If you plan to use violence, vandalize, or loot

If you're someone who is planning to use violence, vandalize, or loot in our current circumstances.

I'm not here to yell at you. I'm not here to be another scolding post on social media that is filled with critism.

You have your life. You have your own decisions.

I just want to ask you, what is it that you're really after? What is the main outcome we all want?

I can't speak for everyone, but I would say it's justice.

What's happened to so many people before the protests, is unspeakable. It's not fair. It's disgusting, and something needs to be done.

I do believe that you are good people. We all are.

I can't read your mind. I can't act like I know who you are or what you're going through.

I heard someone speak out and say that peaceful protests are not enough. The extreme acts are a way of getting others to truly listen.

But what if violence, vandalism, and looting was not enough?

An article speaks about benefits of violence, saying it provides, "Short-term gains such as boosting morale, winning street battles, gaining substantial media attention, or avenging harms." However long-term it is damaging to the cause.

There are articles written by Stanford in 2018 that share when protesters use violence it can make the public support them less. The majority begins to see those protests as unreasonable, and identify less with the the protesters side.

The more people that support your desire for justice, the stronger your message runs. The more you are heard. The more positive change can come about.

We want justice. I see the passion. I see the compassion. I can see the fire inside everyone burning deep when they do all they can to fight and support this cause. I appreciate you for your desire to fight for justice.

But I would love to ask you to please stop the violence. Please stop the looting. Please stop the vandalism.

When we use a GPS to get to a new location, we often make mistakes and make the wrong turn, the GPS quickly reroutes us and we find another way home.

Can we please find another way home? Another way to justice? Another way to speak louder, speak stronger, and speak in a way EVERYONE will want to hear, understand, and support us as well?

We have people of color whose stores have been looted. We have a store owner in Dallas that was murdered for trying to defend his shop. We have parents, who have kids they have to feed. That haven't made any money and now have to pay for repairs and lost inventory. How are they going to make it? We have your next door neighbor, that always smiled at you when you passed by him, that no longer has a job opportunity becuase his old job was in a building that was burned down. You might say that he can go to find another job, but he also has to take account for other stores that have been damaged.

I know that you're a good person. I know that no one woke up and thought to create any of those challenges. I know that they had the best intention to speak loud and strong for justice.

But unfortunately these are things that will happen to others who are innocent.

I am not here to any means diminish the injustices on your side. But unfortunately this is all others see and focus on most of the time, instead of the real message. Unfortunately the real message and fight is dimished because people are more focused on their own safety and fears now.

I want your voice to be heard. I want you to be able to get what we all want and work towards. Justice.

Can we please find a more effective approach to win this fight?

Before you go out tonight, please.

I love you. I appreciate you. I wish you well.