After watching the video of Terence Crutcher, my heart breaks at the pure hatred, prejudices and abuse of authority that continues to take place at the hands of law enforcement. But this post is not a rant about how the murder of Terence Crutcher is wrong. To hear my thoughts on police brutality, here’s a previous post I’ve written on this matter. This post is to address the inconsistency and disorder of our generation, and when I say our, I mean black people and anyone else who joins in on the controversial conversations only for the moment. What I mean is why is it that we are only talking about this issue when the media broadcasts it? We are angry one day and the next day we are going about our business. If we have reached the brink of outrage, grief and disgust, what are we doing daily to fight? If we look back at our ancestors who fought for our legal rights in the 50s and 60s, although circumstances were different, they were consistent. It didn’t take the media or an event to spark their will to speak out and fight. Protest was a lifestyle.
If we have reached the brink of outrage, grief and disgust, what are we doing daily to fight?
If you are truly fed up, what are you doing to speak against it in your everyday life, not just when the media chooses to air a story? And please remember that the same government that hires the men that commits these crimes is the same government that is flooding the news stations and social channels with these stories.
So let your passions be your protest. Don’t talk about Terence Crutcher today and forget about him tomorrow when the angry tweets cease and the Facebook videos of police brutality stop circulating. The next big story will hit, and Crutcher’s death will no longer be the hot topic anymore. Let’s keep the conversation of police brutality relevant with or without media attention. You don’t have to be a celebrity to make a stand. If you’re a writer, write about it. If you’re a painter, paint about it. If you’re a musician, make music about it. Let us use our talents to make a positive stand. Let Your Passion be Your Protest. #letyourpassionbeyourprotest
Originally Posted September 23rd, 2016
Edited June 5th, 2020