The opposition saying “All Lives Matter” is being used to devalue the “Black Lives Matter” movement. This isn’t about who is correct, left or right; we are all Americans, living on Earth, and everyone should be treated the same. Police officers’ lives do matter, and their lives should be respected; but on the other hand of that, the same goes for the blacks, the Hispanics, any colored people and the whites that they are shooting so violently in the streets. It’s not okay. We need to talk about the victims of the issue at hand.
Willie McCoy:
After video surfaced of Willie McCoy, a mere 20 years old, McCoy was shot six times and killed while he was asleep in his car in a Taco Bell parking lot. Asleep. Just think about that for a minute. Can you imagine you decided to take a nap in a Taco Bell parking lot, and next thing you know you’re being awakened because you’ve been shot, and multiple officers are surrounding your car and shooting at you?
The officers were initially sent there to just be doing a wellness check because McCoy was unresponsive to car horn honks and people knocking on his window. This occurred on Feb. 9, and the footage wasn’t released until the last few days of March. For over a month, the police department held onto this footage coming straight from the officer’s body camera. Witnesses say that McCoy didn’t even have time to react, and in the video, it can be heard that the officers are planning to shoot right away. Willie McCoy wasn’t just shot to death, he was executed. This is a direct violation of basic safety protocol. They didn’t make an effort to preserve McCoy’s life, a whole human life. A man who didn’t see his death coming.
Background about McCoy:
- McCoy lost both his parents to cancer.
- He was raised by his cousins and sister.
- He had been on tour with his group FBG.
- He was a rapper by the name of Willie Bo.
Oscar Cain:
Oscar Cain, at the age of 31, was gunned down by Atlanta officers. Cain’s death counts as the 26th officer-involved shooting in Atlanta this year alone already. Each one of these shootings has had to be investigated by the Georgia Bureau Investigation.
Background about Cain:
- Cain was an activist, specifically an activist fighting for the racial justice community.
Pierre J. Cher Frere:
Pierre Cher, at the age of 25 his life was taken at the hands of police officers in Miami.
Black Lives Taken At The Hands of Officers In 2019 (Only The List of Identified Deaths):
- Anthony Orlando Bowers, 24, Tennessee, shot on April 7, 2019.
- Veltavious Griggs, 19, Georgia, shot on April 1, 2019.
- Oscar Cain, 31, Georgia, shot on March 31, 2019.
- Pierre J. Cher Frere, 25, Miami, shot on March 30, 2019.
- Daviri Robertson, 39, Louisiana, shot on March 27, 2019.
- Chris Joseph, 38, Louisanna, shot on March 27, 2019.
- Daishawn Brown, 19, California, shot on March 21, 2019.
- Osaze Osagie, 29, Pennsylvania, shot on March 20, 2019.
- Thomas Johnson, 22, Louisiana, shot on March 19, 2019.
- Nina Adams, 47, Pennslyvania, shot on March 13, 2019.
- Luke Anthony Swann, 36, Iowa, shot on March 4, 2019.
- Bradley Blackshire, 30, Arkansas, shot on Feb. 22, 2019.
- Kyron Marcell Sands, 39, Connecticut, shot on Feb. 20, 2019.
- Reginald Romero Bursey, Louisiana, shot on Feb. 17, 2019.
- Gary Marin, 45, Illinois, shot on Feb. 15, 2019.
- Alex Johnson, 58, Ohio, shot on Feb. 12, 2019.
- Ty’rell Pounds, 24, Kentucky, shot on Feb. 11, 2019.
- Willie Jermaine Robinson, 34, South Carolina, shot on Feb. 10, 2019.
- Willie McCoy, 20, California, shot on Feb. 9, 2019.
- Anthony Dewayne Childs, 31, Loisanna, shot on Feb. 5, 2019.
- Dwight Steward, 46, Washington, shot on Jan. 23, 2019.
- Jimmy Atchison, 21, Georgia, shot on Jan. 22, 2019.
- D’Angelo Brown, Arkansas, shot on Jan. 16, 2019.
- D’ettrick Griffin, 18, Georgia, shot on Jan. 15, 2019.
- William Owens, 39, New Jersey, shot on Jan. 14, 2019.
- Nathaniel Holland, 38, California, shot on Jan. 14, 2019.
- Jahamal Derrick Stewart, 45, California, shot on Jan. 14, 2019.
- Jacob Michael Harris, 19, Arizona, shot on Jan. 11, 2019.
- Treshun Symone Miller, 20, Texas, shot on Jan. 11, 2019.
- Johnny Lee Burney, 70, Alabama, shot on Jan. 10, 2019.
- Andre C Gladden, 36, Oregon, shot on Jan. 6, 2019.
- Lawrence Thompson III, 32, Texas, shot on Jan. 4, 2019.
- Zonell Williams, 33, Louisiana, shot on Jan. 4, 2019.
- Abdoulaye Thiam, 20, Tennessee, shot on Jan. 2, 2019.
- Matthew Burroughs, 35, Ohio, shot on Jan. 2, 2019.
- Brandon Lovell Webster, 28, North Carolina, shot on Jan. 1, 2019.
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They were all humans. Part of the issue is that officers need to be trained on how to handle people who have mental illnesses because those people shouldn’t lose their lives just because you can’t understand them. Officers need to all be retrained on when to and when not to use deadly force or any force at all. There have to be other methods than these deadly ones in order for officers to do their jobs. Too many people are losing their lives at the hands of officers, not just black people, every race.
It’s become one life after another. Black Lives Matter is still relevant because people still haven’t fully opened up their eyes to see that black people are losing their lives left and right, just living their own lives. People shouldn’t fear for their lives all because of the color of our skin. How many more need to die before a real change is made and people open up their eyes?