We are three months into the new year and have already had fifty mass shootings throughout the United States. Last year alone had over 950 deadly shootings caused by police officers, and this year 244 people have been shot to death by police officers, 16% of those being black people. Guns have always been an issue, especially in “urban” neighborhoods, so my question is, why did we wait so long to protest? Why did it take the Parkland shooting for people to realize that guns are a problem and should not be allowed in homes or on the streets, PERIOD? There is no excuse. Children who have grown up in cities like Chicago, L.A. and New York have seen their family members and friends shot to death because there are not any real strict gun laws put in place to prevent these things from happening. Gun violence is nothing new. All of this was happening already when the Bloods and Crips were formed in California in the 80’s and there was nothing done to control the gun violence or the black on black crime. Instead of actually trying to find a solution for the violence, Black and Latino men were criminalized and thrown away into the system to rot. People were not protesting then, and why? Because it did not affect them or their community the way these mass shootings do.
White people typically do not have to worry about being targeted or shot during a drive-by because they are closed off from that part of the world. White people also have the privilege of not worrying about being shot and killed by a police officer for fitting a description, having a cracked taillight or for simply having their hands in the air. The reason for having these protests are valid, but there is more to it than marching for mass shootings. We need to be marching for the protection of black and brown children who have to grow up learning to duck from bullets. We need to be marching so we can stop telling children of color who are growing up in impoverished neighborhoods that they can not go out because it is unsafe due to gun violence. Parents and Guardians should not be afraid to let their black or brown children outside with toy guns because it may be interpreted as a threat, and ultimately lead to them getting killed by police for having a “weapon”. No one should have to endure the pain of losing their child to gun violence, whether it is on the streets or in school. People of color are judged for being involved in gangs but what about when white kids are being picked on and decide to kill half of their graduating class? They are not considered “thugs” or “grown men”. All of a sudden they are “mentally unstable” or “they have had a troubled past”. There is always an excuse for white men who have had their egos hurt. White men are so used to having their privilege that it is a complete culture shock when they are rejected or told that they are not allowed to do something.
Black and brown men need to be treated the same way when they commit crimes. No one reports the hardships black men face when they commit a crime, they are dehumanized and criminalized without hesitation. Where were the gun control protests when Trayvon Martin, Philando Castile, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Alton Sterling, Oscar Grant, John Crawford III, Walter Scott, Sean Bell, LaQuan McDonald, Rekia Boyd, Jonathan Ferrell, Terrence Crutcher, Renisha McBride, Jamar Clark, and Ramarley Graham were killed? If Gun laws were changed then, those 17 people in Parkland would have been here, and Stephon Clark would have been here for his two baby boys. America needs to keep this same energy the next time a black or brown person is shot and killed.