It's 2015, and I fear for my life.
In case you aren't caught up with current events, on Wednesday night Dylann Roof went into a Bible study at a local historic black church and fatally shot nine people. Why did he do it? Because according to Dylann Roof, black people "rape our women, and you're (blacks) taking over our country. And you have to go."
I'm not here to have the race debate. I'm tired of it. You can argue that Mike Brown was a thug, Trayvon Martin was a dumb teenager, Freddie Gray had it coming, Tamir Rice deserved it for having a toy gun out, but what recent events have shown me is that I am not safe. I'm scared to engage with police. Yes, not all cops are bad. But how do I know which ones I can trust? How do I know when an officer is having an off day? I fear that one day I will interact with an officer and rub him/her the wrong way. I feel the weight of being different every day.
I've come to the realization that if something were to happen to me like Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray, or Tamir Rice (or the many others), I would not be the least surprised. I honestly wouldn't. I can even picture myself in a similar situation. What I have realized is that I am no longer safe. I thought I was, but I was wrong. I'm not safe at the local recreation center (Tamir Rice). I'm not safe at my local corner store (Trayvon Martin). I'm not safe in police custody (Freddie Gray). And the worst realization is that I am not safe in my local church (Dylann Roof).
It's 2015, and I fear for my life.