So how can we help you to stop killing us?

Well, wasn’t expecting this post in my Facebook feed this morning. It could not happen again so soon after Alton Sterling?

Yet, this morning, I watched a man die. 

What do you need for us Black people to do to keep you from killing us when we are not committing a crime or visibly pointing a gun at you? If the goal is for all of us to get home safely, what do you need us to do? #BlackSkinIsNotaCrime

Busted tail light…officer asks for I.D./registration. He tells the officer it is in his pocket and that he has a gun which he is licensed to carry. He goes to get his wallet. Officer tells him to not get it put his hands where he can see. As he goes to put his hands where the officer can see, he is shot at least 4 times. You can hear the panic in the officer’s voice afterwards throughout the video.

They watched him die.

His sister watched her brother die on FB.

His girlfriend and her daughter were in the car.

They watched him die.

Now for those people who say he should’ve had all of his paperwork out as the officer was approaching, guaranteed he would’ve been shot. Why? Because the officer would’ve said he thought he was reaching for a gun.

We have watched him die.

So here’s my question to police officers, friends, and families of police officers: What do you need for us Black people to do to keep you from killing us when we are not committing a crime or visibly pointing a gun at you? If the goal is for all of us to get home safely, what do you need us to do? 

If I am pulled over, I will keep my hands on the steering wheel. If the officer asked for my license registration, I am going to say, “I am afraid to move my hands. I don’t want you to think I’m reaching for anything, so could you go in my pocketbook and get my license and I’ll tell you where the registration is located.” 

Oh, but then I am consenting to a search of my vehicle and personal property which I don’t have to do unless the officer clearly states that I am being arrested and the search is part of the arrest. So…give up my rights or stay alive? This can happen anywhere.

This morning I watched  Philando Castile die. 

Yesterday, I watched Alton Sterling die.

#BlackSkinIsNotACrime