By DENA EAKLES | Ontario
It happened again. In Madison. No need to think on it. He probably had a record, and they say he assaulted the officer. Shouldn’t mess with police.
Here is the horrible truth: We fear BLACK men. We assume the worst. We devalue life to the point that five bullets to the chest seems logical, necessary, even par for the course.
Why do we need to think about this? We need to grapple with this because it is the loss of our humanity that is in question. This disregard of human life speaks to our diminished capacity for life, for kindness, and for peace.
Our words have blinded and numbed us. Each time a life is lost in such a violent way and we callously dismiss it, a piece of ourselves is lost as well.
So where are you? Where are the voices of peace? Where are the silent ones who could turn this around by flushing it out? We need to restore our humanity. We need to care that a 19-year-old from Madison has been added to the list of lives lost. There is no excuse not to care. There is no excuse not to mourn. Feel something. Talk to each other. It matters.
