George Floyd

One out of 1,000 black men and boys in the United States will die at the hands (or knees) of the police.

Put another way: If you are a male with brown skin in this country, the police are 2.5 times more likely to kill you you than someone whose skin is white.

If you are a male with brown scale, police are far more likely to use deadly force against you even when you aren’t armed or threatening to do harm.

The police act on our behalf as employees of the people. They enforce the laws and uphold our values.

In doing so, police show us something about ourselves as a society. What they enforce and uphold–and how they enforce and uphold it–gives us a glimpse into the spirit of the citizenry. Police action and attitudes help us see whether We the People are afraid or secure, careless or compassionate, connected or disconnected, distracted or paying attention.

What I think our black fellow citizens and neighbors are asking–begging–us to do now is ask some hard questions:

Question #1: If police action and attitudes reflect something about We the People, what does the use of deadly force against unarmed black men and boys reveal about us?

Question #2: Why are We the People so afraid of black men and boys that we are OK with the use of deadly force against them even when they are neither armed nor threatening anyone?

Question #3: Why are We the People so sure that this does not deserve our attention, let alone our action to do something about it?

Question #4: Do We the People really believe that people of color deserve to be We the People?

Question #5: Do We the People believe our black neighbors when they tell us there is a problem? Do we even care?