Systemic racism is still rampant in our country today. With the killings of innocent black people, it is high time we start treating these crimes as what they are- hate induced terrorism! There is no place for hate crimes, yet we still have to face the reality that every day, people are targeted based on their race, religion, sexual preference, sexual orientation, disabilities, etc. 

I believe the only way to address these crimes is to punish the people who commit them to the fullest extent. Black people in particular are scared when they get pulled over, because they don’t know if something they do is going to trigger an officer and result in injury or even death. No American should live in that kind of fear, and the sooner we as a country come together and intervene, the sooner we can truly be proud as a country to know that we take care of all of our people. 

It is not simply enough to say black lives matter- we need to send a message to those perpetrating this hatred and let them know we’re not going to sit by idly anymore. We need to live in a place where we can walk down the street and be able to expect to be treated like everyone else. As a white man who has always had black friends, I know that I can do more to help them and take measures to ensure fair treatment.