I have often admired Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement because for their ability to remain peaceful in the face of violent racism. I often promised myself that if given the opportunity, I would endeavor to emulate them.
I must confess that I have often failed in this goal. This past summer when George Floyd was killed at the hands of police, I was so angry, I wanted to hit the walls. I watched the news, and I saw that people were angry across the country and expressing it in many ways. One of those ways included breaking into businesses and taking things.
In response President Trump declared, "When the looting starts, the shooting starts." This had me even more angry because where I saw people in pain, the President saw criminals. I felt something needed to be done. We needed a way to approach this problem peacefully, and there are few things more peaceful than Valentines. I thought that if every person in this country who has been affected by police brutality sent a card with the names of those lost due to police brutality, or if they told their story of police brutality, that their representatives would see how important these issues are to their constituents, and they would work to make sure police are held accountable. Police should not have qualified immunity when they intentionally harm the people they vow to protect.
We need to make change, and we need to work to do it peacefully, so please, send Valentines to your legislators. Ask them to work to end police brutality.