While I have never felt the fear that runs throughout the black community, I feel a responsibility to try and create change. Many peaceful protests have turned violent and have harmed human lives as well as historical buildings. The videos and photos coming out of these protests across the nation are horrific, as you can see peaceful protestors getting shot with harmful rubber bullets, people getting arrested and put in small, crowded metal boxes with zip ties cutting off their circulation, and even medical nurse tents getting tear-gassed and shot at. Now, I understand that there is always another side to these videos and photos; however, there are many actions taken by the police that are not only morally unacceptable (like a three-year-old walking home getting tear-gassed or a bystander getting shot between the eyes with a rubber bullet) but also lawfully unacceptable (shooting at a nurses' tent which violates the Geneva Convention).

The discrimination and horrific violence that goes on today regarding the rights, discrimination, and safety of black lives, and even the safety of the right to peacefully protest. George Floyd was just the straw that broke the camel's back. Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Ronald Madison, Kendra James, Sean Bell, Eric Garner, the list goes on. The United States, rather than being a melting pot for all nationalities and voices is now a place where if you are black, you are 2.5 times as likely to be shot by the police than a white person. This discrimination and blatant racism needs to change.

In this country, many are fearful for their lives even when protesting, keeping much-needed voices from being heard. The violent nature of police brutality has now spread to the American right of peaceful protest, causing many people and governments around the world to begin to doubt the global leadership that the United States has held for so long, Foreign Policy Magazine even saying, “The overwhelmingly negative international reaction to the crackdown showed how far the United States’ reputation has fallen in the eyes of the world under the Trump presidency” and quoting a senior European diplomat who said, “The erosion of U.S. global leadership has been faster than expected.” Throughout all of this, the United States has not only taken a blow to its people, but also the reputation of our great nation. On behalf of the young people growing up in these unsteady times, we crave a change, a change that has been coming for many years but has now resurfaced heavier than ever as people inch further and further into distrust of the government and police force. I ask that you use your voice when others cannot and speak up for the injustice happening towards the black community across the nation, to change the country so my generation doesn't have to continually accept fear as part of their everyday lives like we do today.

It has become glaringly apparent that we need to take action to eradicate racial inequality. Sign here to let your congressman know that you expect them to create change.

Sincerely,

Reagan Redick