An Open Letter.

As a white person in today’s society I understand my privilege. I have never been afraid of what would happen to me if I was pulled over. My parents never had a conversation with me about what to say or do if I get into any kind of encounter with the police. I’ve never been minding my own business and get called a racial slur from a stranger. I’ve always felt safe in my own home. I can have a cellphone, sell CD’s, play loud music, read a book in my car, go for a walk with my grandfather, go for a run, walk home with skittles, shop at Walmart, fucking breathe. I can fucking live and it’s because I’m white.

I get it. Fuck the cops. Please believe me when I say fuck the police. The anger that people have at the police is well founded. People are waking up everyday to the institutionalized racism that’s present in ALL government agencies. But to wake up to a world that is anti police, nobody is safe. It does not matter your skin color, nobody is safe. Every single human needs protection and those who took an oath to protect have failed to do that. They have failed for hundreds of years and continue to fail people of color. We need to rebuild a system where both you and I are protected equally. What an absolute radical thought. Each time there is a case of police brutality it’s a failed effort on the people in blue to try fucking better. I understand me, a white person, saying "fuck the police" is easy. I don't fear any consequences or fear getting murdered in broad daylight for saying those words. The police are quick to say "not every cop is bad", but they fail to recognize that it's a two way street.

Let me make this point crystal fucking clear, police officers need stop playing victim and fucking own up to the fucked up bullshit they have put people of color through for hundreds of years. The middle ground, which there shouldn't have to be a fucking middle ground, is police officers doing their fucking job. PROTECTING and serving. "But the black people need to show us that they trust us first". Boohoo, asshole. You've caused them an immense amount of pain so shut up and fucking protect them like you would a fellow officer.

To the white people who say “all lives matter”; that is a form of gaslighting. If you don’t know what that is, get your head out of your ass and fucking google it. It’s a way of making people of color question their reality to keep your “power” or status quo. If you’re uncomfortable with the reality, you are part of the problem. Just because people say “black lives matter” does not mean anybody is saying your life does not matter. If you are white, it’s not about you! You’ve done a fucking great job of making literally everything about you so how about you take a break? As a white person in the United States of America, you don’t have to worry about whether you will live or not just by walking down the street. You don’t have to worry about being racially profiled. You don’t have to worry about your skin color getting in the way of literally anything. You have the system on your side. If you are white, you are privileged. I know white people like their twinkies and mountain dew, but the United States of America is not a piece of pie; equal rights for all does not mean you as a white person have fewer rights.

Also, “blue lives matter” people can shut the fuck up. It’s a job, not a race. If you are a police officer you took an oath to serve and protect. You don’t pick and choose who you protect. You protect everybody. If you discriminate against any human, hand your fucking badge in. And if you’re an officer that knows a fellow officer is not upholding that oath fucking report them.

Your responsibility as a white person in today’s society is to use your fucking privilege to help others who do not have the same privilege. That means listening to their struggles. In order to listen you have to stop speaking over them. That means being an ally(that means support them, idiots). That means holding your white friends and family accountable. That means using your white privilege to dismantle a fucked up system. Your ancestors were racist? Your parents are racist? Racism is taught, remember that. You are personally responsible for becoming someone who is inclusive, to become more ethical than the society you grew up in, to recognize injustices and do everything you can to make a fucking difference. People of color have been fighting for the same human rights that white people have for hundreds of years. And it’s these generations, millennials and generation z, that are fighting for equality. I do not see generation x or baby boomers fighting along side their brother and sisters of color.

I understand that I will never be able to understand completely, but I stand with you and I will not let you do this alone. You were never meant to. Everything that has gone into getting justice for George Floyd must continue on for every single black person that has suffered from police brutality. We must continue to hold our authority figures accountable. Sign those petitions, continue protesting, keep people accountable, and continue using our voice for good. This is only the beginning.