Ira

I can't sleep. I want to scream, or cry, or throw something against a wall. 

I believe in justice. Today, the Grand Jury decided not to indite Darren Wilson for the murder of Michael Brown. He won't even go to trial. 

What country do we live in? What IS this?

The sad truth is, justice rarely happens for people of color in the United States. Minorities fear police for a reason. Two times a week, an unarmed black man is shot in our country. This has been going on for a LONG TIME.

Michael Brown's case is heartbreaking, even more so after today's "verdict". But our country is waking up to this injustice. Brown's father made the following statement this week:

I do not want my son's death to be in vain, I want it to lead to incredible change, positive change... We live here together, this is our home. We're stronger united.

The media is sensationalizing the "riots", as if it comes as a surprise. Silence is not working. Voting is not working. Our justice system? Not working. And y'all, did they really have to wait until 8pm to announce the grand jury's decision? Outrage looks (and feels) more dramatic at nighttime. 

The people of Ferguson are blamed for their anger... But what option do they have? What option do we have? Black lives matter. If a white teenager had been killed by a police officer, there would have been a trial by now. We all know that... So how is it ok? 

We have fallen asleep. The people must rise up for true change to happen. To sit back and wait is not the answer. To let another black man be killed with no recourse...

This is a call to action. To peaceful protests, filling the streets. Social activism matters on social media, but if we stay behind our computer screens, we won't get very far.

"We protest so that some day, years from now, justice is not a surprise, 

nor a dream, nor deferred.

So that justice just is."

-Syreeta McFadden