As I write this, a black man in America, Floyd George is dead.
Killed by a police officer kneeling on his neck until he passed out, and died.
As I read various opinions on Facebook, one of the questions is:
If black lives matter, does that mean white lives don’t?
The whole point of highlighting that Black Lives Matter is that for years, they didn’t.
And for the most part, they still really don’t, despite people telling me that racism is on the decline.
To the average black person, the sight of the police killing black people is no surprise.
Even if these cases went to court, inevitably the perpetrators nearly always never serve any prison time.
To the average black person – and males in particular – being harassed, stopped, searched and degraded by the police is nothing new.
It’s happened to me more times than I can remember – and I don’t have a criminal record, and have always been employed.
To the average black person, turning up to view an available rental property, to be told it’s already been let when you arrive (despite only making the call 20 minutes previously to view it) – is nothing new.
To the average black person, to be denied certain job opportunities is nothing new.
To the average black person, to have people cross the street because they think you’re going to mug them is nothing new.
To the average black person, to be followed by Security in a store is nothing new.

To the average black person, to be treated unequally, is nothing new.
So in closing, ALL lives matter. Don’t forget that black lives matter too.

Copyright © Mark A. McPherson 2020.
All rights reserved.