In the 1960's, People like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others marched side by side to protest the treatment and segregation of people of color vs Caucasian counterparts. In 1964, the 14th amendment to the US Constitution was signed into law, thus ending the practice of segregation and the adoption of the the Equal Opportunities Commission, thus making it a federal crime to discriminate based on sex, color, religious beliefs.  Since that time, little progress has been made. There are still people who practice active discrimination in both the professional and personal worlds. How is it now, that almost 56 years  later, we find ourselves still locked in battle with each other over the simple amount of pigmentation in each others skin? At some point in time, revolution has to come about. To ignore this is to cause insult to the ones that came before us, Caucasian and of color alike. It means that the deaths of people like Dr. King and others were in vain.      I can recall, as a student in high school, learning that Dr. King preached non-violence in protests. He saw then what we should see now. That violence only begets violence. Those that so bravely fought the oppression and segregation of man deserve better than what we have become. Violence gets us nowhere, as we are currently seeing today.
     Take for example the most recent tragedy of Mr. George Floyd. Mr. Floyd asked, begged for help in the last moments of his life. Off duty medical providers and citizens alike begged for mercy to be shown. The officers involved failed to do their most basic duty in this instance. To protect and serve should be more than just paint on a car. They failed to PROTECT Mr. Floyd.
     We, the undersigned, are requesting more than simple justice for Mr. Floyd and his family. We are asking each person who takes the time to read this, demand better of society and themselves. It's fairly easy to sit back and ask for justice and to use words that have little effect without action. It's 2020, where is the better future we all look to? In order to bring change you have to be willing to be the change you want to see in this world. 
       I am a lowly paramedic. I treat the worst things to be seen in present day, to include gunshot victims, sexual assaults, and poisoning unintentionally  caused by those seeking to escape this nightmare that is our current society. I never judge my patient based on the color of their skin or the situation they find themselves in. Rather by the character of person that they are to me and my fellow first responders.  I will always treat you with the same respect I would ask that you treat me. I am not arrogant enough, however, to ignore the fact that there are bad apples out there that make our jobs harder. That cause situations like the one Mr. Floyd got into on the 25th of May 2020.
       All of that being said, it is clear to me that there needs to be a change. Not merely in the treatment of offenders or suspected offenders, not even in just the treatment of authority or those in custody. But to our fellow man or woman. Since we have seen that those elected to represent us have failed to do so, we the  undersigned ask for new legislation to be enacted. We ask that if you witness discrimination, you have the right to speak freely to someone who has the ability to do something without fear of reprisal. And that those who perpetrate the discrimination or cause the death of an innocent to be held accountable. And to the highest level of punishment available. But it cannot end there.
     We are asking for a higher standard to be held in both the public and private sectors. We ask that each race and sex be given equal and fair representation. And that the partisan tactics used by our elected officials cease and desist. .That the new "normal" be one that is not based upon the color of skin, or the amount of wealth accrued, but that all parties are represented fairly and equally, in both the federal governments and the local levels. 
        If you have read this, in it's entirety, you agree to be the change you want to see in your community at the very least. Judge a person not by the color of his skin, but of the character they display. Force the future generations to stop looking at color or sex or orientation, but at the person underneath all of this.