As I prepared to record my run, I thought to myself, “At least if they kill me, it will be on tape.” The sad part is that it’s not even a joke.
You have to give it to them. They unabashedly hunt us in broad daylight - unafraid of the consequences because the same system that vilifies us will protect them.
They’ve been doing it for hundreds of years, but they keep finding new ways to kill us.
When we…
- walk in our neighborhood.
- sit in our car.
- play in the park.
- are in our own homes.
- run in our neighborhood.
Yet, it’s justified because…
- they were standing their ground.
- we fit a description.
- we fit a description.
- we weren’t polite enough.
- we had a weapon (licensed or not).
- we committed a misdemeanor.
Then in our deaths they destroy our character and our good name, call into question our motives, dehumanize us, and ultimately, reduce us to nothing more than a statistic.
I’m tired, but you know what, I’m going to run more.