporters. The movement began as a prevention of violence, but aren’t they contradicting themselves? What will happen to the generations to come if there is separation in our country? Will the acts of those who helped end racial segregation be thrown in the dirt? Help stop the media from corrupting the thoughts of its viewers. The people of America need your help.

Sincerely,

Emily